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I you read my other thread I'm the knackered out Mum with disturbed sleep but more tired than I think I should be.

Have ordered all the blood tests but now wish I hadn't ordered the annoying and expensive microtube tests yet as my vit d has come back low.

Reading is 36nmols. Am I right, for good general health it is supposed to be a bit higher (ie 70+) than the range given in the test result sheet?

Can anyone point me to a website telling me how much I need to supplement by and how quickly I will see a result?

Also where is that guy's website, the doc who refers people onto the assay website for the test? He is very keen on vitamin D and believes the scales are set too low? He has a big forum on his page

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Have you done all these tests yourself from over the Internet? I don't think that you should be self diagnosing if you are not a medical professional. Have you seen a Dr at all?

tabby it is an nhs mail order test with an nhs interpretation sheet, so no need for docs, esp as nhs recommended solution for my result is over the counter supplements

errm, also the microtube tests are ordered and analysed via a "mail order" registered gp (as you cant have the tests done without a gp) and processed in a lab used by the nhs

I can't figure half of that out, but I would have thought you'd be okay to start taking a basic OTC supplement. And try to get more sun in the spring-summer.

You need vitamin D3, rather than a bog standard supplement, but I don't know about dosage.

Mine was done through the gp and came back low. She recommended one 25thingy tablet twice a day ( which was equivalent to 2000mg a day)

How did you order the blood tests btw, as I'm interested in doing the same

cityassays costs £25, a finger prick test, takes under 2 weeks fr the results

they are a hospital blood department

ok, nhs dosages easy to find on the internet as they are published by many nhs trusts - for results of 25-50 they suggest 2500 a day or 17500 a week to be bought from health food store and for under 25 they prescribe 60000 a week. Both for 12 weeks initially.

What do the tests check? I've started taking calcium, magnesium and Vit D because of my age but don't want to be taking it if I don't need to.

the one on this thread is vit d only. so if you do the test you may be able to dispense with the vit d, and the cost of the test could quickly pay for itself by eliminating one of your supplements

Search on line for the protocol for your area and then go and show it to your GP who should then follow it. They can prescribe the once weekly mega amounts to get your levels to where they should be.

Alternatively, if there is some reason why you don't want to do that, buy some gelcaps (has to be gelcaps because vitamin D is fat soluble) on-line.

5,000iu a day brought my levels up remarkably quickly.

I am def gonna get myself tested
is this where you got yours done?

Yes its a proper hospital lab. No hassle and confidential.

I have just got some very small d3 tabletsfrom holland n barrett. Any reason why these wouldnt work?

Vitamin D deficiency is very common in the population because modern life is largely spent indoors. Some vitamin D is absorbed form food and some generated in skin exposed to sunlight.

I am vitamin D deficiant and have early stage osteperosis because I have gluten intolerance and hence absorb very little from my food because of years of gut damage. I went to my GP and asked for a vitamin D test assay and I went to the blood nurse and she took some blood and then it was sent away and the results came back in a week form an NHS lab.

I asked to have the vitamin D test done as I was not sleeping at all well but mainly as the hospital had measured me and height had reduced by 1.5 inches in a few years and I knew I had an at risk ongoing condition. Bone scans showed I had brittle bones in my hips.

If you are worried I really would not do a home test. Just get to your GP and ask to have a test done properly.

I now take two Adcal-D3 tablets per day on a GP prescription. It contains vitamin D3 and calcium and the prescription charge makes them more or less the same price as taking over the counter vitamins you buy yourself.

Two Adcal tablets are 400 I.U of D3 equivalent.

Taking 5000 IU is a huge dose and some care needs to be taken not to overdose with vitamin D.

The nhs guidelines vary from trust to trust, but generally speaking they suggest 2000-2500 per day for an insufficiency and 8500 a day for deficiency. So 5000 is actually middle fo the road for someone with low vitamin D.

I think more care is required in cases of osteoporosis due to the interrelationship between Vit D and calcium, which requires a different treatment regime (less Vit D but including calcium) and regular monitoring

I take 500mg of calcium and 10mcg of D3 daily on prescription since last blood test calcium was a little low.
My dd with early perimenopause was on same dosage X 2 daily, but had digestion problems.

Be careful, my DD is deficient and needs D3 supplementation plus regular blood tests to ensure her calcium levels aren't too high (2-3 blood tests per week is optimal, but because she is only 5 they will accept weekly).

increased vit d can lead to high calcium, which is bed in a different way to low calcium.

I had a vitd level of 7. My doctor started me on liquid vit d before adcal-you can get the same thing from amazon. Adcal won't be enough to I initially get your levels up.

These are all things I'm feeling wary about - have started to take calcium with magnesium as I realised my dietary intake is far lower than the recommended amount - plus I'm 49. Then I read (as you do) that the vit D is needed alongside the calcium. Fair enough, but I do feel uneasy chucking back vitamins minerals that may cause harm if I take too much.

Would I be wasting the doctor's time to ask for a blood test? I've no particular reason to think the vitD is low, apart from the general below-parness I've had since having children, tbh.
Won't I just be told, 'what do you expect, it's the menopause?'

shotgun,your doctor wont do the test, nhs is under pressure and so they cant/wont do these tests without a reason

so pay £25, get the test done, and if it shows low and you are wary of supplementing, take the very legitimate results into your gp and ask for their advice