Vitamin D3 deficiency and HMS

[Retro]

Hi Yosaf,

Specialists are complicated when it comes to vitamins and minerals...for what our body needs it would be a dietician. If we're not absorbing something it's likely to be a gastroenterologist we'd be sent to as stomach/bowel issues would be the most likely cause for not absorbing vitamins etc. Otherwise we may be referred to an endocrinologist to check out our body chemistry/hormones or a speciality dealing with the symptoms the deficiency is causing.

Lindsey

[Eloise]

Vitmain D is essential for calcium absorption - that much is very basic biology. As for the million and one extra things it may be involved with - well there is likely to be some but it is definitely not a cure-all. We know most vitmains and minerals do have multiple uses as our bodies seem to be very complex that way, but loads of vitamin D will not solve not vitamin D related problems. As for vitamin D as pain relief - well no - it is not an analgesic. However, severe vitamin D deficiency can have a symptom of muscle pain, and so is somthing to get ruled out if you have muscle pain (and if you or your doctor think you have more muscle pain than expected from your HMS and other conditions).

There does seem some good evidence in large trials that vitamin D supplements can help reduce muscle fatigue and pain, and definitely does reduce the numbers of falls in the elderly, especially those that are house bound (i.e. don't get sunlight). This has been done with large trials of calcium alone compared to calcium with vitamin D compared to placebo. This is probably a result of correcting a vitamin D deficiency in this group of people.

As for vitamin D levels - they are very variable during the year - nearly everyone measured in march will have low levels and so it is best to do levels in september!!

LB - the vitamin D doses in calcium supplements are basically the maintance dose. The treatment dose to get you up and out of deficiency are much higher (think 100 times ish) and cannot be done with calcium tablets. Currently there is a massive shortage of vitamin D injections and not all doctors and nurses are sufficiently knowledgeable to consider doing them. However, there are now super treatment strength vitamin D capsules available (which some brands are gluten, peanut etc free). Anyone can PM me for details.

Our local dietitian has basically said you would struggle to even get 10% of your daily vitamin D from foods. You need to get it from sunlight. If you can't get it from sunlight safely then you need supplements.

[Retro]

...The treatment dose to get you up and out of deficiency are much higher (think 100 times ish) and cannot be done with calcium tablets. Currently there is a massive shortage of vitamin D injections and not all doctors and nurses are sufficiently knowledgeable to consider doing them...

Wonder if that's why my GP doesn't see the point in testing my vit D levels

[Eloise]

In some areas the labs are charging up to £75 for vitamin D tests - so many GPs aren't testing unless they think there is a definitely clinical need to know - they are just assuming people are deficient and treating them and seeing if it helps them. My colleague has just done some really good guidelines for our local GPs - pm me if you want a link.

[Yorkshiregirl]

I was deficient in Vit D but have been taking Calcichew D3 forte since and when I was retested my levels were good

[spinner]

I've just started with an Intergrative Medical doctor (I"m in Aust so it may be called something else in other areas of the world) and he's giving me massive doses of vitamins through IV, I've only had a few sessions so far and I really think it is slowly helping. Sadly its really expensive but I'm hoping that it helps a little and I can avoid hardcore drugs.

[thalia]

I was also found to be vitamin d deficient last year, and was put on a super dose for a few months. Because it did help my pain a bit I was allowed by an endocrinologist to stay on what is considered a high dose (though not the super high I was on at first) and I still come back at normal levels in blood tests.

I do take calcium with it, but the important point that occurred reading your post, yosafbridge, is that I also take a magnesium supplement that balances the calcium I take (a ratio 2:1 of calcium to magnesium) which O believe stops, or reduces anyway, the muscle pain.

Admittedly I also have fibromyalgia syndrome, which is known to be associated with low magnesium, so it's obviously something my body probably needs, but magnesium is commonly known to be a muscle relaxant.

I actually also take zinc. I read somewhere that if you're taking vitamin d, you also need to take calcium, magnesium and zinc, and preferably vitamin k and something I else I can't remember, though I don't take the last two.

OK, just checked for the link for the thing I read - it's boron that's listed, as well as vitamin A, though the latter is dangerous in overdose so I'd only take that under medical supervision.

I don't think I'm allowed to give the link in my post, but if you google vitamin d cofactors and the vitamin d council I'm sure you'll find it. Feel free to message me if you can't.

HTH, thalia

[bendyneck]

Hi all, get out in the sun and Harvest some Vitamin D today!!

[Myself205]

They tested me when I went to UCL and my vitamin D was very low. Have started to take the medecine

[PhoenixRising]

I was tested and my vit D level was in the lower half of the current recommended range. Which was interesting as I had been taking 5000IU a day for about 18mo before that.

[Rosie]

Hiya

From what I understand, having a low evel of a particular vitamin or mineral can be due to several reasons. It can be caused by not taking in enough of the chemical in our diet, hence we take supplements, or it can be to do with our bodies not being able to absorb the chemical from our diet, or it can be that out bodies do not manufacture the chemical, or that they are not able to use the chemical in the correct way. Ony some of these will be helped by supplements, other require different treatments. For example, being unable to absorb a needed vitaamin through the digestive tract may be reated by injections to get it into the bloodstream.
If taking supplements does not help as expected, do ask what else could cause low levels.

Rosie