وٹامن ڈی · cholecalciferol, D3
Mixed evidence
Worth testing for. Low mood is a real symptom of deficiency, and deficiency is widespread here.
This is information, not medical advice. This page is information, not medical advice. Nothing here is a prescription, a diagnosis or a recommendation to take anything, and none of it replaces a doctor who knows your history. Supplements are not harmless because they are natural: they interact with prescription medicines, some are unsafe in pregnancy, and a few can cause real damage. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting anything here, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, have a liver, kidney or heart condition, or take any regular medication. Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead.
A hormone your skin makes from sunlight, not really a vitamin. It matters for bone, immunity and muscle, and receptors for it sit in parts of the brain involved in mood.
Trials in people who are NOT deficient mostly find no effect on mood. Trials in people who ARE deficient look better, which is the useful distinction and the one most articles skip. Fatigue, aching, low mood and poor sleep are recognised symptoms of deficiency, so correcting a real one can lift how you feel without that being an antidepressant effect.
Studies use a wide range, commonly 1,000 to 4,000 IU daily. Short high-dose courses are sometimes prescribed to correct severe deficiency. The right amount depends on your blood level, which is why this one starts with a test.
Recorded because a person who has decided to try something will find a number somewhere, and a forum's number is worse than a trial's. It is not a recommendation, and the right amount for you depends on things only a doctor who knows your history can weigh.
Fat-soluble and it accumulates, so very high doses for months can raise calcium and cause nausea, thirst, kidney stones and confusion. Do not take high-dose courses on your own judgement. Tell your doctor if you take thiazide diuretics or have sarcoidosis or kidney disease.
Deficiency is very common here, including in people outdoors daily - pigmentation, covered clothing, indoor work and pollution all reduce what skin can make. The 25-hydroxy vitamin D test is inexpensive at most labs. Ask for it before you buy the bottle.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything else you take, prescription and herbal both. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, or have a liver, kidney, heart or thyroid condition, ask first. And if what brought you here is that you have been feeling low or frightened for weeks, that deserves more than a supplement — ask us anything, anonymously, or talk to us on WhatsApp.