I'd be very careful with a sun lamp. I suggest asking your doctor for guidelines.

I agree with being careful with the sun lamp especially if you have problems with your eyes. Talk to your doctor about it but sitting or laying by a window if it is sunny or partly cloudy with a lot of your skin exposed probably will do better.

Try consuming foods high in vitamin D. Fatty fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel, egg yolks and dairy labeled as enriched with Vitamin D.

How about getting a bit more sunshine?

PS - I believe all types of milk (though maybe not all kinds of dairy products) have Vitamin D added.

I try to eat food with D vitamins ..... but I can't eat enough to replace all the missing D !!! From what I was told ..... the normal measurement ( whatever it is ) should be between 30 and 100. Mine was 5 .

Mailfluer01.... Funny you should mention my eyes - I do have dry eyes. The sun light directions mentions that it should shine in your eyes . I have it off to the side so I don't get blinded . That's another thing that makes me wonder .......... ( : / )

I've had vitamin d that low. Your supplements should bring it up to normal levels. I think I did 10,000 once a week for a month. Personally I wouldn't mess with the sun lamp. I avoid sun too because I'm very fair and burn easily.

It took many doctors and many tests to figure out my deficiency. I actually had to suggest my doctor test it myself based on my research for my abnormal lab results. That was 10 years ago though. I think they are better now about it.

If your sun lamp produces enough ultraviolet to be effective, then you should protect your eyes the same as if you were outside on a summer day. According to what I have read, it does not take a very long exposure to sunlight for your skin to make enough vitamin D, however, I suppose you could have a deficiency for this process. Do look for information before toasting under a sun lamp. Get advice from your Doctor or have her refer you to valid sources of good information.

I'm not certain that sitting by a window is effective. That depends on how much the glass reduces UV rays. Some glasses may have coatings to reduce UV.

A vitamin D pill, or a multi-vitamin pill with sufficient D, should supply your needs unless your digestive system is not absorbing vitamin D. Again, this is a subject to discuss with your doctor or a specialist. Not all vitamins should be taken in large amounts (much more than needed); Over dosing of certain vitamins is dangerous. Although vitamin pills can be helpful, some professionals advocate that its best to receive vitamins from foods.

I take a vitamin D3 supplement. I had melanoma in 2014 so I protect my skin when I'm outside. My doctor tests the level when I've had bloodwork done. There's a range of low, sufficient, and toxic levels on a numerical scale.

Don't try and guess the amount you should take in a supplement. Guessing can result in a still too low amount, and taking too much can be toxic. It's a very easy blood test that will tell you exactly what your level is. Then, you can add from there. Or, reduce what you're taking if your level is too high.

I've had low D also. when I changed docs about 2 yrs ago, the new doc checked it and put me on 50,000 a wk for a month or so. then back to about 28,000 for a time. then I got another new doc and he said my D was too high so I cut it back to about 10,000 a week for the past 2 months. time to have it checked again. I did up it about 2,000 a wk recently because my hair was starting to fall out again. I have very thick hair so it isn't noticeable to others - but I can sure tell when that happens.

my B12 was also depleted and I had to have shots weekly for about 4 months. I now take that daily also.

I am out in the AZ sun numerous times a day with the dog for 5-10 min. but I always wear my heavy duty sunglasses during the day (at least most of them. we have had a few dreary / rainy days when I didn't need them).

I'm outside in winter and much more in Summer, yet I also was told I have low Vit. D. I eat well and eat a good variety of foods. Currently I'm on 50,000 a month, new doctor cutting from 50,000 once a week which I had been on for years! I do admit that I eat fewer fresh veggies in winter. Love stir-fry, have that often. Not so much in the way of fresh fruit tho.

You all know, how much I ride my bike in the warmer temps... but I also have low D. If you use decent sun screen, you can have low D no matter how much you are in the sun.

I take 1000 daily, per doctors recommendation.

Moni

Go for a 20 minute walk outside and get it naturally. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/body/diet-nutrition/a40853/foods-to-boost-vitamin-d/

Doctor told me low D levels is common and suggested taking a supplement.

I have had levels that low, too, and take mega doses of D, and try to eat as much D containing food as I can. As for the suggestions to get out in the sunshine, that’s tough. I live where we have hardly any sun for several months of the year, and when we do have it, I’m in an office, at work. I’ve read that low levels are very common and that most people should be on a supplement during the winter months, and if you wear sunscreen during sunnier months.

I didn't read all of the responses, but deal with this as well. It's not uncommon for hypothyroid patients to also have low D. I would suggest that if you didn't test thyroid, you have your doc run those tests as well. I'm hypo - took ten years to finally diagnose. My D levels were extremely low and my naturopath suggested sublingual vitamin D by these guys:

https://superiorsourcevitamins.com

ps. I see a naturopath (occasionally) and an endocrinologist (regularly).

My OB-GYN MD tipped me off to this, and now I have seen it in other reliable sources. Those of us who live above a certain latitude in the USA (37 degrees) generally will not get enough Vit D in winter. I had low levels, even though I spend quite a bit of time outdoors in the summer and still walk outside in the winter -- but very little skin is exposed on my winter walks. Even with daily supplementation I am just barely into the "normal" range.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/time-for-more-vitamin-d 

Except during the summer months, the skin makes little if any vitamin D from the sun at latitudes above 37 degrees north (in the United States, the shaded region in the map) or below 37 degrees south of the equator. People who live in these areas are at relatively greater risk for vitamin D deficiency.

Under the right circumstances, 10 to 15 minutes of sun on the arms and legs a few times a week can generate nearly all the vitamin D we need. Unfortunately, the "right circumstances" are elusive: the season, the time of day, where you live, cloud cover, and even pollution affect the amount of UVB that reaches your skin. What's more, your skin's production of vitamin D is influenced by age (people ages 65 and over generate only one-fourth as much as people in their 20s do), skin color (African Americans have, on average, about half as much vitamin D in their blood as white Americans), and sunscreen use

SADD lamps (sunlamps for seasonal depression) have no effect on Vit D production

raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio - Dr Becker says the same as your Harvard report. he said draw a line from LA to Atlanta and those above it will get mostly no D from the sun. Those below it still won't get enough as they get older. I think he's the one who said that starting even in our 30s, vit D will drop off. those over about 50 should definitely have theirs checked. makes me wonder about the docs who don't test those from that age on. if you (anyone older) hasn't had it checked, they should do that asap.

my last 2 docs (that includes the one I go to now. I'll be looking for another one soon), seem to be practicing in a vacuum. Even those in their offices can't seem to get anything right. can't tell ya how many times my prescriptions have been messed up and the 'orders' for tests too. Drives me nuts and probably into an early grave (except that I plan to be cremated).

I've been on thyroid meds for over 25 yrs, you'd think they'd know to check my levels. They don't.

and most know little to nothing about fibromyalgia which I was diagnosed with in 1998. I also had a RA doc tell me I had RA (in the early 2000s). my most recent doctor says I don't. But he did refer me to another RA doc. I feel like a yo-yo.

I'm low in D, too. I find D-drops are the best for me. I don't know if this is available in the US, but there should be an equivalent. It took about 5000 iu's (5 drops) per day to get my level to go up.

Desertsteph, I have fibromyalgia and thyroid problems, too. My doctor told me the fibromyalgia is actually caused by my low thyroid level. It's common when you have thyroid disease to feel like a yo-yo when it comes to getting the proper tests for anything. I, and many others, have been in the same predicament.

I'm amazed at how common this actually is ! We all feel each other's pain ! I had my thyroid tested twice and it was normal. It's odd how doctors just overlooked the low D .

The sunlamp I'm using has a special bulb that's supposed to produce D . It's a newer one with lots of good reviews.

The light does not create Vitamin D. It simply stimulates your body to use a type of cholesterol to make Vitamin D. "The major natural source of the vitamin is synthesis of cholecalciferol in the skin from cholesterol through a chemical reaction that is dependent on sun exposure."

i have really low vitamin d too and supplements don't help me at all. Some people can't really metabolize (is that how you spell that?) vitamin d so taking supplements doesn't help at all.

I do try to get out side in the sunshine when I can but its hard with shift work.

@TooMuchGlass -- The symptoms you described in your original post starting this thread sound an awful lot like the symptoms that are caused by hyperparathyroidism. I know whereof I speak because that's what happened to me, and I had a parathyroidectomy a little over a year ago. I've had skin cancer in three places on my face (one basal cell and two squamous cell), and I avoid the sun. Living in Sacramento County, CA, means we don't get a lot of vitamin D from the sun, anyway.

Have your doctor order two more blood tests for you -- to test your parathyroid hormone level, and calcium level. If one or more of your four parathyroid glands is out of whack, that will affect your vitamin D level, and it will also affect your calcium level. And that, in turn, affects your bone health.

WARNING - If you do a Google search and end up on a site (parathyroid.com) for the Norman Parathyroid Center in Florida, be aware that you will find a lot of good information there, but do NOT be tricked into believing their hype that if you go to any other doctor or clinic that you will not receive good service. You DO want to ensure that you go to a doctor that is a member of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons. You can find a member in your area by clicking this link.

One more thing -- about vitamin D supplements...

Take vitamin D in the morning. If you take it at night, it can affect your sleep. (Making sleep difficult.)

This reminds me of a study I either saw or read about years ago. They compared the levels of Vit D in milk sold in paper cartons and those in the translucent plastic ones. The levels of the paper cartons were the same as was listed on the package. The ones in the translucent ones had no Vit D in them. Their theory was that the fluorescent lighting in the dairy cases destroyed the Vit D.

I take supplements for low Vitamin D.Plenty of sun here,but I tend to cover up when I'm outside.

Toomuchglass-----What is the brand of your sunlamp and where did you get it? Thanks,

The sunlamp is called "Verilux" Happy light. Here's a link to it . The picture is hard to see, white light on white backround , but that's the one I have.

https://verilux.com/products/happylight-liberty-5k-natural-spectrum-energy-lamp

Thanks for the link.

Seeing this has given me a question to ask my doctor in a couple of months when I see him next. The question is about the relationship of cholesterol and Vitamin D. Do people who have low levels of Vitamin D also have higher levels of cholesterol? Wondering if the excess cholesterol is there because the body is trying to provide enough to convert to higher levels of Vitamin D. Probably no study on this other than random cause and effect.