The middle-aged man had been experiencing symptoms including vomiting, nausea and leg cramps for three months when his doctor referred him to hospital for treatment. According to the journal BMJ Case Reports, the symptoms began about a month after he began an intensive vitamin supplementation regimen. He also experienced tinnitus, dry mouth, weight loss, increased thirst and diarrhea. Doctors said the overdose condition – called hypervitaminosis D – is on the rise, though still uncommon. The man’s daily regimen included more than 20 over-the-counter supplements. As part of this, he was taking 50,000mg of vitamin D – the daily requirement is 600mg. Tests showed that his vitamin D levels were seven times the required levels and his body had high levels of magnesium and calcium. His kidneys were also not working properly. Intravenous fluids were used to flush his system and he was given drugs to reduce the excessive calcium levels in his blood. But two months after he left the hospital, his vitamin D levels were still higher than required. Read more: Review to focus on the importance of vitamin D The report’s authors said that “globally, there is an increasing trend of hypervitaminosis D”, but stressed that this was just one case. The NHS website says that “some people will not make enough vitamin D from sunlight because they have too little or no sun exposure”. It recommends that adults and children over the age of four take a daily supplement containing 10 mg of vitamin D throughout the year if they are not often outdoors, are in an institution such as a care home, or usually wear clothing that covers most of them. skin when outdoors.
