While it is incredibly difficult to get too much vitamin D, it is possible through the abuse of highly concentrated supplements. As the not-for-profit medical organization Mayo Clinic notes, while the body produces limited quantities of vitamin D from sun exposure, and takes in some of the vitamin from foods, supplements pose the greatest risk. High-enough vitamin D levels will cause toxicity, which is known medically as hypervitaminosis D.
Hypercalcemia
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, and one of its primary responsibilities is to help the body absorb calcium, as Colorado State University Extension notes. Calcium, in turn, helps the body form and maintain bone mass. When a person consumes incredibly high amounts of vitamin D, such as more than 10,000 international units, the body's calcium-absorption can go into overdrive, resulting in hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia is the presence of excess calcium in the blood, and is a condition that can produce several side effects. As MayoClinic.com mentions, symptoms of hypercalcemia are the primary indicators of vitamin D toxicity.
Deposits
One of the more serious complications that can arise due to high vitamin D intake is the formation of calcium deposits. While the bones and teeth typically absorb the majority of the body's calcium, with hypercalcemia internal organs can start taking in large quantities as well. According to the University of California San Francisco, the deposits can form in the liver, as well as in the kidneys in the form of kidney stones. In addition to causing abdominal pain, deposits can impair the function of organs.
Digestive Problems
Vitamin D-induced hypercalcemia can also impact the body's ability to process food efficiently. As the University of Maryland Medical Center notes, some of the digestion-related symptoms of hypercalcemia include a decrease in appetite, vomiting, nausea, which is a feeling of sickness that often precedes vomiting, and constipation, which is difficulty in emptying the bowels.
Psychological Indicators
Beyond the physiological impacts of vitamin D toxicity, the condition can also have some psychological consequences. According to the University of Florida Extension, people who are suffering from an excess of vitamin D are subject to mood changes. Other psychological indicators include apathy, depression, irritability, loss of memory and dementia, which is a confused mental state that often impairs a person's ability to reason.
Calcium Tests
Calcium tests, such as serum and urine tests, can help prove that a patient who has been taking large quantities of vitamin D has vitamin D toxicity. While the serum test requires that a medical practitioner draw --- and then test --- blood from a patient's vein, the urine test requires that a patient collect his own urine for a 24-hour period and then bring in the samples to a doctor for testing.
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