True. I had 15. Trying to bump it up.

Same, dude. I work from home and I work a lot so especially in the winter I just never get sun. I had a life changing month when I started taking vit D supplements one February. Now I take 6000IU daily in the summer and 10000 in the winter. It’s a lot, but I absolutely need it in my life.

This thread has been life-changing for me.

Don't take the stuff the docs give you, that is d2 and you want d3. They do that, because d2 is prescription. D3 is considered naturally occurring in the human body and can't be patented for that reason. Plus, d3 is way better for you and absorbs way easier. I would take 20,000Iu's a day for a week to get it back up, then a week at 15,000IUs, then a week at 10,000Ius, then take 5-10,000 a day after that as maintenance, depending on where you live. I am in the PNW, and take a full 10k a day. Just start gobbling that shit down, get in the sun more without sunscreen, and test again in a couple months. 2 is stupid low and you'll def feel a change getting that up.

this thread just made me realize how low potassium i have in my current diet. another factor in your energy, outlook, and irritability.

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i was getting my potassium from salmon (decent vit D source too) but now have added kale, avocado, and tomatoes.

​

HIGHLY recommend increasing potassium to also make the heavy weights feel easier to lift

Absolutely this thread. Absolutely. A year ago I went to the doctor because I was getting sick a lot, and I thought it was from allergies or some horrible autoimmune disease or cancer, and it turns out my D level was something like 22. I started taking the strongest D supplement I could find and within a month I felt entirely different, night and day. The biggest difference was if I DID catch a cold or something similar, I didn't feel at all defeated like I normally would - I would just have a sneeze or a cough or sore throat or something but my spirit and mental state was rock solid, reinforced.

So yeah, take the D.

I took so much that it made my mouth taste metallic. Do I win?

Sun is much more effective than supplements. However, supplements are better than no sun.

How do I get this in my diet, outside of a supplement? I was under the impression it's eating enough cholesterol + sunlight?

Please know to add magnesium with your vitamin D, vitamin D metabolizes with magnesium (look it up)

Recently I’ve been feeling super low energy too, and I used to take these OTC vitamin D supplements. Guess it’s time to hop back on those

How much vitamin d do you take daily if I might ask?

Back when I was really fighting depression and in a bad place I started supplementing with 8,000 units of Vitamin D a day. I had the same reaction as OP: After two weeks I felt incredibly better, and while the depression hadn't gone away completely due to not getting the rest of my life in order, I did feel like I was able to really attack it head on at that point.

I worked "outdoors" in southern California, but under an awning all day. I would go out in the sun intermittently from my work area to the parts department, but never really get a lot of sun exposure. I do the same now in my new job. Indoors, but with big open roll up doors so it's kinda outdoors. Even when I go outside I have long pants, full shirt, and a hat on. I still supplement with Vitamin D.

A bottle of the stuff is cheap. Twenty bucks will get you a two or three month supply. Do it.

Exercise regularly, keep your nutrition solid, get your levels checked, and keep killing it gents.

this is bad advice just take a d vitamin pill. its much cheaper than visiting the doctor. just assume ur low. you cant od on this

I have worked in night shifts 6 months right after graduation. After quitting that job I had no motivation, negative thoughts (depression/anxiety). I had terrible knee and back pain and after checking with a doctor he informed that this is due to low Vitamin D3 and low Calcium plus wrong posture while sitting and sleeping. So I followed a diet, I used to fap once a day reduced that to once a week, drank milk everyday, quit smoking, go for a walk in the morning sunlight, doing meditation and yoga. Now I feel more eneretic and motivated to get stuff done. I have decided to keep this lifestyle for the rest of my life . Also I stopped sleeping on bed now I prefer sleeping on the floor. Now I get the feeling from the inside to achieve something great in this lifetime which was clearly missing a few months ago.

In general: Take a daily multi-vitamin.

They are cheap and you avoid all these inefficiencies like this that arise from nuances in individual diet.

This is actually one of the greatest posts I've read here after lurking for two years. I live in Norway where you need to get the fuck out when the sun is out. Lack of vitamin D is probably the biggest cause for depression in the western world.

A study on tanning beds to fight winter-depression was done in Norway where the contestants would do 10-15minutes every 2 weeks and their Vitamin D levels stayed normal throughout the winter for those who did.

I went from 30 years of cloud and rain and cold to 18 months of daily sunshine. I thought I was depressed. Turns out I was starved of sunshine because I woke up almost every day with a smile on my face, nothing could keep me down for more than 2 seconds, far more resilient, optimistic. It had such a major effect I am now in the process of emigrating having decided I will never live in my home country long-term ever again.

Take your supplements, but don't forget the climate!

Dude wtf just get out of the house, it's summer

Correlation does not equal causation.

Some old studies from ages ago found that people that hadd high vit D levels were healthier than people with low vit D. The studies concluded that high vit D = better health and since then everyone (doctors included) love to preach vit D supplementation.

Recent studies have shown that most of the positive health markers shown on people with naturally high vitamin D are not at all related to the blood vit D levels at all but instead to the fact that these people are getting plenty of natural sunlight exposure (which consequently also raises vit D).

Some food for thought. Not everything is as it seems even when its "scientifically proven" by actual scientific literature.

Now Im not saying its ok to have your vit D levels sitting at 2 ng/dL but continuing to stay in your basement all day while popping vit D pills isn't going to make you magically healthier/more energetic. Go out, get some sun.

Had a doc tell me I was Vit D deffecient too. Gave script for the supplements. I did a bit of research and decided to try to fix it without supplements via more time outside. In my case, it worked. I'm an outdoorsy guy anyway, win win all around for me. Had gotten too complacent and lazy, getting away from screens and electronics at home turned out to be a better thing for me than I would have thought prior.

I was also deficient, my idiot doctor told me I was probably deficient before I took the test because its just THAT common. Everyone should take Vitamin D supplements, and not in the form of multivitamins but a dedicated supplement. It’s almost impossible to get enough through diet alone unless you revolve your diet around vitamin D.

If you are white just take Vit D supplements. If you work in an office 8 hours a day take a larger dose.

Zinc really helps with T levels and energy overall.

Bee pollen cured my allergies

No wonder it's low when you live like a vampire. Humans are supposed to be outside for some time of the day.

I second this. I worked in a nightclub for 4 years and was profoundly aware of this, so I tried my best to keep my Vit D levels buoyant. Human beings are not made to be indoors all the time, nor are we made to be up all night and sleeping during the day.

Look after yourselves, men.

Fun fact: You need vitamin D to properly process calcium. You want weak bones/osteoporosis?

Ask me how I know. Go ahead, ask me.

Tibial plateau fracture at age 42. Bone density scan revealed I had the bones of an 80 yo woman.

Take supplements, unless you want to end up like Mr Glass.

1. You can load up vitamin D level with 30000 UI daily for one week, then 10000 UI daily if you have dark hair, otherwise 5000 UI daily

2. Vitamin D can be get only from sunlight or supplement

3. Vitamin D works only with vitamin K2 (150 mg K2 MK7)

4. On amazon you can buy 365 pills of D3 for like 20 usd

5. Vitamin D regulates many body functions, so if you are not on sun and are not taking D3 + K2 supplement your body is not working on 100 %

You get vitamin D just from being out in the sun.

Everyone who is taking vitamin D, how much do you take, and how do you make sure youre not taking too much?

I soak my skin in the sun 10-15 minutes most mornings to wake up naturally and get my vitamin d intake

Any specific Vitamin D? D1, D2, D3 ect?

Get on testosterone injections if you have legitimate levels of low testosterone. Makes a world of difference.

I have been taking 7k IU daily for years. It's so cheap considering what it does.

Do you really need to be told it's beneficial to go outside and get some sunlight?

I cannot stress this enough. Get all your vitamins and also micronutrients checked. Especially D and B. I had a burn out/depression for like 4 years till I found a good doctor. Turns out my vitamin and micronutrient levels were way too low due to a COMT-Gene polymorphism.

Get this shit checked asap if you have symptoms of depression and our burnout. Don't take antidepressants too early!

Agreed, think some doctors thee days are saying that almost everyone should take a vitamin d supplement daily 365 a year.

Everyone in the West (UK and US) should be taking it for the winter months REGARDLESS of skin colour since there’s not enough sunlight in the day. During winter in London, sun rises at like 7 sets at 5 if not earlier. That combined with most people not even spending 30 mins outside everyday means you have to supplement vitamin D.

Now, if you are darker skinned, the western summers probably aren’t enough for your vitamin D needs, these guys DEFINITELY have to supplement everyday (unless you spend most of your day outside like a builder).

Can you share what supplements you are currently taking

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this happened to me as well. I bought some super strong once a week supplement off amazon. Felt noticeably better.

Everyone should take every morning a full Trptofan, D-Vitamin, B1-12 Vitamins, A, C, vitamin complex, most of them, if you "overdose" you will pee the non necesary amount...

Use the app dminder to track your D levels and record sun sessions. Been using it for a while, works great.

The sun is also just really great. For mood and vitamin D. Just go sit out in the sun for at least 15min each day.

I spend most of my time inside 4 walls because of my allergies on spring and during the summer I got a job inside 4 walls so I barely get sun for years on end. Get them checked.

Lol go outside and get some natural vitamin D then. I didn't realize laziness and apathy was a symptom of vitamin D deficiency. I feel lazy sometimes too, but I don't blame it on lack of Vitamin D. Show some science behind that.

Very good point OP, and this is especially pronounced in the winter.

I had a similar problem several years back, I'd get very depressed and lethargic throughout the winter months.

A family member suggested I get some Vitamin D supplements and ever since then I take them all year round.

To fix a vitamin D deficiency, make sure to take vitamin D3, K2, and Magnesium. Otherwise your pissing them away.

I take a vitamin D supplement everyday for this very reason.

This might be a stupid question, but does taking it once everyday have side effects?

I will also add that if possible try to get some sunlight anyways. Some studies (I need to find the link) have pointed added benefits from sunlight exposure when controlled for vit D levels.

I have horrible allergies too, do you have any recommendations to help those?