Megadosages of Vitamin D3 cause of indigestion ?

by Lacy
(MA)

I have a Vitamin D deficiency (scored a low 13), am 56, newly post-menopausal and have started on the 50000 IUs of Vitamin D3 2x per week (in second week of treatment) and have noticed something weird when I eat.

Almost like the food coming up partially but it doesn't all the way. I've never had that before.

Is it heartburn? acid reflux? or possibly gallbladder symptoms? I read on this site that one can get gallbladder disease from D3 megadoses.

Appreciate your comments. Thank you.

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Gallbladder disease from vitamin d ????
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

Hi Lacy,

It sounds like you just have some simple indigestion. You can get symptoms of indigestion from taking ANYTHING- even water or a placebo. Since this is new, it could be the vitamin d, and here are a few tricks that you could try.

First, I would HIGHLY suggest that you switch to a high quality Over the Counter Vitamin d3 and NOT prescription vitamin d. I tell you the reasons why this is the case in this post on Prescription Vitamin D.

While I don't talk about it on that page specifically, on the Side Effects of Vitamin D page, I go into the fact that in any oil based Vitamin D preparation -including prescription vitamin d- the oil could have gone rancid. This COULD cause an indigestion like experience.

So, the BEST choice for a Vitamin D Supplement is one that is made with Vitamin D3 and is prepared either 'Dry' without oil or is prepared with coconut oil (also called MCT or medium chain triglycerides) that doesn't go rancid.

I offer a Dry Prepared Vitamin D3 for this reason on the Vitamin D Supplements page.

Next, be sure that you take your pills with a meal or a snack that contains fat in it.

Those two suggestions should take care of the indigestion that you are experiencing. And by the way, you say that you heard on this site that Vitamin D can cause Gallbladder problems... You DEFINITELY did not read that on THIS site, as I have never heard of anything of the sort and I write every single word on this site!

In all of the EXTENSIVE research that I have done on Vitamin D, I have never heard of such a thing, and I went to research specifically that after I read your post and could find nothing about it in any of the Vitamin D research.

So, I have no idea where you heard that, but it was not here and I do not believe that that is true. And anyway, burping up your food a couple of times is in NO WAY a symptom of gallbladder disease- so PLEASE don't worry about that!

When you are purchasing your supplements, please consider supporting this site by purchasing your Vitamin D Supplements here.

Thanks for asking your question and I hope that this helped.

Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System

vitamin d and indigestion
by: Anonymous

My mother was megadosing vitamin d (40000iu) for MS and suffered unbearable idigestion and had to stop taking it. I was also taking d (3000iu/dy) and was suffering horrible idigestion. I tried different types of d, capsules, liquid and even a brand in fish oil. Even at 1000 iu/dy I get indigestion and without it I have no problems.

The odd thing was that the indigestion wouldn't happen till the evening, even though I had taken the vitamin d in the morning.

Whether I took the vitamin d with food or fat or nothing, made zero difference.

Flatulence
by: Anonymous

I take 2400u of vitamin D daily due to scoring a low level (13). I was on a megadose of 50,000u per prescription but couldn't tolerate it. Even at the dose I now take, I have a terrible flatulence problem. My sister who also has a low level had to quit taking it completely because of the same problem.

Flatulence...
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

I would be curious to know if your flatulence issues and/or indigestion issues could be due to a fat malabsoption problem.

If you haven't tried using a no-oil supplement like the Vitamin D3 Supplement that I offer here or using one that is packed in Coconut Oil (which bypasses normal fat absorption pathways that all other fats have to go through and doesn't require fat digesting enzymes or bile).

If you have any problems with dry skin, dry hair or 'fatty stools', I would DEFINITELY suspect this problem.

Even if you don't, it could also be a problem of digestion that could be remedied with taking hydrochloric acid and enzymes to improve your digestion.

GHC health offers a Betaine with Hydrochloric Acid Supplement that could help to alleviate this problem.

It is NOT normal to have these problems and while people think that it is just the way that their body works, generally it is a fixable PROBLEM, such as general poor digestion or fat malabsorption that is causing these seemingly minor problems.

And very often when I ask more questions, they will tell me about other health problems that they have that are also related to poor digestion or absorption.

So, I suggest that you give the Betaine with Hydrochloric Acid Supplement a try to see if that helps.

You may find that it resolves OTHER issues too. You can also see an article on Benefits of Hydrochloric Acid Supplements here.

Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System

vitamin D
by: Joanna

My vitamin D level was 28, I took 1000 units and had indigestion in the middle of the night. I waited 2 days and lowered the dose to 400 units indigestion not as bad, second night woke up once again with indigestion.

Also took this with milk.

Vitamin D 50,000 units once weekly
by: Anonymous

I too just started taking vitamin D in above dosage and have been experiencing heartburn and/or indigestion no matter what I seem to eat. It is getting so I do not even want to touch certain foods because of this problem. I find myself taking Tums, chewing peppermint gum, etc. to calm my stomach down. I have also been getting a lot of burping as well. Could taking the vitamin D 50,000 units be causing this and what are my other options for having low vitamin D level?

Gloria

No Prescription Vitamin D
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

Hi Gloria,

First and most importantly, get OFF the prescription!!! Please read my page on Prescription Vitamin D to see why.

Next, did you switch to a no oil supplement like I recommended to the other person in this thread? Are you taking your vitamin D with a meal? If that doesn't work, then try switching to taking it with an evening meal. There are several supplements that I am familiar with that cause problems taken in the morning, but don't cause problems taken with lunch or dinner.

If that doesn't work, then simply try adding up what your dosage would be for the MONTH and taking it all at once. Yes, this is PERFECTLY and ENTIRELY and COMPLETELY safe to take your vitamin d all at once on a monthly basis and often more convenient for those who get experience side effects. You still NEED vitamin d and experiencing a little bit of indigestion once a month is worth it to get all of the benefits of vitamin d.

Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System

PS: If you found this website helpful, please consider using the
Easy Immune Health Product Store the next time you purchase your supplements online. Your support allows me to keep this site running and educating as many people as possible. Thank you!

vitamin d and heartburn
by: steve

i read on one of the posts that they were taking tums and other antacids with d3, could i advise people to read up on the chemical reaction of mixing d3 and any antacids. it is a bad mix apparently and can cause anything from nausea to death. (webmd) i want to take d3 but suffer with bad acid reflux to the point i have acid stools at least once a week ( very painful ring sting ) and i am weary of taking d3 as i sometimes rely on antacids to be able to sleep

So - here's another one . .
by: Anonymous

I had a low D3 lab result and went to a naturopath. She recommended 10,000 iu daily along with a thyroid supplement. The D3 I got from her is a tiny little white capsule with power in it - not oil.

She wants me to do this for 4 months and retest. I have been at it almost a month and it has been a miserable month. Indigestion to the max with heartburn and a lot of 'gurgling' and diarrhea - not pleasant. I also have had to take tums - and see someone says that is not safe? What to do??

I know the low vitamin d3 level is not good, but the remedy is sure not fun - heartburn day and night, Not sure I can go 3 more months like this, and yet I know the vitamin D3 level needs to rise. At a loss . . . .

Gas pains
by: Anonymous

I was taking Vitamin D2 50,000 and after the 3rd dose, I started having severe stomach pain. My Endo said to stop taking it and follow up with my GP. They said they think it caused it agravated my stomach lining and put me on Prilesec OTC for 4 days. It's helping, but I still have gas pains. How long will it take to heal.

Vitamin D3 caused acid reflux
by: Anonymous

I was found to be deficient in Vitamin D - at a level of 9. I have been taking Vitamin D3 supplements 3000 IU daily and have had terrible acid reflux since then. I also have to take antacids almost every night.

Pity, because the vitamin D3 has improved my hair loss and back and hip pains, but acid reflux can cause Barrets and ultimately oesophageal cancer so chronic acid reflux should not be taken lightly.

try spray d3
by: Anonymous

i have now changed to Spray Vitamin D and find it a lot
better. I would not use capsules again. Problem solved.

Heartburn with vitaD
by: Anonymous

I am 4 weeks into my recently prescribed vitamin D regimen of 50,000 IU 1x per week for 8 weeks, blood work will follow that and tell my dr. What to do next. My score was 14 on the deficiency scale.

I have recently started feeling extreme heartburn and nausea, so today I took my prescription ranitidine 2x and 1 onadasterone, it's not helping at all. I also just read that taking tums and other antacids with taking vitamin D supplements can cause up to death. Now what do I do, I've already ingested all of the above without knowing the potential side effect of combining them.

How about trying this instead??
by: Anonymous

Hi everyone, How about trying magnesium, since magnesium is the cofactor for vitamin D? If you score low in vitamin D, it is not because you have suddenly lost the ability to metabolize vitamin D, after 3.5 million years of evolution.

It's because you don't have the cofactor. Magnesium. If that doesn't work, you probably don't have the cofactor for magnesium. Selenium. Studies show that Magnesium and Vitamin D need to be taken together.

vit D pain and calcium levels
by: Anonymous

Hi, I am having the same issues along with stomach pain, and diarrhea and metal mouth. I think a doctor can or should consulted on these things as it can sometimes be a sign of a high calcium blood level, look up calcium poisoning symptoms and primary hyperparathyroidism. Vitamin D raises blood calcium levels naturally but if you already have high calcium levels what then? My Vit D levels were 12 which is very low, but my calcium was normal to high, so perhaps it raises my calcium levels to a abnormally high reading hence the symptoms.
My GP is calling me tomorrow so he can advise me then, and yeah I know most GP's dont' have a clue about Vit D but he can refer me to a specialist if not.

parathyroid
by: Kerri Knox, RN, The Immune Queen

Please go to and read parathyroid.com

Helped my heartburn
by: Anonymous

Heartburn was at a point where everything was causing extreme pain.Even water.I couldn't even lean forward while working on a project. I was really tired so I took extra vitamin D3 twice one week,about 40,000 each time. The heartburn completely went away!A few weeks later it started back very mild,did the same thing and it's completely gone!

D3, K2, Magnesium
by: BeeCee

Dont take the prescription D3 its too high. Many GP dont understand how this works yet. You need Magnesium(low dose since too much can hurt you too), K2 (research says K2 is vital while taking D3), Selenium as well. D3 is worthless and possibly harmful on its own. If your reflux is worse on d3(after taking the other vits with it) its probably due to your digestive system being out of wack, time to see a GI.

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