It appears that about 1 person in 300 will have an allergic reaction vitamin D
(Have no specific reference for that ratio - it is just an impression from reading 3,000 articles on vitamin D)
The reaction may include itchy skin, hives, intestinal upset.
Reactions occur within 3 days of taking vitamin D - sometimes within a day
The reaction is real but for unknown reasons, and there are many possible solutions
Hope by the end of 2012 to have narrowed the solutions down to just a few.
Possible reasons and some potential solutions
- Reaction is due to lack of Magnesium - which is brought out by vitamin D
Take Magnesium supplement - Similar to reaction to being in the sun
- Perhaps need to start with a smaller dose
Some doctors start the patient on 50,000 IU of vitamin D approximately weekly
Might try having daily instead of weekly doses - Might be a reaction to Vitamin D2 - which is still the only form allowed to be prescribed in the US
- Might be a reaction by the gut to Vitamin D
Try a sublingual form or one which is easier to digest (see below) - Reaction to a prescription drug
- Some speculation that the reaction is the the oil or the gelatin capsule
Solutions which might apply to many of the above
- Make sure that you are taking D3 and not D2
- Try a smaller amount
- Try a different form of vitamin D: bioemulsified
- Try sun or UV instead of vitamin D (but not if have an allergic reaction to the sun)
VitaminDWiki recommended way to try vitamin D (virtually no doctor is so cautious)
- Take a small amount of vitamin D ( say 1,000 IU or a portion of a capsule)
- Wait for 3 days to see it there is any allergic reaction
- If no reaction, proceed with the maintenance dose (2,000 - 10,000 IU daily) or loading dose (50,000 IU 1 to 10 times per month)
See also VitaminDWiki
- All items in category Interactions 39 items as of Dec 2011 (virtually all interactions = Drug reduces the vitamin D effectivity, no reaction
- Vitamin D interactions with drugs – Oct 2011 Abstract says which drugs, but not amount of interaction
- NLM Vitamin D recommendations and interactions – Jan 2011
- Side Effects and Warning for vitamin D
Excessive thirst, Metal taste in mouth, Poor appetite, Weight loss, Bone pain, Tiredness, Sore eyes, Itchy skin,
Vomiting, Diarrhea, Constipation, A frequent need to urinate, Muscle problems - On-line survey of drug uses and side effects – including vitamin D
Which contains the following chart:
Note the following are not the % of people taking vitamin D who got reactions
but rather the % who had a any reaction which had a particular reaction