Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium as well as keep an appropriate amount of calcium and phosphorous in your blood. It is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it is stored in the fatty tissues in your body. Vitamin D is most easily found in dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese and may also be found in oysters, fish and fortified cereals. Your body also produces vitamin D when it is exposed to the sun. And while most people talk about the effects of a vitamin D deficiency, the effects of a vitamin D overdose can be just as harmful to your body, according to "The New York Times" Health Guide. It is not easy to create a vitamin D surplus in your body; most often, such a surplus stems from ingesting too many vitamin D supplements.
Vitamin D Toxicity
Too much vitamin D in your body can cause vitamin D toxicity, which may affect different parts of your body. Vitamin D toxicity can affect your digestive tract, causing loss of appetite, vomiting and constipation. It may also affect your muscles and brain by causing weakness and confusion. Nausea and weight loss are also symptoms of vitamin D toxicity. The most frequent consequence of vitamin D toxicity, though, is hypercalcemia, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Hypercalcemia
Hypercalcemia occurs when your intestines absorb too much calcium, creating a surplus of calcium in your blood. The extra calcium in your blood is eventually deposited in the softer tissues in your body, such as the heart and lungs, reducing the ability of those tissues to function, potentially leading to heart rhythm abnormalities, explains the National Institutes of Health. Too much extra calcium can also build up in your kidneys and cause kidney stones.
Treatment
Treatment for an overdose of vitamin D depends on the severity of your situation. Early detection of vitamin D toxicity usually carries simple solutions such as stopping any vitamin D supplements and restricting your calcium intake. More severe situations may need treatment through medication or hydration and extra fluids. The most severe cases of vitamin D toxicity and hypercalcemia may require hospitalization, as well as treatment for damage done to any of your body's tissues or organs, reports the Mayo Clinic.
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