Hi Jane,
As odd as it may sound, I buy all my vitamins and minerals separately. I started doing this years ago when I realized that the iodine in multivitamins caused me to break out. I also seem to have lots of nutrient deficiencies and take more vitamins than most people. I have bought the walmart brand of multivitamin and some brand from the vitamin shoppe to use when I travel.
If you've read my blog and recent posts you'll see that even taking 3000 IU of vitamin D3, my 25OH vitamin D level was low. Most doctors are now recommending taking 2000-5000 IU daily but as my result shows, it's best to get a blood level and I can't imagine a doctor refusing to order this test at least to get a baseline level.
Low vitamin D is associated with breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and many other autoimmune diseases. There's lots of talk about increasing the recommended doses, and some doctors are even saying that there's not a dose that's too high. I haven't seen a toxic dose listed but most recommendations for 50,000 IU daily are meant to be used for 6 weeks. best, elaine