Medicine or vitamin unit

  1. Vitamin D
  2. What Does "IU" Mean in Vitamins?
  3. Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2) Oral: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing
  4. Drugs and Supplements
  5. Ergocalciferol Uses, Side Effects & Warnings
  6. Vitamin D3 Uses, Side Effects & Warnings


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Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a nutrient your body needs for building and maintaining healthy bones. That's because your body can only absorb calcium, the primary component of bone, when vitamin D is present. Vitamin D also regulates many other cellular functions in your body. Its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties support immune health, muscle function and brain cell activity. Vitamin D isn't naturally found in many foods, but you can get it from fortified milk, fortified cereal, and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines. Your body also makes vitamin D when direct sunlight converts a chemical in your skin into an active form of the vitamin (calciferol). The amount of vitamin D your skin makes depends on many factors, including the time of day, season, latitude and your skin pigmentation. Depending on where you live and your lifestyle, vitamin D production might decrease or be completely absent during the winter months. Sunscreen, while important to prevent skin cancer, also can decrease vitamin D production. Many older adults don't get regular exposure to sunlight and have trouble absorbing vitamin D. If your doctor suspects you're not getting enough vitamin D, a simple blood test can check the levels of this vitamin in your blood. Taking a multivitamin with vitamin D may help improve bone health. The recommended daily amount of vitamin D is 400 international units (IU) for children up to age 12 months, 600 IU for people ages 1 to 70 years, and 800 IU...

What Does "IU" Mean in Vitamins?

If you've ever been shopping down a long aisle full of vitamin supplements, you may have noticed that while some of them are labeled in the metric system ( grams, milligrams or even micrograms), others are labeled in something called "IU." The IU stands for international units, an internationally accepted method of quantifying the biological effect you can expect from a dose of fat-soluble vitamins. According to IU definition is "a quantity of a biologically active substance (such as a vitamin) that produces a particular biological effect agreed upon as an international standard." Or, to put it another way, international units are a way of quantifying the biological effect you can expect from a vitamin dose. Each of these vitamin forms has a different level of biological activity or, to put it another way, you need different quantities of each form to achieve the same biological effect. Because of that, you can't standardize recommended doses by the weight ( mcg, mg or g) of each vitamin, because the same quantity in one form would achieve a somewhat different biological effect than the same weight in another form. So instead of standardizing weights that would achieve different effects, authorities decided to quantify the effect into something called an IU, or international unit. You can convert IU into weight measurements like mcg, mg or g, although the conversion factor is different for each form of the vitamin. Said conversion factors were laid out in the early 1900s p...

Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2) Oral: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing

Take If your doctor has prescribed this If you are using the liquid form of this medication, carefully measure the dose using a special measuring device/spoon. Do not use a household spoon because you may not get the correct dose. If you are taking the chewable tablet or wafers, chew the medication thoroughly before swallowing. Do not swallow whole wafers. If you are taking the rapidly-dissolving tablets, dry your hands before handling the medication. Place each dose on the Certain Take this medication regularly to get the most benefit from it. To help you remember, take it at the same time each day if you are taking it once a day. If you are taking this medication only once a week, remember to take it on the same day each week. It may help to mark your calendar with a reminder. If your doctor has recommended that you follow a special diet (such as a diet high in If you think you may have a serious medical problem, get medical help right away. If your doctor has directed you to use this Too much A very serious This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist. In the US - Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or at www.fda.gov/medwatch. In Canada - Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Health Canada at 1-866-234-2345. Before taking Before using this Liquid products, chewab...

Drugs and Supplements

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Ergocalciferol Uses, Side Effects & Warnings

Warnings You should not take ergocalciferol if you have had an allergic reaction to vitamin D, or if you have high levels of calcium or vitamin D in your body, or any condition that makes it hard for your body to absorb nutrients from food (malabsorption). Use only the recommended dose of ergocalciferol. An overdose could cause serious or life-threatening side effects. Related/similar drugs Before taking this medicine You should not take ergocalciferol if you have had an allergic reaction to vitamin D, or if you have: • high levels of vitamin D in your body ( • high levels of calcium in your blood ( • any condition that makes it hard for your body to absorb nutrients from food (malabsorption). Tell your doctor if you have ever had: • heart disease; • kidney disease; or • an electrolyte imbalance. Certain forms of ergocalciferol may contain ingredients you should know about, such as peanut or soybean oil, sugar, aspartame (phenylalanine), or certain food dyes. Ask a doctor before using ergocalciferol if you have Too much vitamin D could harm an unborn baby, and your dose needs may be different during pregnancy. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or if you become pregnant while taking ergocalciferol. Ergocalciferol can pass into breast milk and may cause side effects in the nursing baby. Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding. Do not give ergocalciferol to a child without medical advice. Your child's dose will depend on age, weight, diet, and other factors. How should ...

Vitamin D3 Uses, Side Effects & Warnings

Before taking this medicine You should not use cholecalciferol if you have had an allergic reaction to vitamin D, or if you have: • high levels of vitamin D in your body ( • high levels of calcium in your blood ( • any condition that makes it hard for your body to absorb nutrients from food (malabsorption). Tell your doctor if you have ever had: • heart disease; • kidney disease; or • an electrolyte imbalance. Certain forms of cholecalciferol may contain ingredients you should know about, such as peanut or soybean oil, sugar, aspartame (phenylalanine), or certain food dyes. Ask a doctor before using cholecalciferol if you have Too much vitamin D could harm an unborn baby or a nursing baby. Ask a doctor before using cholecalciferol if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Your dose needs may be different during pregnancy or while you are nursing. Do not give cholecalciferol to a child without medical advice. Your child's dose will depend on age, weight, diet, and other factors. How should I take cholecalciferol? Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all the guides or instruction sheets. Use only the recommended dose of cholecalciferol. It may be best to take cholecalciferol after a meal, but you may take it with or without food. Measure liquid cholecalciferol carefully. Use the dosing syringe provided, or use a medicine dose-measuring device (not a kitchen spoon). The chewable tablet must be chewed before you swallow it. To take a disintegrating (Quick-Melt...