This study by a psychiatric hospital in ohio contains an excellent overview of the history of vitamin D in disease treatment. They screens all admitted patients for vitamin D levels most are deficient. They offer vitamin D to all deficient patients and over 7 years has administered 5000 - 50,000 IU of daily vitamin to over 4700 patients (with most receiving 5,000 or 10,000). There have been no cases of vitamin D toxicicity or vitamin D induced hypercalcemia. There are many instances of improvements across an array of symptoms with the vitamin D supplementation. they also note that the failure of many clinical trials with vitamin D is probably due to significant underdosing. More hospitals should take note.
I quote this observation below but am incuding it again here because it's relevant to questions of safe blood levels of vitamin D:
"Serum 25OHD levels above 100 ng/ml, ranging to as high as
202 ng/ml, were commonly observed in patients on prolonged daily
oral dosing with 10,000 IU. Serum 25OHD blood levels over 200 ng/ml,
ranging as high as 384 ng/ml, were also observed in several individuals
taking vitamin D doses > 10,000 IU/d. However none of these 25OHD
blood levels were associated with hypercalcemia, nephrolithiasis, or
any other adverse health effects in our study population."
Interestingly, 3 of the authors themselves take >= 20,000 IU daily for effective treatment of various ailments.
www.sciencedirect.com
"Sunshine and phototherapy were used to cure tuberculosis in the 1890′s
and 1930′s [1,6–10]. In fact, the Nobel prize in medicine was awarded
to Dr. Neils Ryberg Finsen in 1903 for curing hundreds of long-standing
cases of TB with refracted light rays from an electric arc lamp [6,7], and
this method of treatment became the standard of care for treating TB
until the discovery of antibiotics in the 1940′s [10–12]. In addition,
both rickets [5,13] and psoriasis [14] were also reported to improve
dramatically with sun exposure"
"In addition, with the relatively short course of treatment for tu-
berculosis, many patients were able to safely ingest 100,000 to 150,000
IU/d for several months and achieve complete cures without devel-
oping complications related to hypercalcemia or withdrawing from
therapy [19–24]"
"...remarkable clinical benefits using doses in this range have
previously been reported in a patient with Parkinson’s disease treated
with 4000 IU/d of 25OHD3 (roughly equivalent to 40,000 IU/d of D3
(25)) for a year in 1997 [78], and in a pancreatic cancer patient treated
with 50,000 IU/d for 9 months reported in 2016 [74]. Based on these
case reports, our experience, and the reports from the 1930s and 1940s
discussed earlier, the failure of many clinical trials involving vitamin
D3, that have been reported in the last few decades appear to be related
to the use of insufficient dosing of vitamin D, which have typically
ranged from 800 IU to 2000 IU/d."
"It was with this broad background of information on dosing, safety,
and toxicity, recommendations for the new UL of 10,000 IU/d, the
clinical trial evidence on the effectiveness of vitamin D in treating
asthma in the 1930s, psoriasis in the 1930s, 1980s and 1990s, rickets in
the 1920s, RA in the 1940s, TB in the 1940s, epilepsy in 1974 and 2012
[80,81], Parkinson’s disease in 1997 [78,82], estimates of vitamin D
production in the skin made in the 1970s and 1980s ranging from
10,000 IU/d to 25,000 IU/d, and the strong link between vitamin D and
cancer discussed earlier, that we began to supplement hospitalized
patients in 2009 with 5000 IU/d to 10,000 IU/d of vitamin D3, and
have safely continued to do so through today."
"Daily oral intake of vitamin D3 ranging from 5000 IU/d to 60,000
IU/d for several years was well tolerated and safe in both our patients
and staff. The mean 25OHD blood levels in our patients appear to take
around 12 months to plateau on 5000 IU/d and 10,000 IU/d.
The average 25OHD values we observed in patients taking 10,000
IU/d at 12 months (96 ng/ml) and 16 months (97 ng/ml) are almost
identical to what is currently considered to be the upper limit of normal
(100 ng/ml) and are approximately 50% higher than those observed in
our patients taking 5000 IU/d for the same period of time.
Serum 25OHD levels above 100 ng/ml, ranging to as high as
202 ng/ml, were commonly observed in patients on prolonged daily
oral dosing with 10,000 IU. Serum 25OHD blood levels over 200 ng/ml,
ranging as high as 384 ng/ml, were also observed in several individuals
taking vitamin D doses > 10,000 IU/d. However none of these 25OHD
blood levels were associated with hypercalcemia, nephrolithiasis, or
any other adverse health effects in our study population."
@haidut @charlie @Rinse & rePeat
I quote this observation below but am incuding it again here because it's relevant to questions of safe blood levels of vitamin D:
"Serum 25OHD levels above 100 ng/ml, ranging to as high as
202 ng/ml, were commonly observed in patients on prolonged daily
oral dosing with 10,000 IU. Serum 25OHD blood levels over 200 ng/ml,
ranging as high as 384 ng/ml, were also observed in several individuals
taking vitamin D doses > 10,000 IU/d. However none of these 25OHD
blood levels were associated with hypercalcemia, nephrolithiasis, or
any other adverse health effects in our study population."
Interestingly, 3 of the authors themselves take >= 20,000 IU daily for effective treatment of various ailments.
Daily oral dosing of vitamin D3 using 5000 TO 50,000 international units a day in long-term hospitalized patients: Insights from a seven year experience
Vitamin D3 is a secosteroid hormone produced in the skin in amounts estimated up to 25,000 international units (IUs) a day by the action of UVB radiat…
"Sunshine and phototherapy were used to cure tuberculosis in the 1890′s
and 1930′s [1,6–10]. In fact, the Nobel prize in medicine was awarded
to Dr. Neils Ryberg Finsen in 1903 for curing hundreds of long-standing
cases of TB with refracted light rays from an electric arc lamp [6,7], and
this method of treatment became the standard of care for treating TB
until the discovery of antibiotics in the 1940′s [10–12]. In addition,
both rickets [5,13] and psoriasis [14] were also reported to improve
dramatically with sun exposure"
"In addition, with the relatively short course of treatment for tu-
berculosis, many patients were able to safely ingest 100,000 to 150,000
IU/d for several months and achieve complete cures without devel-
oping complications related to hypercalcemia or withdrawing from
therapy [19–24]"
"...remarkable clinical benefits using doses in this range have
previously been reported in a patient with Parkinson’s disease treated
with 4000 IU/d of 25OHD3 (roughly equivalent to 40,000 IU/d of D3
(25)) for a year in 1997 [78], and in a pancreatic cancer patient treated
with 50,000 IU/d for 9 months reported in 2016 [74]. Based on these
case reports, our experience, and the reports from the 1930s and 1940s
discussed earlier, the failure of many clinical trials involving vitamin
D3, that have been reported in the last few decades appear to be related
to the use of insufficient dosing of vitamin D, which have typically
ranged from 800 IU to 2000 IU/d."
"It was with this broad background of information on dosing, safety,
and toxicity, recommendations for the new UL of 10,000 IU/d, the
clinical trial evidence on the effectiveness of vitamin D in treating
asthma in the 1930s, psoriasis in the 1930s, 1980s and 1990s, rickets in
the 1920s, RA in the 1940s, TB in the 1940s, epilepsy in 1974 and 2012
[80,81], Parkinson’s disease in 1997 [78,82], estimates of vitamin D
production in the skin made in the 1970s and 1980s ranging from
10,000 IU/d to 25,000 IU/d, and the strong link between vitamin D and
cancer discussed earlier, that we began to supplement hospitalized
patients in 2009 with 5000 IU/d to 10,000 IU/d of vitamin D3, and
have safely continued to do so through today."
"Daily oral intake of vitamin D3 ranging from 5000 IU/d to 60,000
IU/d for several years was well tolerated and safe in both our patients
and staff. The mean 25OHD blood levels in our patients appear to take
around 12 months to plateau on 5000 IU/d and 10,000 IU/d.
The average 25OHD values we observed in patients taking 10,000
IU/d at 12 months (96 ng/ml) and 16 months (97 ng/ml) are almost
identical to what is currently considered to be the upper limit of normal
(100 ng/ml) and are approximately 50% higher than those observed in
our patients taking 5000 IU/d for the same period of time.
Serum 25OHD levels above 100 ng/ml, ranging to as high as
202 ng/ml, were commonly observed in patients on prolonged daily
oral dosing with 10,000 IU. Serum 25OHD blood levels over 200 ng/ml,
ranging as high as 384 ng/ml, were also observed in several individuals
taking vitamin D doses > 10,000 IU/d. However none of these 25OHD
blood levels were associated with hypercalcemia, nephrolithiasis, or
any other adverse health effects in our study population."
@haidut @charlie @Rinse & rePeat
