Vitamin D question

[Audrey Horne]

I know I know it is an odd question to ask during a heat wave in the middle of the summer! :o yes, I'm getting more of it than I'd love to :lol: But...

how fast does Calcium+Vitamin D kick in? The reason I'm asking is of course, an upcoming autumn. I know that some supplements like iron can take months to kick in and only then you can see any/some difference. So what about Vitamin D? Last autumn I had a dreaded shed as soon as it started to get colder. I think it started in September and then it got worse in October. IDK if it was because of the lack of Vit D but I think it could because I had considerably less stress in Sept/Oct. Anyway I don't think it would hurt to take some during gloomy grey autumn/winter. Just when should I start???

[torrilin]

Vitamin D is an "oily" vitamin. You do not pee out excess the way you can for a water soluble vitamin like vitamin C. So it's possible to overdose on it, and I am not sure what the effects are. I know vitamin A overdose is really unhealthy.

If you are concerned about your D levels, talk to your doctor. There are tests for vitamin D deficiency, and your doctor can suggest what a reasonable supplementation routine would be.

In my case, I'm slightly deficient. I get tests twice a year, in spring and fall. I take supplements year round. I'm under strict orders to drink more milk (which I am bad about), and get lots of sunshine (which I'm good about). But the routine that works for me involves fairly close medical supervision. It's not a big deal, since we can piggyback the vitamin D testing with things like ob/gyn exams, asthma exams, and medications checks.

My partner is also somewhat deficient, but he's a psoriasis patient who needs light therapy, so his doctors do not monitor him as closely as I get. If he's getting his year round light therapy, all the subtle signs of D deficiency disappear. So his doctors treat psoriasis patches first, deficiency later.

My dad wound up dangerously deficient, to the point where it was having pretty scary cognitive effects. His medical supervision is *much* closer than mine, and his supplementation routine started out with megadoses in a very organized way. Dad's deficiency is why I am staying monitored. Supplementation is keeping me in the good range, but it's not pushing me anywhere near "high" levels, so I probably inherited needing a bit extra from Dad. Eventually, Dad will test out at levels where he can just take routine supplements we hope.

[Alva]

In general it is thought that even people in sunny areas have a lack of vitamin D, so several studies state. However research hasn't come with a conclusive answer of exactly how much anyone needs, so the values range greatly, and the amounts that a person needs are increased in the recent years. To know exactly how much you would need you would need to a bloodtest at ur doctor so you know what your values are. This test is easily done, I had it done myself last month. I did use vitamin D supplements for about 9 months because of other health reasons. Results started within a month time for me, so the effects kick in quite fast. From what I read optimal levels are around 100, healthy range is 50-125 nmol, but this seems to be an old standard. There is articles on the net debating what is the best. My result was 66 nmol, according to some sites borderline deficient, and according to others in the healthy range. Not to be confused with ng/mL, which has other values, but both indicate the same. The healthy range of ng/ml is 30-75 (2,5 x ng/ml = nmol) I will start again taking supplements in september/october throughout winter until spring. Of course the best source is sunlight like you already stated, so try take your advantage while summer is here. I would say that overal a dose of 600 IU is safe and mostly advised, my supplement was heavier, 1000 IU/25 ug per day. There aren't much dangers to taking too much, except in the long run getting calcium break off, but then you need to take amounts that are over 10.000 if I remember right. Do remember though that your internal organs need to work through the stuff also, I am not sure how the effects are in that matter. There are also a bunch of foods containing nice amounts of vitamin D, like fatty fish and eggs, also good for hair growth :)

[moxamoll]

Here's a link to at least one researcher at the University of Calgary who is doing current work with Vitamin D. http://medicine.ucalgary.ca/about/vitaminD/Hanley

I live in Canada and take 4000-6000 IU per day through the whole year. Even with that, my last vitamin D test showed me at just squeaking in at the lowest "normal" level. I don't drink milk and don't go out of my way to sun exposure, so you have to consider your choices as well.

[Alva]

Here's a link to at least one researcher at the University of Calgary who is doing current work with Vitamin D. http://medicine.ucalgary.ca/about/vitaminD/Hanley

I live in Canada and take 4000-6000 IU per day through the whole year. Even with that, my last vitamin D test showed me at just squeaking in at the lowest "normal" level. I don't drink milk and don't go out of my way to sun exposure, so you have to consider your choices as well.

Do they provide somewhere too where you can see what the latest standards are for the right bloodlevels? The online info I find everywhere says many different things and i would like to find the most recent info about the right bloodlevels.. much of the info is so contradicting.. :confused: How high were your levels if I may ask with your last vitamin D test?

[Audrey Horne]

Thank you for your answers! I wanted to hear something personal from people who actually take vit D and I did. Thanks again! :flower:
What time of the year should you get tested? I might go for it in the fall but I'm not sure yet. I already have to make some blood tests, so I will see if testing vit D levels can be included in my plans. If the effects kick in within a month then it's great news and I'd start it somewhere at the end of September, depending on the weather. Of course, I'm not talking about high doses.
Usually I drink milk daily 0,5-1l but idk how much it helps.

[Sophiatrist]

Do they provide somewhere too where you can see what the latest standards are for the right bloodlevels? The online info I find everywhere says many different things and i would like to find the most recent info about the right bloodlevels.. much of the info is so contradicting..

According to my labs I just received this morning, the normal levels should be 30.0 - 100.0 ng/ml. Insufficiency is 21 - 29, 20 is deficient. I take a prescription dose of 125 mg (50,000) units once a week.

[Alva]

According to my labs I just received this morning, the normal levels should be 30.0 - 100.0 ng/ml. Insufficiency is 21 - 29, 20 is deficient. I take a prescription dose of 125 mg (50,000) units once a week.

My nmol level is 66, this equals 26 ng/ml, (2,5 nmol = 1 ng/ml) but according to the lab standards of my hospital this is just fine.. they apply a range of 20-50 ng/ml, that is where my confusion is. I read not so long ago that the values my hospital applies obviously are the old standards and that they are no longer valid, because new research has shown the same you mention. But even within my country, which isn't even big, the Netherlands, they apply very different ranges. What is deficient in 1 hospital is more than enough in the other..:confused: That is why I asked about this, so that would simply mean I'm deficient also..

[KwaveT]

For those that have trouble getting your vitamin D up you may want to consider a magnesium citrate supplement. Don't waste your time with magnesium oxide since you will only absorb 4% of it. They pack the magnesium so tightly with magnesium oxide that your body absorbs virtually none of it. Magnesium has to present for your body to be able to utilize vitamin D. Vitamin D is needed to utilize calcium. It is a three way effect going on here. Keep the magnesium supplement away from your calcium supplement preferable at least two to three hours before the calcium since calcium and magnesium compete for the same receptor sites. Two nutrients are antagonistic to each other when present together. I take 200 mg magnesium at lunch and another 200 mg magnesium just before bed time.

[NJoy]

According to my labs I just received this morning, the normal levels should be 30.0 - 100.0 ng/ml. Insufficiency is 21 - 29, 20 is deficient. I take a prescription dose of 125 mg (50,000) units once a week.

This is the range my lab quoted also. I squeaked in at 31 after being low at my previous test. I'm on 1000-2000 IU daily for maintenance.

[Audrey Horne]

For those that have trouble getting your vitamin D up you may want to consider a magnesium citrate supplement. Don't waste your time with magnesium oxide since you will only absorb 4% of it. They pack the magnesium so tightly with magnesium oxide that your body absorbs virtually none of it. Magnesium has to present for your body to be able to utilize vitamin D. Vitamin D is needed to utilize calcium. It is a three way effect going on here. Keep the magnesium supplement away from your calcium supplement preferable at least two to three hours before the calcium since calcium and magnesium compete for the same receptor sites. Two nutrients are antagonistic to each other when present together. I take 200 mg magnesium at lunch and another 200 mg magnesium just before bed time.
I also think it is a good idea to separate your supplements. That's why I'm usually not a very big fan of multivitamins. Always seems to me like half of it might not be absorbed :confused:

[afu]

Thanks for making this thread, ive been considering starting to take vit D supplements lately. Where i live doesn't get a great deal of sun, and when there is sun I end up covering up to avoid burning.

I visited my doctor the other day and she was a little concerned about my weight (ive always been pretty skinny but recently lost half a stone, however ive never been in the habit of weighing myself so i don't know what my normal fluctuation is like); so if i lose any more in the near future i'm going to go and see if they can do as many tests on me as possible, including vitamin

[Audrey Horne]

Thanks for making this thread, ive been considering starting to take vit D supplements lately. Where i live doesn't get a great deal of sun, and when there is sun I end up covering up to avoid burning.

I visited my doctor the other day and she was a little concerned about my weight (ive always been pretty skinny but recently lost half a stone, however ive never been in the habit of weighing myself so i don't know what my normal fluctuation is like); so if i lose any more in the near future i'm going to go and see if they can do as many tests on me as possible, including vitamin

I see you're in the Uk, so I understand... maybe there is a way to check what's the recommended dose for those who live in the UK. I believe there must be something like that(?)

Hope you will be getting better soon! Losing weight rapidly isn't good, it could be some health issue :( Idk, hyperthyroidism, for example(?)

[heidi w.]

I can't really help you, but I can suggest that this might be a research question that you can attack the internet with. There's loads of info about Vitamin D deficiency online. Plus, if you have a serious enough deficiency, you probably should talk to your advising physician and ask them, and possibly they need to put you on a prescription for Vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is really serious. I had a friend with Vitamin D deficiency and as the winter progressed, she became more of a crab, and difficult to handle, and as soon as spring came, she pretty much came awake. It was almost like night and day difference. It was that dramatic. The first year, I had no idea it was like this, and a lot of arguments happened because I simply did not understand their experience at all. To this person, this was normal. To me, it was completely unfamiliar.

heidi w.

[afu]

I see you're in the Uk, so I understand... maybe there is a way to check what's the recommended dose for those who live in the UK. I believe there must be something like that(?)

Hope you will be getting better soon! Losing weight rapidly isn't good, it could be some health issue :( Idk, hyperthyroidism, for example(?)

Yeah I think I will have my thyroid checked again, I was severly hyperthroid earlier this year following a bad illness the previous year but my levels went back to normal (doctor said she had never seen anything like it, normally once things get so bad they don't go back) so i definitly think it's worth remembering

[Audrey Horne]

I think I will just talk to some trustworthy doc once I have the possibilty, hopefully before winter. Heidi your friend sounds a little bit like me :bigeyes: I can't say I'm a crab though :D but very sleepy and lifeless. I have to push myself very hard every winter.

[Audrey Horne]

Yeah I think I will have my thyroid checked again, I was severly hyperthroid earlier this year following a bad illness the previous year but my levels went back to normal (doctor said she had never seen anything like it, normally once things get so bad they don't go back) so i definitly think it's worth remembering
:grouphug: I can only imagine how much that affects you! You should definately get checked. Does your hair fall out too? I've heard that thinning/hair fall or increase in "fineness" can be one of the symptoms. Do you have muscle pain, cramps? Sorry for these questions but I mostly read about hypothyroid...

[afu]

Well when I was worst effected I wasn't really keeping track of what my hair was doing so im not sure to be honest, I've always have quite fine, thin hair anyway thanks to my mother. At the moment I'm just feeling really sleepy and lifeless which is why i thought about the vit d, I was recommended to take antidepressants for post-viral fatigue syndrome after my illness but never did, so i guess it could just be some of that lingering

[gonzobird]

Any deficiency is bad news, but I second that you should split up supplements and try to get the most vitamins from food first (most easily absorbed) and food grade vitamins second. A LOT of vitamins are chemical forms of the actual vitamin, and there is huge debate over whether your body even knows what to do with them and if they are even helping. (look at the back of the vitamins, if it says "as" in parenthesese next to the actual vitamin its a chemical version. (like Vitamin B1 (as thiamine)

This is the brand of supplements I use, and I love them.
http://www.transformyourhealth.com/newchapter/nccalmagbone.htm

I take their calcium, fish oil, one a day (which I break apart and the small amounts during the day) and b vitamins...

I use one of these because I'm a dork :)....Its awesome. Fill it up once a week and I'm good.

http://www.amazon.com/Compartment-Pill-Organizer-DEEP-Inch/dp/B000E13BVA/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1342035288&sr=8-18&keywords=pill+container+7

[Audrey Horne]

Does anyone also eat flax seed daily? It's cheaper than taking them in the pill form :lol: I do it for months now but unfortunately can't say if it has brought anything hair-wise.