IT'S TIME TO STOP PRESCRIBING ERGOCALCIFEROL.
Endocr Pract. 2018 Oct 5. doi: 10.4158/EP-2018-0415. [Epub ahead of print]
Binkley NC1,2, Wiebe DA1,3.
Abstract is behind a paywall
Summary of points from the study
- Unsure how much vitamin D is needed > 15ng, >20ng, >30ng (does not mention >40 ng)
- Large variability between vitamin D test results (Probably true for both D3 and D2))
- Most people have small amounts of D2 vs D3 (except indoor vegans?)
- D2 provides less response than D3
Additional studies on reasons to not use D2 - from VitaminDWiki
- Overview Vitamin D3 not D2
- Loading dose of Vitamin D2 REDUCED vitamin D blood in a third of the patients – Jan 2015 many studies have sound similar results
- Nurses still wondering when to use Vitamin D2 (vets decided a decade ago to not use D2 on any mammals) – April 2017
- Following large doses of vitamin D2, Vitamin D3 doses were unable to achieve sufficiency – Jan 2014
- Vitamin D reduces risk of cause specific death, unless it is D2 – meta-analysis BMJ April 2014
- D2 may reduce academic performance – Dec 2012
D2 was found first, is far more expensive, is only available via prescription, is only available in a few forms and sizes
D2 still being prescribed in many places
- 372 types of vitamin D prescriptions in France, 200,000 IU was the most popular – Oct 2013
- PDR still lists ergocalciferol in 2018 "dietary source of Vitamin D"
It contains all of the information normally associated with just Vitamin D3, but "D3" does not occur once in the long article
along with many errors - such as "...vitamin D can increase serum magnesium concentrations"
"Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2) is classified as FDA pregnancy risk category C"
"Maximal clinical effects of a given dosage are usually observed in 4 weeks. " Nope - 12 to 25 weeks