I Want To Know How Much Vitamin D Should One

Posted on Thu, 2 May 2019

Question: I want to know how much vitamin D should one take. I have been taking 10,000 IU. I had major pancreatic surgery a year ago.

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
it depends

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

vitamin D is usually lacking after major pancreatic surgery and supplementation is required. The dosage depends on how deficient a patient may be. Checking 25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol levels will help your doctor determine the dosage. Most patients do well with low doses like 500-1000 units per day and adequate sun exposure. Doses up to 20,000 units per day have been studied but they're not to be recommended to every patient. Checking the vitamin levels after having started the supplementation will help to adjust the dosage according to individual patient needs.

So in conclusion, I cannot give you an individualized answer. 10,000 units sounds like a little too much but I don't know whether your gastrointestinal system can absorb any of it or not. You'd better stick to your doctor's advice.

I hope I've answered your question. Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Kind Regards,
Dr Panagiotis Zografakis

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar