Vitamin d deficiency

[Icyblue]

My blood results show that my vitamin d level is 21 n/mol. Doctor prescribed a high dose of colecalciferol to be taken for 10 days and then a lower dose of fultium for a further three months. Just checking these are the correct medications. Anyone suffers from vitamin d deficiency and what are your medications?

[GatoradeMeBitch]

My levels were very low - unsurprising because I used to work below ground and through autumn and winter I barely saw day! I took between 3 to 6 1000mg Healthy Living Vitamin D3 capsules a day depending on whether I'd seen the sun or not. My levels are in the normal range now.

I did hear that mycellized Vitamin D3 drops are even more effective though.

[TheFairyCaravan]

My levels were so low, back in March, that they didn't register! . My GP prescribed me Colecalciferol for a month, and at the end of that month DH and I had a holiday to the sun (that was already planned).

I had my levels re-checked and they were back to normal. Since then I have been taking an over the counter VitD and Calcium supplement, on the advice of my GP.

[GatoradeMeBitch]

• It was Healthy Origins, not Healthy Living - just on the offchance anyone tried to google it!

[sanfairyanne]

any idea why it is so low?

from now on you should continue to take a daily or weekly supplement of d3 once your levels are stabilised on your GPs treatment

i buy solgar d3 rather than prescribed adcal

[Icyblue]

Thanks ladies. No idea why it is so low but I guess I don't go out in the sun much. Apart from the school runs I mostly stay indoor. After my treatment can I just buy any brands of vitamin d? How high the dosage should I take daily as a maintenance? Any recommendations?

[GatoradeMeBitch]

1000mg a day would be a maintenance dose I think. That's why I take, as long as I've seen daylight that day! With supplements just remember that you want D3. I would avoid Holland & Barrett. As fairyanne said, Solgar is a dependable brand, and I get Healthy origins from Amazon.

Just a tip - some people on my thyroid support board say that taking it late in the day makes them feel ill. Taking it in the morning seems to work best in general.

[Icyblue]

Thanks for your tip, Gatorade. Just one more question, what were your symptoms? The reason I asked to check my vitamin d level was I have an achey arm. I was also feeling tired which I thought was normal looking and running after my children, but I guess my tiredness could be because I am vitamin d deficient.

[GatoradeMeBitch]

Yes, I got tired very easily. I also had muscular pains in my neck.

Did the GP test your B12 levels and iron too? Often if D is low, these can be too.

[elizabeth27]

My symptoms were night sweats. Take a supplement and it has improved.

[DixieTrix]

I have just been prescribed Colecalciferol 20,000mg, one tablet per week for very low Vitamin D results. Vitamin B very low too so I have a course of 3 Cobalin H injections over 2 weeks, then 3 monthly thereafter. I have been having lots of night sweats but put it down to menopause ( am on HRT). I also have joint pain/ swelling, fatigue and a constant sore tongue. Recurrent oral thrush too. Hoping these medications will offer some improvement.

[Icyblue]

Dixietrix, hope you get better soon with the medications.

This is my third day on Colecalciferol, 20,000iu once daily for 10 days then a lower dose for 3 months. I was worried the dose might be too high but checked with the pharmacist and she doubled checked with the dr and both confirmed OK.

How soon do I expected to see an improvement?

[Bettertobehealthy]

In various posts Up above. Be a bit careful with your dose numbers . mg means milligram ( one thousandth of a gram ) . You may mean micro -gram ( one millionth of a gram ) which is written by the greek symbol mu -g, or more likely you mean , International Units - I.U.

just to be clear, 5 micro grams equals 200 International Units equals one 200th part of a milligram.

The current RDA ( recommended daily allowance) in UK is 400 International units.
The current RDA in Norway is 800 I.U.
The current RDA in Italy is 1000 I.U.

We in the UK are lagging behind the latest research findings into the actions of/ and normal levels required by the human body of this essential hormone. It should not really be called a vitamin . It is an essential nutrient, which produces a hormone in our body which acts upon the cell nucleus. every cell in our body has a receptor for vitamin d, it has many more effects than just bone health. The currently accepted "normal " level of 50 nmol/litre is set too low. Our levels should be 100 and above, pref 120 - 140 .

[GatoradeMeBitch]

If you don't see good results OP, try taking calcium and magnesium supplements, they both help with vit d absorption.

[Cocolepew]

I take 1000 iu every morning, I have lupus and need to stay out of the sun. I buy mine online from Healthspan, they are very reasonable priced and the one tablet has the 1000iu in it.

[Bettertobehealthy]

Icyblue - your initial level of 21nmol/litre was very low, verging upon the level where you could or may find that you have unexplained bone pain from osteomalacia. Osteomalacia is adult rickets, the bones do not bend or deform as in childhood rickets but becomes painful because they de-mineralise. This condition is often mis-diagnosed as fibromyalgia.
Anyone with unexplained bone pain should immediately have a vitamin D test. At the very least , you should aim for a blood level of 75 nmol/litre , as set by the endocrine assoc. of America, as a level necessary to optimise bone health. A healthy level, i.e. somewhat higher, will help to optimise your immune system, and may very well help with the thrush

hope this helps. !

[Icyblue]

Hi Bettertobehealthy, thanks. If my vitamin d level goes back up to the normal range, will my bones recover?

[Bettertobehealthy]

Icy ... well I do not know what, if any condition you personally may have. In general, a person with osteomalacia can expect improvement and/or cure with sufficient vitaminD in the blood, which is converted by the kidneys to 1,25HydroxyD3 hormone. However it is important that a person does have all the other co factors which enable the bones to re-build, this would of course include calcium, magnesium, protein , ( which makes up a large part of bone )etc. A 'proper' vitamin d level will help your body maintain itself more effectivley.
Vitamin D is not a drug , and should not be thought of as such. Think of your body as an engine, and vitamin d as the oil in your engine. If you have a low level, something is likely to go wrong , sooner rather than later, keep it topped up with the right amount of oil , and it will carry on working for much longer without going wrong ! You do need the right fuel for your engine as well, that means a diet which contains other essential nutrients that your body needs.
If you have a diet low in calcium, then by bringing up your level of vitamin D hormone , your cells in your gut can absorb double or even treble the amount of calcium from that which you are consuming. However , if you are not consuming much calcium , then you may not be able to absorb as much as you need. Calcium rich foods are dairy, dark green veg, eg spinach, chard, etc. and others. Overall a diet containing a wide variety of fresh veg and some fruit is very beneficial.

[Icyblue]

Thanks for the lengthy reply, Bettertobehealthy! I guess my diet is not good, too few vegs and fruits and I don't drink milk. I will certainly going to improve my diet.

[fuckinglondonballs]

Anyone overweight is likely to be vitamin D deficient.

[Bettertobehealthy]

Yes vitamin D is fat soluble . The more fat in your body , the more vitamin d you need to either ingest by supplement , or make by being out in the sunshine.

The level of 25hydroxyD3 in the blood is the determining factor and the basis for assessing your Vitamin D status. This can be tested for by taking a syringe of blood, or more recently a home blood spot on blotting paper test. Sent by post, the results come back by post or e-mail.

Anyone interested could go to the NHS Path lab, Sandwell NHS Trust online. I think they charge £ 25 per test.

www.vitamindtest.org.uk/



A quick home self test to determine if you are possibly low on Vitamin D -

1. Press on your sternum, with about 10 lb  of force  with your thumb.  IF your sternum feels painful ,   as if it is bruised,  or feels as if you have bruised it a couple of days ago then that is a possible sign .  <br />
   

2) Press on your front leg bone , a couple of inches below the kneecap, again , if it feels like it is painful, more than you would expect , then that again is a sign of possible low vit D.


IF both are true , then get a vit d test.

.

[Icyblue]

You are so informative, Bettertobehealthy! I take it that you work in the medical field?

[Bettertobehealthy]

No, I don't work in the medical field. I am a Bachelor of Science though.
I was diagnosed with deficient Vit D 2 1/2 years ago, so I made it such that I found out as much as possible about it. I have discovered a great deal and have followed the ongoing research in various university and hospital departments worldwide.

For instance , a double blind placebo controlled , randomised trial was carried out in Nebraska , a few years ago , where post menopausal women were given enough Vitamin D to bring their blood levels up to at least 100. Some were given calcium as well . Called the Lappe trial. To be found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1180 participants.

When followed for 5 years, it turned out that all cause cancer mortality was reduced by 77% in the group receiving vit d and calcium. ( disregarding any diagnoses in the first year, when the vit d was beginning to take effect. ) That includes breast , colon cancer. That is nearly 4 in 5 cancers. ! Prevented.

There is mounting evidence that vitamin D should be considered of primary importance in the health of a human. We are primates and normally primates have had Vitamin D levels of approx 120 - 140 over millions of years, including us. Only in the last few thousand years we have changed our environment to cut down sun exposure , moved indoors etc, so we are now challenging our bodies with much lower than normal levels. Primates don't normally live above about 30 degrees latitude, the sunshine levels are too low , to enable them to make vit D. Our skins lightened as we moved North, to 50 degrees North, here in Europe, to enable us to make at least some Vit D. In Britain , we can't make any in our skin between November and March. Only UVB sunlight can make Vitamin D in the skin. That's why we have very low levels in spring, we have had a winter of depletion. It takes about 60 days to halve your level of Vitamin D , if you aren't getting any at all. You may get a very small amount from your diet , but very little , compared to what you need , to maintain a healthy level. The currently regarded normal level of 50 , is actually low, and probably about 1/2 the uk population is below it , a good part of the year.

I had better get off my soapbox now.

One of the very best things you can do for your own health , is make sure you have a level over 100 , all year round. It could protect you from a lot of nasty diseases.

[Best1sWest]

Better, thank you for that info, very useful. Mine is low, due to a number of reasons, have been taking supplements and am seeing someone next week about surgery for a condition that can affect vit D levels. If those tests are accurate, then mine is still low.

[CremeEggThief]

Better, I had my levels checked in February and was found to be 58. What supplements would you recommend to bring it up to 100?
TIA.

[Bettertobehealthy]

Best1West - If you have still got low levels of vitamin D , even after taking sufficent supplement ,then you may need to change your strategy. BUT , bear in mind that we humans have a very different response to supplementation. Some peole when taking 1000 I.U , daily will only raise their level a little bit . On average 1000IU daily will raise your level by 25 . Some people only half that, some people double that. It depends upon your own physiology , and we are all different. You should look at your blood level of 25hydroxyD3 , this is the measure of your vitamin D3 status, not the absolute number of I.U. that you are taking. Your liver converts the Vitamin D that you take into 25hydroxyD3, found in your bloodstream. So it depends upon how efficient your liver is in making the conversion, it depends on your body fat levels, because Vit D is stored in fat as well. IF it turns out that even high levels of supplementation will not raise your blood levels, due to lack of absorbtion in your gut, then alternative methods may be necessary. Sunlight is the original and best way to get your vitamin d level up. Only UVB light creates vitamin D in the skin. In the UK , it takes about 20 mins , for a white skin ,in direct sunshine , in the middle of the day , 10 am - 3 pm , to make vitamin D , but only in the summer months. In the months NOV to March , you cannot make any by sunshine. In april and october, it will only occur around solar noon , i.e when the sun is highest in the sky, at an elevation of 45 degrees or more. Never never ever burn your skin in the sunshine, that is a bad idea. If you stay out about 1/2 the time it takes to make your skin slightly red( by the following morning ) , then that is half the MED ( minimal erythemal dose) for you. Everyone has different skin , with different amount of pigmentation. If your skin is black, you may need about 3 to 5 times as much sun. That is why black or dark skinned people , in UK, generally have lower levels of vitamin D , and that is why diseases of insuffiency are more prevalent in that population. eg rickets. etc.
One thing to bear in mind, is that suscreen will absorb the UVB , before it can work on your skin , . For instance Factor 15 will absorb 97% of the UVB , so you won't be making any Vit D. So leave off the sunscreen for 20 mins , if you are out sunbathing. Sunscreen is one of the reasons that we in the UK are so low on Vitamin D.
For the winter months you should consider a sunbed , that produces as close to natural sunlight as possible.( includes UVB , and not excessive UVA ) Again never ever burn, just half the MED . Some sunbeds are UVA only , and are not good for vitamin D .


For information : In the USA, the Institute of Medcine, IOM has recently put out a report that up to 4000 IU per day is a safe level of supplementation for adults. Their recommendation for the entire population is an RDA of 600 IU. BUT that 4000 is safe.

Hope this helps.