So to a first approximation, taking 1000 IU of vit D might be a good default recommendation for anyone if you can’t afford to get your blood work done.
I am not aware of any evidence supporting megadosing though.
I'm hoping this helps long-term; perhaps VitD deficiency is a contributor to rising levels of depression too?
Recently a large study was published where they gave a large group vit D to look for depression incidence and they could not find any effect. There's a lot of parameters that could affects the results so it doesn't mean there is none, but probably that it's not as simple as "give everyone vit D and we get rid of depression".
For me, I just noticed a few comments saying it helped their depression, was considering VitD already for Covid19 reasons, and figured the possible level of harm was almost zero so I'd give it a shot.
Not sure I'd expect a large randomised group to have a noticeable effect (can you link the study you mention, please) but perhaps "people who have reported depression, have been tested and found to be low in VitD" as a starting group and then see if it does better than placebo.
Thanks for your comment.
This was the study I was thinking of (they did not target people with depression) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/27689...
Weirdly I couldn't find any studies on the effects of supplementing with vitamin D for depression, even though there's plenty of studies on the correlation, and even one study where they used it for treatment, without any control group...
I guess the lack of studies comes down to the morality of in vivo testing of treatments; the chances of someone untreated going off the rails is considered too great a risk.
The main consequence of vitamin D toxicity is a buildup of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause nausea and vomiting, weakness, and frequent urination. Vitamin D toxicity might progress to bone pain and kidney problems, such as the formation of calcium stones.
It's not good to have too much either.
After researching the proper dosage of Vitamin D, I purchased the correct dosage, and not one that would lead to overdosing, and those dosages are absolutely available and people often just buy whatever the maximum is even if they don't understand the implications of using it.
You can say that about water too. You can literally die if you drink too much water because the electrolytes get diluted too much⁰.
Your body accumulates a store of vitamin D in the liver, which it rations out into your bloodstream over time. When you ingest or produce vitamin D, your liver buffers the amount that ends up in your blood, which does two things. 1) saves for a rainy day (literally and figuratively) 2) protects you from vitamin d toxicity over the short term. Which I’m told is quite nasty.
With a doctor’s supervision you can take large doses of vitamin d for a short time and your liver will soak it up. How fast your blood levels rise tells the doctor about how much more you need in the tank and/or if you are having absorption problems. They taper you off quickly as you approach a healthy blood level.