Introduction: Severe vitamin D deficiency is very common. Evidence-based guidelines for rapid correction with high-dose oral cholecalciferol are not yet available. Objective: To develop a practical cholecalciferol loading dose regimen. Materials and methods: A total of 208 vitamin D-deficient subjects (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 (25-OHD 3 ) level !50 nmol/l), aged 18-88 years, were treated with solubilized cholecalciferol, 50 000 IU/ml. They received either 25 000 IU every fortnight for 8 weeks (total dose 100 000 IU), 25 000 IU every week for 6 weeks (total dose 150 000 IU), or 25 000 IU every week for 8 weeks (total dose 200 000 IU). Blood samples were collected at baseline and 10 days after the final dose of cholecalciferol. Results: Most patients were severely vitamin D deficient: 76% had a serum 25-OHD 3 level !30 nmol/l at baseline. Cholecalciferol in a cumulative dose of 100 000, 150 000, and 200 000 IU increased mean serum 25-OHD 3 level by 29 nmol/l (95% confidence interval (CI): 23-35 nmol/l), 43 nmol/l (95% CI: 36-50 nmol/l), and 69 nmol/l (95% CI: 64-75 nmol/l) respectively. The change in 25-OHD 3 (D25-OHD 3 ) was related to the dose per kilogram body weight (R