Vitamin D Overdose: Symptoms of Hypervitaminosis D

Von Melanie Hoffmann | Jul 07, 2022 2:54 p.m

Vitamin D is essential for life. A deficiency can have negative health effects, which is why supplementation is often advised. But as the case study of a Brit now shows: Too much vitamin D in the body can also be dangerous.

Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and a strong immune system. A deficiency will both with osteoporosis as well as with cancers or dementia connected (FITBOOK reported).^1,2 Also the risk of becoming infected with Corona and to get seriously illis influenced by the vitamin D status, among other things, according to studies.³ No wonder, then, that vitamin D in the form of dietary supplements is becoming increasingly popular. But when taking it, it is important to pay attention to the correct amount. Because, as a current case description by doctors in the journal “BMJ Case Reports” shows, a vitamin D overdose is not something to be trifled with.⁴

Case description: Man suffers vitamin D overdose

The case from England described concerns a middle-aged man who was referred to hospital by his family doctor with serious symptoms. On the advice of a nutritionist, the patient had begun an intensive vitamin supplementation program. A month later, his health problems began, which had lasted for three months by the time he came to the clinic.

It turned out that the person concerned had taken more than 20 vitamins. These included the vitamins C, K2, B6 (Pyridoxin), B9 (folic acid) and B2 (Riboflavin). The man took a particularly overdose of vitamin D, namely 50,000 IU or IE (international unit) three times a day, i.e. a total of 150,000 and thus “375 times more than the recommended daily dose”, as Dr. Alumin Alkundi, of William Harvey Hospital in East Kent, England, treating physician and co-author of the case report, said when asked by CNN.⁵ When the symptoms appeared, the patient had discontinued the dietary supplements, but two months later they had not disappeared from the system.

How does hypervitaminosis D manifest itself?

First blood tests at the family doctor had shown that the man was very high calcium– as well as increased Magnesium– had values. Vitamin D levels were seven times what is considered healthy.

As a result, the patient had an acute kidney damage developed. And other alarming health conditions emerged, including tuberculosis, a tumor in the inner ear (left vestibular schwannoma) that had caused deafness in that ear, fluid retention in the brain (hydrocephalus), bacterial meningitis, and chronic Sinusitis (inflammation of the paranasal sinuses).

Known symptoms of vitamin D overdose

As the doctors explain in their report, hypervitaminosis D is mostly caused by an excess of calcium in the blood and can be as varied as it can be serious. Known symptoms include:

Although cases of hypervitaminosis D appear to be increasing, doctors emphasize that relatively little is known about it. Therefore further complaints, also of a long-term nature, cannot be ruled out.

Also interesting: Vitamin D – all information about function, requirements and nutritional supplements

How is hypervitaminosis D treated?

In the case of the English patient, eight days of hospital treatment followed. He was given intravenous fluids to flush his system and bisphosphonates. These are drugs that are usually used to strengthen bones or to lower excessive levels of calcium in the blood.

Two months after discharge from the hospital, the man’s calcium levels had returned to normal, but his vitamin D levels were still significantly elevated. “This case highlights once again the potential toxicity of dietary supplements — which are widely recognized as safe — when taken in unsafe amounts or in unsafe combinations,” the report says.

What is the recommended dosage for vitamin D?

According to the German Society for Nutrition (DGE), there is a vitamin D deficiency when the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in the blood is below the desired value of 50 nmol/l. About 60 percent of the people in Germany are affected. As the Robert Koch Institute emphasizes, the body can contribute 80 to 90 percent to the nutrient supply via its own synthesis if it is regularly spent outdoors. 10 to 20 percent can be ingested through food (e.g. fish, eggs, mushrooms). The DGE states that 20 µg of vitamin D should be taken daily provided that the body’s own synthesis is disturbed. This can be done through the skin and in the form of dietary supplements.^6,7

In view of the dangers of a vitamin D overdose, you should first have your vitamin levels checked by a doctor. In the case of a deficiency, it can then be decided to what extent spending more time outdoors and eating can help – or whether and if so, in what dosage, a supplementary preparation makes sense.