Government Vitamin D for the CEV

[Hmmph]

Have signed up my Mum to get the vitamin D tablets from the Government scheme and have heard nothing. The “application” window closed yesterday, but still have had nothing- not even an email acknowledging application.

Has anyone else heard anything?

It’ll be summer before they send anything at this rate! Luckily I bought her some (very expensive) tablets to keep her going. But this scheme, which should be simple, seems appalling!

It is useful to hear as a general bit of information about how the approach to helping people support their health to have the best chance of getting through covid is going.

They could have given some out at the same time as vaccines, since a lot of people will be in the same demographic.

I wonder if it's quite a big decision to decide on mass medication with vitamin d without running it by the individual's gp.

Only supplementing vitamin d without being aware of the interplay with magnesium and other co-factors could be a very blunt instrument with other knock on risks for bone, heart and circulatory system health.

betteryou.com/health-hub/magnesium-vitamin-d-benefits-dosages-types-supplements/

Thanks iVampire

I agree that it is somewhat unpleasant when posters cannot see they are causing upset.

Especially those who had nothing to contribute to OP's actual question of how the government scheme is working

(not where to get supplies elsewhere, as it was right at the start that she has already done so)

We are CEV, not thick nor over-emotional.

I have needed Vit D in high doses for the last seven years and my GP stopped prescribing them (I have a pre paid yearly certificate) due to the cost.
So I don’t know if it’s gone quiet for budget allocation reasons?

I wonder if it's quite a big decision to decide on mass medication with vitamin d without running it by the individual's gp

If you read the letter that contained the information about the scheme, you will see that this point has been pretty fully dealt with, with list of condition NHS which exclude, those where caution is needed (consult doctor) plus general advice to seek individual advice if not sure.

@nether

I wonder if it's quite a big decision to decide on mass medication with vitamin d without running it by the individual's gp

If you read the letter that contained the information about the scheme, you will see that this point has been pretty fully dealt with, with list of condition NHS which exclude, those where caution is needed (consult doctor) plus general advice to seek individual advice if not sure.

That's great that they're taking it into account. I haven't seen any of the letters. Can I ask whether it talks about ensuring a diet with adequate magnesium intake? Or mentions magnesium and other co-factors?

For anyone else who is supplementing, I hope that my link that explains a bit more about vitamin d co-factors is useful.

As you are not receiving the letters you should, then the first port of call will probably be GP, council hub (reopened in November) or national hub.

@nether

I wonder if it's quite a big decision to decide on mass medication with vitamin d without running it by the individual's gp

If you read the letter that contained the information about the scheme, you will see that this point has been pretty fully dealt with, with list of condition NHS which exclude, those where caution is needed (consult doctor) plus general advice to seek individual advice if not sure.

Exactly. Adult DS is CEV but didnt apply as he appears in the list of exclusions.

I imagine the delay is because they've passed the fulfillment of the scheme to a cabinet pal who needs to run the scheme through half a dozen subsidiaries so they can take about 1200% profit from it. Making money takes time.

I was just trying to say if in future OP needed vitamin D quickly then it doesn’t have to be ££. I recommended the cheap spray I use form Amazon for £7. I probably couldn’t be bothered with filling in forms and waiting for the government to sort it.

I also acknowledged it must be frustrating for them.

@Delatron

I was just trying to say if in future OP needed vitamin D quickly then it doesn’t have to be ££. I recommended the cheap spray I use form Amazon for £7. I probably couldn’t be bothered with filling in forms and waiting for the government to sort it.

I also acknowledged it must be frustrating for them.

I thought your post was fine, it’s like walking on eggshells here sometimes.

@DameFanny

I imagine the delay is because they've passed the fulfillment of the scheme to a cabinet pal who needs to run the scheme through half a dozen subsidiaries so they can take about 1200% profit from it. Making money takes time.

They said on the form which (one) pharmacy is sending out the vitamins, because we were asked to consent to name and address being passed to them for that purpose only

I don’t think anyone needs to get vitamin D rapidly. The OP was quite clear her enquiry was about the working of the scheme, as have other CEV posters on the thread

We are taking about the scheme, and whether it is working, not vitamin D in general, and that is why other posters are sen as derailments

Still nothing arrived here from the scheme

We bought the highest dose vitamin d through her weekly supermarket delivery. She is protected, don’t worry (as am I!)

However, the Government has decided all CEV should be taking vitamin d (actually the NHS say everyone should take it). They sent a letter to sign up for the scheme... (incidentally, the only way to sign up was online, which is quite exclusionary if you are elderly and don’t use the Internet).

So, after speaking to my Mum’s consultant to make sure they were ok for her, we signed up for the scheme. And heard nothing.

The point of my OP was to see if anyone had received their vitamin d yet. And also to moan that the government has been ridiculously slow rolling this out considering you are most at risk of deficiency between Oct and March and the tablets take about 6 weeks to build up in your system.

@Hmmph

I got an email today saying that if I had not already got my supply (no I haven’t) it should be with me in next 3 weeks

But shoddy seeing as it was order in December/early Jan for delivery by end Jan

I also got an email today, but the tabs actually arrived a week ago.

My son got his last week

OP I didn't sign up as I take a daily multivitamin that has vitamin D and being a red head we don't tend to get lower levels as we're extra good at the vat d thing anyway but lots did on support groups I'm on and they seemed to start arriving a week or so back and are still rolling through.

Of course some areas also have postal delays too, I know I'm receiving some very late post and we're lucky to see a postman once a week. Poor guys seem to be having a hard time :(

Thankfully dh gets bit d on prescriptions anyway so didn't bother

Mine arrived last Thursday

I get glucose on prescription and get stick for that
People don’t like others getting something for free
Look at how the fsm vouchers threads went.

I got mine last week. Looks like a packet of seeds. Tbh the dosage is so low I will continue to buy some.
To those who say pop to aldi, or poundstretcher.
It's very difficult shielding. I do get a supermarket slot every week. In between if I run out of anything I have to wait for the next delivery, or buy online somehow. I cannot nip out to Aldi much as I would like to.
It's all very well asking a friend to help in an emergency but I absolutely won't impose on friends for routine shopping.

What's the difference between expensive ones and cheap ones? Can pick them up cheap in most supermarkets. In fact so cheap am not sure why the government need to send them out at all.

@Buzzinwithbez

I think at some point we need to take responsibility for our own health. The govt doors the bare minimum when it comes to supporting health rather than treating illness.

I can understand that a lot of people will feel that the d vitamins the govt recommend will be at the right dose and so on.

There's a lot more to vitamin d than just taking a supplement. There's a circular relationship with magnesium too. Taking vitamin d means more efficient use of magnesium, so we must ensure uptake of magnesium is adequate too - as it will otherwise be depleted. Vitamin d needs magnesium for it's uptake.

There are studies that show that for people who get adequate sun but are still d deficient, supplementing magnesium alone is enough to raise d levels.

Agree - Vitamin D3 also benefits from K2, alongside magnesium:-

"Dietary considerations
Given that vitamin D3 is an immunoregulating hormone and can be considered safe when supplementing it together with K2 ..... Supplementation of magnesium (200–250 mg/day) should also be considered, as all enzymes that metabolize vitamin D seem to require magnesium."

Taken from: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7406600/

I couldn’t be bothered to apply, I have been taking High dose Vit d for years, as my count is usually pretty low, which is quite common with my disability.

Finally!

It arrived in the post today