Side Effects of Vitamin D Supplements — Tinnitus and General Wellbeing Negatively Affected?

[Drachen]

Hey, everyone. I wasn't sure if this was worthy of making its own thread, but I didn't want to necro one of the few Vitamin D threads that were out there just to ask this question.

For those of you that have taken supplements for Vitamin D3, especially in the higher range like 5000 ICU, did you experience any noteworthy side effects?

Backstory: I decided to start taking a Vitamin D3 supplement and B-complex as I considered I may be deficient in them. I've also been taking a multivitamin, but the dosages per vitamin there are low and probably not being absorbed well.

The first day of taking both of these went alright, but then I had one of my worst tinnitus days since onset, coupled with headache and mild to moderate nausea. I decided to cut back on the B-complex and take the Vitamin D3 to determine which might have been the cause.

While I have had a couple days of normal reaction, I had another bad day yesterday and today. My sleep has been gutted, and I've felt generally unwell.

I have also been taking Magnesium Glycinate (400 mg) which has been helping me get to sleep. I take this in addition to Melatonin and/or Ramelteon. This all has done very well to get my sleep back on track until recently where I introduced this D3 and B-complex. Now that I've stopped the B-complex a couple days ago, I can only think it's the Vitamin D3.

Is it possible that I am overdosing on Vitamin D3 or receiving some weird side effect? I also worry it might be nullifying the effect of the Magnesium I am taking, though I do take the D3 during the morning and the Magnesium at night. I don't want the supplements to be canceling each other out, and I don't want to take something that uproots my sleep quality.

I think I am just going to stop taking the Vitamin D3 until I get my test results back to even see if I have a deficiency, though considering I tend to have them in the winter and haven't gone out much due to COVID-19, I would be surprised if I am within normal range.

Thanks for any answers!

 

[twa]

Hey, everyone. I wasn't sure if this was worthy of making its own thread, but I didn't want to necro one of the few Vitamin D threads that were out there just to ask this question.

For those of you that have taken supplements for Vitamin D3, especially in the higher range like 5000 ICU, did you experience any noteworthy side effects?

Backstory: I decided to start taking a Vitamin D3 supplement and B-complex as I considered I may be deficient in them. I've also been taking a multivitamin, but the dosages per vitamin there are low and probably not being absorbed well.

The first day of taking both of these went alright, but then I had one of my worst tinnitus days since onset, coupled with headache and mild to moderate nausea. I decided to cut back on the B-complex and take the Vitamin D3 to determine which might have been the cause.

While I have had a couple days of normal reaction, I had another bad day yesterday and today. My sleep has been gutted, and I've felt generally unwell.

I have also been taking Magnesium Glycinate (400 mg) which has been helping me get to sleep. I take this in addition to Melatonin and/or Ramelteon. This all has done very well to get my sleep back on track until recently where I introduced this D3 and B-complex. Now that I've stopped the B-complex a couple days ago, I can only think it's the Vitamin D3.

Is it possible that I am overdosing on Vitamin D3 or receiving some weird side effect? I also worry it might be nullifying the effect of the Magnesium I am taking, though I do take the D3 during the morning and the Magnesium at night. I don't want the supplements to be canceling each other out, and I don't want to take something that uproots my sleep quality.

I think I am just going to stop taking the Vitamin D3 until I get my test results back to even see if I have a deficiency, though considering I tend to have them in the winter and haven't gone out much due to COVID-19, I would be surprised if I am within normal range.

Thanks for any answers!

Did you get a diagnosis from the doctor with your hearing/tinnitus?

twa

 

[Drachen]

Did you get a diagnosis from the doctor with your hearing/tinnitus?

Neither primary care doctor I've visited had any sort of idea what could be causing it, and frankly, I didn't get the impression they cared a whole lot. The audiologist seems to think it could be noise-induced, but it wasn't conclusive. I see the ENT next week, but again, I have no expectations. I feel alone in my own health despite trying to reach out. Really sucks.

Regarding the Vitamin D3, I did get a call from my clinic today about my test results, but they aren't posted online. Still waiting to hear back from them. I haven't taken a supplement today in fear I'll feel ill again.

 

[twa]

Neither primary care doctor I've visited had any sort of idea what could be causing it, and frankly, I didn't get the impression they cared a whole lot. The audiologist seems to think it could be noise-induced, but it wasn't conclusive. I see the ENT next week, but again, I have no expectations. I feel alone in my own health despite trying to reach out. Really sucks.

Regarding the Vitamin D3, I did get a call from my clinic today about my test results, but they aren't posted online. Still waiting to hear back from them. I haven't taken a supplement today in fear I'll feel ill again.

I think we all feel that way about our doctors and tinnitus/hearing loss. I have hyperacusis and only 1 out 4 of my doctors even mentioned anything about ear protection. It was one sentence in a hand-out given to me by the PA. That was wise to discontinue the D3 if it makes you feel ill. Praying for better days.

 

[Drachen]

So it turns out that my Vitamin D levels are actually quite low: 14 ng/mL. It seems I have but no choice to try and take this supplement going further, but I'm really worried about it possibly worsening my condition or making me ill. Not sure if I should be trying to go for another supplement or getting my Vitamin D some other way.

I keep seeing cod liver oil thrown about here and there. Has anyone else used this to treat their deficiency to success?

I'd really like to just go out in the sun more often, but it's quite cold now which means my body would be wrapped up behind what little sun is exposed.

 

[FGG]

So it turns out that my Vitamin D levels are actually quite low: 14 ng/mL. It seems I have but no choice to try and take this supplement going further, but I'm really worried about it possibly worsening my condition or making me ill. Not sure if I should be trying to go for another supplement or getting my Vitamin D some other way.

I keep seeing cod liver oil thrown about here and there. Has anyone else used this to treat their deficiency to success?

I'd really like to just go out in the sun more often, but it's quite cold now which means my body would be wrapped up behind what little sun is exposed.

Check your 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, too. They usually only test for the precursor form (because the active form has to be flash frozen and not all labs do this) but if you are a rapid converter, your D levels make look low but be normal or occasionally even high.

 

[Drachen]

Check your 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, too. They usually only test for the precursor form (because the active form has to be flash frozen and not all labs do this) but if you are a rapid converter, your D levels make look low but be normal or occasionally even high.

Thank you for letting me know about this. I'll shoot my doctor (rather, his nurse) an email to see if this is a test I could get done, but I won't hold my breath. I wanted to get other metrics tested like metals (Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, etc.) but he seemed hesitant to do that. Blah blah, insurance this, insurance that...

I'm really not sure what to do either since I'm having another rough night, and this is after I took the Vitamin D supplement again. There's no way to tell for sure if it's the supplement or any other number of factors, but the continuing correlations are starting to bug me.

 

[FGG]

Thank you for letting me know about this. I'll shoot my doctor (rather, his nurse) an email to see if this is a test I could get done, but I won't hold my breath. I wanted to get other metrics tested like metals (Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, etc.) but he seemed hesitant to do that. Blah blah, insurance this, insurance that...

I'm really not sure what to do either since I'm having another rough night, and this is after I took the Vitamin D supplement again. There's no way to tell for sure if it's the supplement or any other number of factors, but the continuing correlations are starting to bug me.

Sometimes, people are sensitive/allergic to the "fillers" in supplements too. If it turns out you are actually low in activated Vitamin D but the pill makes your tinnitus worse, you could always try getting more dietary Vitamin D and sun.

 

[Milky Way]

Is it possible that I am overdosing on Vitamin D3 or receiving some weird side effect? .

I have found that my moderate intake of vitamin D (1500UI) has no effect on my tinnitus. One thing very important is to complement vitamin D with vitamin K2 to settle the calcium.

 

[Drachen]

I have found that my moderate intake of vitamin D (1500UI) has no effect on my tinnitus. One thing very important is to complement vitamin D with vitamin K2 to settle the calcium.

Hmm, this is something I will consider. Even though 4000 IU is said to be within the upper limits of what's acceptable, I've considered the possibility that it may be too much and somehow shocking my system. I'm considering picking up a bottle of lower dosage, but I don't really want this other to just go to waste. I wonder how Amazon handles returns on opened supplements...

I've seen the D3 + K2 supplements on the market and wasn't really sure why they were so closely marketed together. I'm not really sure I want to institute another vitamin supplement on top of everything else, but I'll look into this as well.

Frankly, I'm at the point where I just want to drop supplements altogether, because I can't seem to be able to tell what helps, does nothing, or potentially causes spikes. I'm going to try and do better to get vitamins from food or natural sources like FGG mentioned above, but it's easier said than done.

 

[MindOverMatter]

@Drachen

Given your Vitamin D is AS low AS 14 ng/mL, you should continue supplementing with a relatively high dose D3 for some time, and follow up with a new blood test within a couple of months.

As @Milky Way mentions, you need to add vitamin K2 (MK-7), min. 90mcg.

"The Perfect Pair": Vitamins K2 and D3 synergy shown to amplify effects of both

 

[Drachen]

@Drachen

Given your Vitamin D is AS low AS 14 ng/mL, you should continue supplementing with a relatively high dose D3 for some time, and follow up with a new blood test within a couple of months.

As @Milky Way mentions, you need to add vitamin K2 (MK-7), min. 90mcg.

"The Perfect Pair": Vitamins K2 and D3 synergy shown to amplify effects of both

This is what I am afraid of honestly. If it were slightly low, I might have been comfortable just riding it out, but I am apparently in a stark deficiency. I still can't ignore these side effects I am experiencing from the supplements.

Is it not going to be effective just trying to raise my numbers through diet? What about a lower dose supplement? I am very afraid of trying to continue along with a 5,000 IU dosage. I also don't want to go through the effort of buying one with K2 if the result is going to be the same.

 

[MindOverMatter]

I'd say 2000-3000IU D3 + 90mcg MK-7 K2 is sufficient to up your levels.

Eat fish, and get natural sunlight during the day - if possible.

 

[Rockrose]

Drachen, I'm pretty sure that taking vitamin D3 supplements makes my T worse. I've come across a number of places on the internet where people report that supplementing with D3 can cause severe insomnia. Taking D3 has done that in the past to me, though I have to say that sometimes have bouts of insomnia anyway. This past month or so I decided to take 2000 iu or 50 mcg every day for a few weeks because of concerns for the new covid-19 variant. I took extra magnesium to compliment it. In a couple of weeks I found myself having terrible insomnia, restless legs and some agitation, even with taking magnesium in the morning and evening. At the time, my T had also gotten quite a bit more pronounced continually. I stopped taking the D3 a few days ago and am sleeping much better now. T is also returning to normal and I'm hoping that it will go down more. I also just started taking a half of a 3mg melatonin tablet a couple of hours before bed. D3 is a steroid and many people get jazzed up on steroids. Also D3 is the opposite of melatonin. One is produced from daylight and the other at night. Some say that taking D3 can mess with melatonin levels. I believe that this is true from my own experience. I haven't had my D3 levels checked... my insurance won't cover it. Good luck! I have some 400 iu D3 caps that I might try later on to see if I tolerate that low dose better. I'm sorry for the conundrum that you're in and I hope that your levels can normalize some way without making your T worse. Have you stopped taking the D3 and noticed any improvement? Best of luck![/QUOTE]

 

[Matchbox]

D3 is more of a hormone and chelator than a steroid.

 

[mohn]

@Drachen, how are you supplementing D3?

I have a similar deficiency level and wondering what are safe options. We don't have much sunshine here in the Northeast part of the United States.

I see some posts that vitamin D increases seratonin levels and potentially could affect tinnitus.

 

[UrbanBubblegum]

You normally don't need super high doses of Vitamin D3, really. Of course depending on your general health and diet, 800-1200 IU should do it. I use fresh Fish oil + a D3 800 UI everyday. If your ears ring from D3, it's quite possible due to Magnesium deficiency, which D3 uses.

 

[JasonP]

For those that have taken Vitamin D, how much did you take and how long did it take to start working? What did you take it for and what overall benefits did you notice from it?

 

[GeorgeLG]

For those that have taken Vitamin D, how much did you take and how long did it take to start working? What did you take it for and what overall benefits did you notice from it?

I was having severe unexplained back pain and a blood test showed a vitamin D deficiency. I was testing for vitamin D also because of my cancer. I started taking 2,000 units around 4 days a week and my level rose 11% in the first month into the bottom of the normal range. My back pain is much better. The supplement did not give me any problems.

George