Buy Vitamin D2 50 000 Units

Vitamin D softgels, tablets, and drops are available without a prescription. Liquid vitamin D is usually used for babies and adults with swallowing difficulty. There are no significant differences between vitamin D softgels vs. tablets except that softgels are more comfortable to swallow, and it tends to mask the chalky taste better than the pills.

Vitamin D2 50,000 units requires a prescription, however, vitamin D3 50,000 units does not require one. Although vitamin D3 50,000 units does not require a prescription, it may only be accessible by the pharmacy staff behind the counter.

In the United States, vitamin D supplementation is primarily available as vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Although these two have historically been considered interchangeable and equipotent, the current body of literature strongly supports the preference of Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) over D2 (ergocalciferol).

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is produced by the human body in response to sunlight and is also available through dietary sources, such as fish. In contrast, vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is not produced in the human body, but is created by exposing certain plant-derived materials to ultraviolet light.

When the manufacturing method for ergocalciferol was created, binding studies of the vitamin D receptor in rats showed equipotency between ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol. On the basis of this animal data, most resources cite the two being equipotent and interchangeable.

Given that both ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol undergo metabolic changes in the human body, which differ from other animals, it should make sense that a binding study in rats may not be sufficient to show equivalence. In fact, recent literature (Trang 1998, Armas 2004, Houghton 2006) convincingly demonstrates that cholecalciferol is 1.7 to 3 times more potent and has a longer-lasting effect than ergocalciferol in increasing serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, the active form of vitamin D in humans. The difference in duration of effect and potency are well demonstrated in a study by Armas et al:

If ergocalciferol is less potent and has a shorter duration of effect, why is it used? The most likely reason is due to dosage formulations. Unlike cholecalciferol, which is typically only available as a maximum dose of 5,000 units per capsule or tablet, ergocalciferol is available as a monster 50,000 unit dose. This larger dose may be seen as more convenient for patients or healthcare providers who want to provide supplementation on a weekly or monthly basis.

Although 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are a better surrogate than a rat binding study, clinical outcomes are the most relevant. Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (less than 20 ng/mL; Bjelakovic 2014) are very common in North America and have been associated with a wide variety of diseases including osteoporosis, bone fractures, malignancy, cardiovascular disease, infections, and more. The majority of the data supports association, not causation, of low vitamin D levels. In other words, much of the data does not clearly support the idea that vitamin D supplementation in a patient with low vitamin D levels reduces the risk of these diseases.

With that said, a recent Cochrane review (Bjelakovic 2014) analyzed the all-cause mortality benefit of vitamin D supplementation (both D2 and D3) by pooling 95,286 participants from 56 randomized clinical trials. In this meta-analysis, about 80% of participants received cholecalciferol (median dose 800 units/day) and about 20% received ergocalciferol (median 1000 units/day). The vast majority were women (77%), and most were older than 70 years of age.

The Cochrane review calculated an all-cause mortality relative risk (RR) of 0.97 (95% CI 0.94-0.99, p=0.02), which represented a raw difference in mortality of 12.5% (control) vs. 12.7% (vitamin D). The authors calculated a number needed to treat (NNT) of 150 over five years; however, the NNT calculates to 500 over a weighted mean of 4.4 years using the raw difference in mortality rates. Importantly, the difference in mortality was only demonstrated for trials examining cholecalciferol. Although ergocalciferol did make up a minority of the meta-analysis, it was adequately powered to detect a 5% difference in relative risk reduction.

Vitamin D (ergocalciferol-D2, cholecalciferol-D3, alfacalcidol) is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps your body absorb calcium and phosphorus. Having the right amount of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus is important for building and keeping strong bones. Vitamin D is used to treat and prevent bone disorders (such as rickets, osteomalacia). Vitamin D is made by the body when skin is exposed to sunlight. Sunscreen, protective clothing, limited exposure to sunlight, dark skin, and age may prevent getting enough vitamin D from the sun.Vitamin D with calcium is used to treat or prevent bone loss (osteoporosis). Vitamin D is also used with other medications to treat low levels of calcium or phosphate caused by certain disorders (such as hypoparathyroidism, pseudohypoparathyroidism, familial hypophosphatemia). It may be used in kidney disease to keep calcium levels normal and allow normal bone growth. Vitamin D drops (or other supplements) are given to breast-fed infants because breast milk usually has low levels of vitamin D.

Take vitamin D by mouth as directed. Vitamin D is best absorbed when taken after a meal but may be taken with or without food. Alfacalcidol is usually taken with food. Follow all directions on the product package. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Certain medications (bile acid sequestrants such as cholestyramine/colestipol, mineral oil, orlistat) can decrease the absorption of vitamin D. Take your doses of these medications as far as possible from your doses of vitamin D (at least 2 hours apart, longer if possible). It may be easiest to take vitamin D at bedtime if you are also taking these other medications. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how long you should wait between doses and for help finding a dosing schedule that will work with all your medications.

If your doctor has recommended that you follow a special diet (such as a diet high in calcium), it is very important to follow the diet to get the most benefit from this medication and to prevent serious side effects. Do not take other supplements/vitamins unless ordered by your doctor.

Too much vitamin D can cause harmful high calcium levels. Tell your doctor right away if any of these signs of high vitamin D/calcium levels occur: nausea/vomiting, constipation, loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, mental/mood changes, unusual tiredness.

In Canada - Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Health Canada at 1-866-234-2345. Precautions Before taking vitamin D, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or to other vitamin D products (such as calcitriol); or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients (such as peanut/soy), which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.

Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: high calcium/vitamin D levels (hypercalcemia/hypervitaminosis D), difficulty absorbing nutrition from food (malabsorption syndrome), kidney disease, liver disease.

Check the labels on all your prescription and nonprescription/herbal products (such as antacids, laxatives, vitamins) because they may contain calcium, magnesium, phosphate, or vitamin D. Ask your pharmacist about using those products safely.

Foods rich in vitamin D include: fortified dairy products, eggs, sardines, cod liver oil, chicken livers, and fatty fish. Missed Dose If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose. Take your next dose at the regular time. Do not double the dose to catch up. Storage Store vitamin D products (except alfacalcidol) at room temperature away from light and moisture. Do not store in the bathroom. Store alfacalcidol drops in the refrigerator between 36-46 degrees F (2-8 degrees C). Do not freeze. Keep all medications away from children and pets.

Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company for more details about how to safely discard your product. Images ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) 1,250 mcg (50,000 unit) capsule

The cost for Vitamin D2 oral capsule (50,000 intl units) is around $12 for a supply of 8 capsules, depending on the pharmacy you visit. Quoted prices are for cash-paying customers and are not valid with insurance plans. This price guide is based on using the Drugs.com discount card which is accepted at most U.S. pharmacies.

Of the 86 patients researchers studied, 41 patients who were vitamin D deficient received eight weeks of 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 weekly prior to starting maintenance therapy. For those patients, the mean pre-treatment 25-hydroxyvitamin D status (25(OH)D) level was 19 ng/ml, which increased to 37 ng/ml after eight weeks of weekly therapy. These patients were then treated with 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 every other week and had a mean final 25(OH)D level of 47 ng/ml.

"Vitamin D2 is effective in raising 25(OH)D levels when given in physiologic and pharmacologic doses and is a simple method to treat and prevent vitamin D deficiency," said Holick, who is also director of the General Clinical Research Unit and professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at BUSM. "While treating and preventing vitamin D deficiency, these large doses of vitamin D2 do not lead to vitamin D toxicity."

A Robust SupplementA supplement containing 50,000IU of vitamin D can sound like a huge amount. Most general recommendations advise people to supplement with 400-800IU of vitamin D. In what cases might a doctor prescribe such a high amount of vitamin D? 781b155fdc