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Why does vitamin d make me so tired?

Phred

Senior Member
Messages
141
It doesn't matter if it's from sunshine or supplements I get really sleepy when I take D. So much so that I started taking it at night because I wanted to go back to bed if I took it in the morning or afternoon. Does anyone know why it might make me so sleepy? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 

Misfit Toy

Senior Member
Messages
4,178
Location
USA
I wish I knew. Could you be allergic to it? Does it help you sleep? That is a good thing. If it helps with mood, maybe it is helping you calm down.
 

Phred

Senior Member
Messages
141
I wish I knew. Could you be allergic to it? Does it help you sleep? That is a good thing. If it helps with mood, maybe it is helping you calm down.

Yes, I should have said it definately makes my mood better, but makes me tired too. I don't think I'm allergic to it. I don't get hives or itchy skin and my nose does't get stuffed up, like with my other allergies, so I don't think that's it.
 

Misfit Toy

Senior Member
Messages
4,178
Location
USA
Does it make you tired during the day if you take it at night? Overall, this sounds great to me! Tired, and then feeling a better mood is not awful unless you can't function.
 

Phred

Senior Member
Messages
141
The tired feeling lasts for awhile. I haven't sat down and really analyzed how long. I'll start taking note. But it's for a couple of hours anyway. Today is a good example. I walked my dog this morning. By the end of the walk I was dragging my feet I was so tired. It was nice and sunny, early morning sun. I can do the same walk, with less sleep from the night before, when it is cloudy and at the end I feel hungry and slightly revitalized. Today I'm just tired, tired, tired. It happens with supplements too. I've noticed this for a few months now, but thought I'd finally ask if anyone would know why this is.
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,266
Location
UK
Hi It says here that:

Too Much Vitamin D3

Taking too much D3 can led to adverse reactions, such as fatigue, sleepiness, weakness, loss of appetite, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting and a metallic taste in the mouth, according to MedlinePlus. The recommended dose of vitamin D3 daily is below 50 mcg. Taking too much can cause high levels of calcium in the blood which can lead to further complications.
 

Phred

Senior Member
Messages
141
dannybex, if that is true than that is most inconvenient. I take my dog in the morning and have other things to do later. I guess I'm one of the wicked with no rest for me.

brenda thanks for the info. This was something I noticed long before I supplemented...well anything. Sunshine always made me sleepy. A nice cloudy (windy is even better) day and I'm not anywhere near as tired later in the morning.
 

dannybex

Senior Member
Messages
3,561
Location
Seattle
It could also be activating your immune system to help fight off some hidden infections. I'd listen to your body...and rest when you can. Easier said than done, but very very critical to recovery.
 

Misfit Toy

Senior Member
Messages
4,178
Location
USA
Sunshine is relaxing. I love it for that reason. It calms me down. See, I like that feeling. I would rather be tired then wired. Resting...is a good thing and can get you back to a better place.
 

Ocean

Senior Member
Messages
1,178
Location
U.S.
It used to do that to me too. I found that if I upped my dose gradually it seemed to take care of the problem. I started with low doses just a few times per week and slowly increased dose and sometimes frequency and haven't been having that effect anymore. It seems my body had to adjust to it. If I stop taking it for a while and start again I get the same reaction again.
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,266
Location
UK
Dan

Phred says that sunlight has the same sleep inducing effect. Perhaps his body has a problem absorbing it, and the study you quoted was performed on healthy men. Its best to listen to our bodies as you say as so much is still unknown.
 

adreno

PR activist
Messages
4,841
You need cofactors with vitamin D. Especially vitamin K and magnesium are important. Also, it is worth noting that the fat soluble vitamins should be balanced (vitamin A, D, E, K). Too much of one can negatively affect another.
 

dbkita

Senior Member
Messages
655
vitamin D when taken orally will stimulate your immune system in your gut, especially if without sufficient food and fats.
While 25OH form is anti-inflammatory the 1,25 active form is pro-inflammatory and the oral D3 form is also pro-inflammatory in the gut. We were not made to ingest high amounts of vitamin D orally. We were meant to get it from sunlight. But of course in modern society we do not have much choice now do we?

The fact that sunlight does the same thing is a concern. Makes me think of very high inversion of vitamin D due to macrophage inflammation or even sarcoidosis.

50 mcg of vitamin D is 2000 IU btw. That is probably reasonable for most in the summer but a little low in the winter especially in the more northern parts of the US.
 

Phred

Senior Member
Messages
141
brenda I know my name is confusing, but I'm female. When I get calls from sales people they'll often ask for Mr. Phred so and so. When I say speaking they seem surprised to hear a woman's voice.

adreno I take magnesium and E. I've just started looking at A. Do I get that from cod liver oil? I'll take a look at vitamin K too.

The fact that sunlight does the same thing is a concern. Makes me think of very high inversion of vitamin D due to macrophage inflammation or even sarcoidosis.
dbkita that doesn't sound pleasant at all. Maybe I should hold off on my d supplements (I take 3000 IU a day) and see if that helps.
 

dbkita

Senior Member
Messages
655
brenda I know my name is confusing, but I'm female. When I get calls from sales people they'll often ask for Mr. Phred so and so. When I say speaking they seem surprised to hear a woman's voice.

adreno I take magnesium and E. I've just started looking at A. Do I get that from cod liver oil? I'll take a look at vitamin K too.


dbkita that doesn't sound pleasant at all. Maybe I should hold off on my d supplements (I take 3000 IU a day) and see if that helps.
Most people can get by fine with taking reasonable oral doses with food and fatty meals. But some of us have more problems with it. The fact you get really sleepy with only 3000 IU is a cause for concern imo. I would only expect that usually at higher doses. The sunshine is a concern as well. It should not whack you with fatigue unless we are talking sarcoidosis or something kind of exotic. You need to discuss this with your doctor I think.
 

PhoenixBurger

Senior Member
Messages
202
I just wanted to chime in on this thread. Found it through a Google search. Sorry for bumping an old topic.

I do also get some sort of inflammatory reaction from Vitamin D even at doses as small as 1,000 IU. I get very fatigued, but its a nice and calm tiredness. The more worrisome symptom is aching in my groin glands area. This I can find zero information on, anywhere on the internet, but its such an apparent and obvious cause/effect that it really confounds me. I do also get tight and stiff muscles in areas where I have dealt with neuropathy and muscle cramping in the past (my left calf). Both of those things seem to kick into gear when I take Vitamin D.

Online searches have resulted in the theory that you have low magnesium, but I don't think I feel all that different when I take magnesium. I rarely make it past 2 days on Vitamin D before I get so annoyed by the discomfort that I stop. Then its almost as if my immune system calms down again. But i can't stay at a "30" with vitamin D my whole life. That is asking for trouble.
 
Last edited:
Messages
2
vitamin D when taken orally will stimulate your immune system in your gut, especially if without sufficient food and fats.
While 25OH form is anti-inflammatory the 1,25 active form is pro-inflammatory and the oral D3 form is also pro-inflammatory in the gut. We were not made to ingest high amounts of vitamin D orally. We were meant to get it from sunlight. But of course in modern society we do not have much choice now do we?

The fact that sunlight does the same thing is a concern. Makes me think of very high inversion of vitamin D due to macrophage inflammation or even sarcoidosis.

50 mcg of vitamin D is 2000 IU btw. That is probably reasonable for most in the summer but a little low in the winter especially in the more northern parts of the US.

I am curious.....do you think it is OK to get vitamin D from food, such as wild caught salmon? Could this be a problem also? Or is sunshine the only healthy method of vitamin D?