OT: Vitamin D Testing

Emilia · Post by **Emilia** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:25 pm

My doc's office is the kind that if I don't hear, it was OK.... However, I always follow up and get a copy of the results anyway. I've been so preoccupied with my new OSA diagnosis and dealing with my pathetic HMO, I just haven't taken care of that yet. So, I assume I am normal on vitamin D, and since my bones are still strong, she said she was sure I would test fine. I'll get over to her office for a copy of the report soon. I still take the new recommended dose of 2000 IU daily,... I use a micellized Vitamin D3 ( 1 drop = 1000 IU) and put 2 drops into my morning juice.

Catnapper · Post by **Catnapper** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:32 pm

I have been trying to improve my Vitamin D levels for over a year now. I had a reading of 13, which was way low. I passed up the Rx D2 capsules because I found out that they were not the best to use. I was told to try 5000 units daily of D3. I did a search on the 'net and saw someplace that said you need about 35 units per pound of body weight per day. Wow! I did not try that.

I took 10,000 units daily for several months to increase my level to 40 or so, and have continued at the 15,000 level and now recently tested at 51. I think it is slow going. I want to reach about 60 or 65 as I have read that is the level that may help prevent various kinds of cancer. When my level was so very low I had breast cancer, which turned out to be an increased risk from having low Vit. D.

So, to summarize, it has taken over a year to get my level of D up sufficiently, and it took large doses to do so. My doctor knows what I am doing, and there is concern that I could get too hich a level eventually. Obviously, I am tested fairly often to keep track of the progress there. Everyone is different and my regimen may not be good for someone else, so don't take this report as a suggestion or advice, please. I am mainly reporting that it may take a long time and large doses to get to an optimum level. I am certainly not a doctor, and cannot recommend what other people should do. I am mainly saying not to expect instant results.

Catnapper - Joanie

secret agent girl · Post by **secret agent girl** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 6:17 pm

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 10:08 pm

WearyOne wrote:Well, got the results back. And although higher than usual, it's still only 21.9. That's after about a week on 2,000 IU Vit D3 (and overnight fasting for the test) but I have no idea how long it takes for supplementation to start making a difference (I was thinking a few months). Guess I'll bump it up to 4,000 now that I know I'm definitely low, then check again in a few months.

Pam,
When I was diagnosed with very low vit. D last winter my doctor said: "from now on till you're 120 years old, you take this" and precscribed an OTC vit D3 supplement at 1200mg a day. She also noted that the insurance plan only re-tests once a year.
Why are going through this stop retest and re-go cycle? Or did I misread something?

O.

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 7:27 am

ozij wrote:
WearyOne wrote:Well, got the results back. And although higher than usual, it's still only 21.9. That's after about a week on 2,000 IU Vit D3 (and overnight fasting for the test) but I have no idea how long it takes for supplementation to start making a difference (I was thinking a few months). Guess I'll bump it up to 4,000 now that I know I'm definitely low, then check again in a few months.
Pam,
When I was diagnosed with very low vit. D last winter my doctor said: "from now on till you're 120 years old, you take this" and precscribed an OTC vit D3 supplement at 1200mg a day. She also noted that the insurance plan only re-tests once a year.
Why are going through this stop retest and re-go cycle? Or did I misread something?

O.

Hi, Ozij. I'm not quite sure I understand the question, but I'm not stopping anything. Now that I know I'm definitely low (which I pretty much figured I was) I'm going to increase my daily supplementation to 4,000 mg, then test in about three months to see how that's working. I may need to increase it even more. I'm not stopping anything, but I know that retesting is important so that I'll know if it's working and that I don't end up with it being too high. I'm sure I'll always have to be on supplementation, but I hope I can reduce how much I take each day once I get it up where it should be.

Catnapper, good to hear that the supplementation is getting your level up, but it is discouraging at how long it's taking...and at the amount you're taking, too. I may have to rethink the amount I'm taking and increase it. Are you noticing any difference in how you feel?

Pam

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:55 pm

WearyOne wrote:Snuginarug, every time I get tested I'm low...always between 13 and 16. I take the three months of prescription D and then don't go back and test again (dumb!). This time I'm going to stick with it, take OTC D, test every couple of months or so, and keep taking it until it's up where it should be. Glad to hear of great improvement after a deficiency is corrected!

Pam

I guess I misunderstood this post.

O.

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:30 pm

ozij wrote:
WearyOne wrote:Snuginarug, every time I get tested I'm low...always between 13 and 16. I take the three months of prescription D and then don't go back and test again (dumb!). This time I'm going to stick with it, take OTC D, test every couple of months or so, and keep taking it until it's up where it should be. Glad to hear of great improvement after a deficiency is corrected!

Pam
I guess I misunderstood this post.

O.

When I responded last time, you had quoted a this post of mine with your question:

WearyOne wrote:Well, got the results back. And although higher than usual, it's still only 21.9. That's after about a week on 2,000 IU Vit D3 (and overnight fasting for the test) but I have no idea how long it takes for supplementation to start making a difference (I was thinking a few months). Guess I'll bump it up to 4,000 now that I know I'm definitely low, then check again in a few months.

...so now I'm really confused, but I'll take a guess. This was the question, I believe:

ozij wrote:Why are going through this stop retest and re-go cycle? Or did I misread something?

Are you are referring to why was I getting tested, finding out I was low, taking the prescription D2, not getting tested again once the three-months of prescription D2 was finished, then doing it all over again at some point in the future? If that's what you're referring to, it was stupidity on my part, actually! And sometimes just not having the money to pay for the retest to see where the blood levels were after the three-month D2 regimen. I would also start feeling somewhat better and figure everything was okay. Again, stupid decision not to follow-up and see if I needed a longer period of high doses or just a maintenance dose, etc.

I think I'm smarter now (hopefully) and I'm taking D3 at higher doses with two- to three-month checks to see where the levels are, and once they reach an appropriate level and stabilize, probably testing once a year. I'll continue taking a supplement after it stabilizes where it should be, but only as much as I need to maintain that level. I'm also trying to get more sun, but I hate the heat in the summer and haven't tolerated it well at all since my thyroid was ablated four years ago, so don't know how successful the sun part of the treatment will be.

Pam

Catnapper · Post by **Catnapper** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:54 pm

To respond to the question of whether I feel any difference since taking Vit. D, I can say that I definitely felt better pretty soon after starting taking it. I have a sensitivity to the sun from a medication I take, so no sunshine for me. That may partially explain the large doses. Also, I am pretty old, and I think there is a connection with how older people can utilize the D. Another of those annoying things that happen as we age. Someone may have more info on that and post it.

As an anecdote, I have noticed what is to me a significant change, but I have no proof it was the D that made the change other than the timing. For years when it was bedtime I would become very, very cold with shivers and racking chills. I could not get to sleep without using a heating pad and my electric blanket on high to make me warm. After I started the D supplements, that problem disappeared completely. I had asked doctors about it many times with nothing in response but a shrug and no answer. I am very happy not to have that uncomfortable situation. So far as I can tell, nothing else changed in my life that might have made the cold thing go away other than the Vitamin D3. Who knew?

Catnapper - Joanie

Muse-Inc · Post by **Muse-Inc** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 9:13 pm

I went thru the useless prescription D2, then switched to D3 starting at 1000 IU, then 2000 IU, then 4000 IU, then 8000 IU -- all the time testing quarterly trying to get my D levels above 36. After using the Stoss protocol to ward off viral infections several times during one quarter (at least 1 Million IU extra), my levels were 100...right where most docs treating long-term probs want it. So, I dropped back to 5000 IU thinking that might maintain my levels; next labs, it had dropped to 50, so now I'm back on 10,000 IU/day. I felt better when my levels were higher...hard to describe, maybe feeling more robustly healthy, more energy, more stable temperature, better sleep, more cheerful & optimistic, more laughter too

Solameya · Post by **Solameya** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 10:58 pm

Interesting thread. I just started taking very high doses of citracal due to a calcium deficiency caused by my recent thyroidectomy, and two weeks post surgery, I have been feeling better than I have in years.
Doing the math, in addition to the approx 3600mg of calcium I have been taking, I am getting about 6000 IU of vitamin D3 daily in addition to about 600 mg magnesium. I have fibromyalgia, and have noticed that a lot of my usual pain has dissipated since surgery. I know a lot of the improvement is simply the fact that my extremely overactive thyroid gland is no longer able to mess with my body, but this makes me wonder if the added D and magnesium have anything to do with how well I am feeling? I guess I will find out if I ever get to reduce my calcium dose.
I would not recommend the citracal in the doses I am taking to someone without a calcium deficiency as I am getting calcium levels checked every week to two weeks. I understand that it is possible to ingest toxic amounts of calcium.
Someone asked about the relationship between calcium and D3. My surgeon told me it was very important to have the D3 with the calcium as it helps the body absorb calcium.

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 9:04 am

Muse-Inc wrote:I went thru the useless prescription D2, then switched to D3 starting at 1000 IU, then 2000 IU, then 4000 IU, then 8000 IU -- all the tme tersting quarterly trying to get my D levels above 36. After using the Stoss protocol to ward off viral infections several times during one quarter (at least 1 Million IU extra), my levels were 100..right where most docs treating long-term probs want it. So, I dropped back to 5000 IU thinking that might maintain my levels; next labs, it had dropped to 50. So now I'm back on 10,000 IU/day. I felt better when my levels were higher...hard to describe, maybe feeling more robustly healthy, more energy, more stable temperature, better sleep, more cheerful & optimistic, more laughter too

Very interesting...and hopeful that I'll have the same good results if I am able to get my level a lot higher. I have read where 100 is the top of the range now, but I definitely see where that might move upward as Vitamin D is gaining more and more attention. (I know the bottom of the range is moving up.) Have you noticed any negative side effects from the 10,000 IU/day? (And when in the world will physicians catch up to the fact that D3 is so much better than D2...maybe when D3 is in prescription form? )

Muse-Inc · Post by **Muse-Inc** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 9:29 pm

WearyOne wrote:...hopeful that I'll have the same good results if I am able to get my level a lot higher.
Took me 18 months to get it to 36 from 15 as I taking small-ish amounts as I wasn't sure how much I'd need to take to get it higher.

...Have you noticed any negative side effects from the 10,000 IU/day?
Nope, I do get my calcium levels checked as D3 helps you absorb calcium -- so far, no increase in my calcium levels.

(And when in the world will physicians catch up to the fact that D3 is so much better than D2...maybe when D3 is in prescription form?
I'm betting on that cold day in hell occurring first

Emilia · Post by **Emilia** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 8:16 am

Web MD posted this today: http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis ... ecd=soc_fb The slideshow is also great: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/slide ... d-overview

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:35 am

Emilia wrote:Web MD posted this today: http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis ... ecd=soc_fb The slideshow is also great: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/slide ... d-overview

Great links! I learned of the link between Vit D and autoimmune diseases a while back, and now, I'm not saying this is the cause because I don't know how long I've been Vitamin D deficient, but I was diagnosed with Graves' Disease, an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid, a little over four years ago. (And Graves' isn't specifically mentioned in the WebMD article, so it may be only certain autoimmune disease.) I first found out I was Vit D deficient about three years ago, and was only checked then only due to an odd thing with my fingernails that my doc said may be due to Vit D deficiency!

nosenabook · Post by **nosenabook** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:08 am

About 6 months ago I was given a prescription for Vitamin D. It was 50,000 units per dose, one dose per week for 8 weeks. I didn't finish.
The first one gave me a burst of energy, but also gave me side effects. I didn't tolerate the 1000 unit dose very well either so I take 400 units daily. The follow-up blood work falls in September so I hope to charge up before hand.
The side effects are of a nature I do not care to discuss in a public forum, but you can PM me!

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