Vitamin D toxicity
Hypervitaminosis D is a condition that occurs after taking very high doses of vitamin D.
The cause is excess intake of vitamin D. The doses need to be very high, far above what most health care providers normally prescribe.
There has been a lot of confusion about vitamin D supplementation. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is between 400 and 800 IU/day, according to age and pregnancy status. Higher doses may be needed for some people, such as those with vitamin D deficiency, hypoparathyroidism, and other conditions. However, most people do not need more than 2,000 IU of vitamin D a day.
For most people, vitamin D toxicity only occurs with vitamin D doses above 10,000 IU per day.
An excess of vitamin D can cause an abnormally high level of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia). This can severely damage the kidneys, soft tissues, and bones over time.
The symptoms include:
Your provider will examine you and ask about your symptoms.
Tests that may be ordered include:
Your provider will likely tell you to stop taking vitamin D. In severe cases, other treatment may be needed.
Recovery is expected, but permanent kidney damage can occur.
Health problems that can result from taking too much vitamin D over a long time include:
Contact your provider if:
To prevent this condition, pay careful attention to the correct vitamin D dose. Use vitamin D supplements from reliable licensed sources.
Many combination vitamin supplements contain vitamin D, so check the labels of all the supplements you are taking for vitamin D content.
Bringhurst FR, Demay MB, Kronenberg HM. Hormones and disorders of mineral metabolism. In: Melmed S, Auchus, RJ, Goldfine AB, Koenig RJ, Rosen CJ, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 29.
Greenbaum LA. Vitamin D deficiency (rickets) and excess. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 64.
National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements website. Vitamin D fact sheet for health professionals. ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/. Updated September 18, 2023. Accessed January 19, 2024.
BACK TO TOPReview Date: 10/29/2023
Reviewed By: Sandeep K. Dhaliwal, MD, board-certified in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Springfield, VA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Health Content Provider
06/01/2025
|
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, for Health Content Provider (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics. This site complied with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information from 1995 to 2022, after which HON (Health On the Net, a not-for-profit organization that promoted transparent and reliable health information online) was discontinued. |
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- 2024 A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.