Vit D deficiency - feel proper crap!

[kentgal]

I've been told by my dr I have very low vitamin d levels,. I feel pretty lousy. I have fatigue, bone pain, vision problems, I feel I can barely walk. I'm moody, tearful, breathless and some thinning of my hair! My sister has the same problem.. can this be genetic? Has anyone else had vit d deficiency? What did you experience and how did you recover?

Given the lack of sun we get between September and March I think the majority of people in the UK have a vitamin D deficiency to some extent or another - that's why we're advised to take a supplement in those months however it sounds like yours is a more severe deficiency....What has your Dr advised to do?

I started taking a high strength supplement about 18months ago and was really surprised at how much better I felt a few weeks after - my mood was better, I had more energy and the back pain I had been having reduced - so now I'm a massive advocate of supplements

Thanks for reply, dr has advised 7 weekly doses of 40,000iu then 800iu 3 times per day. The fatigue is the worst bit for me. I take pain meds for the bone pain. My ankles, legs and hips seem to be worse. I have little patience and want to feel better quickly, which I know isn't very realistic! My vit d levels were very low. I think they've been low a long while but I put symptoms down to other things

The good thing is, you can rectify this pretty quickly. My vit D was almost none existent so I was put on high strength tablets for 6 weeks.
My levels are now normal and the symptoms have gone.

What is your level, OP? Mine came back at 22 and seeing the GP on Monday. I have awful symptoms but don't know if this is low enough to need meds. Worried I will be fobbed off. I have to avoid the sun at all costs due to a skin conditon I have.

Mine were down to 20 and go gave me similar dose as OP. However my ferratin was very low too so not sure which was making me feel worse. I had hair loss, but that seems to be related to the ferratin, as that came back after my prescribed iron meds were finished.

Seeline my Ferritin also came back low, along with B12 and B9. I've lost about 50% of my hair in the last 12 months, and now I finally know why! I hope it grows back.

Do you feel better now?

Mine started coming back on the ferrous fumerate, but started falling out again about a month after my prescription finished. Back on the iron again, but no effect on the loss yet. My ferratin was down to 5 but did get back to about 70. I am feeling less tired and the aches are definitely better. I take 3000iu of vit d daily too.

That's good seeline. Thanks for sharing

Dharma that's quite low, it needs to be above 50 mnol/L otherwise it's low and below 25 it starts to be a deficiency and puts you at risk of disease and developing bone problems. I would think your GP would take it seriously and if not read them the Wikipedia page as it states clearly the levels that indicate pathology.

Whilst most are low after winter not everyone is technically 'deficient' and taking too much Vit D can put you at increased risk of bowel cancer (according to study I read). But if you are deficient then it's very unlikely you could get too much right now!

I have vit D deficiency and have had problems with walking and muscle weakness. A month after taking high strength V d tablets I feel a lot better

I was extremely deficient in vitamin D, and it took quite a while before I improved (mainly due to an incompetent GP who didn’t read the recommended guidelines). My main symptom was extreme pain in my arms and legs, and I’d had such a battle to get my symptoms taken seriously. My deficiency is caused by bad absorption due to having Hashimoto’s, and I have issues with deficiencies in other nutrients despite an excellent diet.

Some people find that they feel worse before they feel better once they are supplementing, but you will definitely feel much better once you reach an optimal level.

Make sure that any vitamin D you take is D3, not D2. It is also recommended to take vitamin K2 and magnesium when supplementing with vitamin D. I buy my own supplements now as the vitamin D prescribed for me wasn’t enough to cure a gnat.

I also regularly do a private blood test to check my vitamin D level as the NHS don’t deem it necessary to test me any more. The advice to just “sit out in the sun for a bit” doesn’t help me enough.

GP said my level was perfectly acceptable and shrugged at me and said the NHS doesn't treat vitamin D deficiency !!!

Sorry should have added, my level is 22

@DharmaInitiativeLady your GP is a liar! There are even NICE guidelines on how to treat a vitamin D deficiency. See another one.

Failing that, buy supplements yourself.

The NHS does trea Vit D deficiency,i was prescribed it also my sister was,but her Dr has stopped hers,saying they are not allowed to prescribe it anymore,which isnt true,go back to your Dr

The NHS definitely treat Vit D deficiency, I have been on prescribed high dose Vit D for 4/5 years. My dose was stopped once because my levels came back normal......which they would if I was taking a high dose Vit d supplement...... and all my symptoms were back within a couple of weeks. It felt like my feet were filled with broken glass. I know when I need my next dose I can feel my energy drop, make sure that they test your B12 levels as well.