Vitamin D deficiency

[ramana]

I did a blood test for various deficiencies (Vitamin D , Mg, Iron). Vitamin D came out to be lower 15. Vit D3 is ok but Vit D2 is lower. So PCP advised to take a supplement. Internet search is very confusing. Most of the vitamin D is sold along with calcium. now calcium aids in muscle spasms. I am taking Mg (Natural Calm) specifically to relax muscle spasms.
So how do I choose a Vit D supplement? I am already taking 4 capsules of Carlson 1000 mg cod liver oil (1000 IU of Vit D) but have been asked to take more (upto 2000 IU) as a direct Vit D supplement.

Here are some links
Vit D information
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/v ... /vitaminD/
Vitamin D essential for TrPs
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:57 ... cd=2&gl=us
Different brands
http://www.algaecal.com/vitamin-d.html
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod. ... PLST-0-CAT

[Clay]

For what it's worth, my naturopath recommends supplementing up to 8000/day with oil based D capsules. They should be taken with even more oil for better absorption, and with my calcium and magnesium. Taking too much at night keeps some people awake.

I live far enough north in a cloudy area so that even going outside in winter yields little real sun exposure, and I'm on 6000. Carlson makes a couple of good oil capsules with 2000 or more each. I'm up to 5 fish oil capsules a day too.

[webslave]

There's a lot of recent research linking Vit. D3 to cancer prevention, so a supplement is a good idea.

[drydoc]

Here's an update on Vitamin D and chronic musculoskeletal pain - seems benign and worth trying:
http://pain-topics.org/clinical_concepts/vitamind.php

[ramana]

Has anyone on this board ever got Vitamin D test done? Mine was 15 in Feb 2008 after which I started taking 1000 IU supplement daily. By April 2008 it was 28 but I continued to take the supplement (30 is the level but at least one book says more than that is good). Pain level did not change until June 2008 when testicular pain reduced dramatically (or maybe it keeps on reducing but you tend to notice the change only at some point of time).
In September 2008 I was in the tropics and discontinued taking vitamin D. Now I tested again and it is 21 and pain is up back again. There is some loose correlation but it can also be due to cold weather or something else which I don;'t know of.

I am curious to know if others have tested for this.

[calman]

Also, are you saying that when you were in the tropics your pain disappeared?

[calman]

Clay, how long have you supplemented with 6,000 iu of vitamin d - How many months? Did you notice any improvement?

[ramana]

calman
The pain did not disappear. It was the only occasion when it reduced and has stayed reduce. I have done PT, Stanford/Wise-Anderson Protocol, Botox etc etc and nothing helped.

[calman]

See the Vitamin D Council site. They recommend that you keep levels no lower than 50 ng/mL. There is also a female gynecologist, Dr. Monica Peacocke, who wrote a single case (I know, I know) article in Cutis about treating a woman with a type of vulvodynia by getting and keeping her levels above 50 ng/mL for 3 months. That seems to be the level that people who live at the equator have. The more I look into it the more it seems there is something to this Vitamin D and that we need higher levels than previously thought. Why don't you try keeping your level above 50 ng/mL (but less than 100) for three months and see if there is further improvement? What if the reason we get the tight muscles etc. is simply a vitamin D deficiency? Vitamin D is cheap. PT is expensive. If it works please post back.

[calman]

Clay -
With your colitis and other digestive problems it would probably be worth getting your Vitamin D level checked periodically. See my post to Ramana. With digestive problems you may not be absorbing the D capsules. Maybe a sunlamp would be more effective. Please see the Vitamin D Council site...

[ramana]

Calman
How do I keep vitamin D above 50. I am already taking a 1000 IU supplement. There is vitamin D that can be prescribed but my doc will strictly go by the FDA standard which is 30. He does not think prescription is needed since I got to near about 30 in 2 months with 1000 IU

[strobers]

Ramana, I've been taking 4000 IU of Carlson Vitamin D for the last month and it seems to be helping. I'm having urgency issues as always, but the irritation/rawness/inflamed feeling has decreased a lot.

Carlson has a good rep in the supplement community. I also use their cod liver oil and Vit E caps.

I'm going to continue 4000 IU of the Vitamin D for at least three months and see how things go.

[calman]

Ramana - Please read everything on the Vitamin D Council site. If you are above a latitude of 38 you probably need at least 5,000 i.u per day in the winter. Do you live in the United States? In the U.S. you do NOT need a prescription for Vitamin D. There is prescription D but what you want to take anyway is over-the-counter D3. You will learn that from reading the Council site. They are finding that we need higher levels of D than previously thought and that toxicity occurs at much, much higher levels (maybe even 40,000 i.u. per day) than previously thought. If you are in a country that requires a prescription for D3, maybe you buy a sun lamp instead. Be sure to use protective eyewear with it, though.

The Vitamin D council has this page with links on it to order Vitamin D and also to order sun-lamps for Vitamin D:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/links.shtml

Also, this information appears on their site:
SUNSHINE AND YOUR HEALTHIf one regularly avoids sunlight exposure, research indicates a necessity to supplement with at least 5,000 units (IU) of vitamin D daily. To obtain this amount from milk one would need to consume 50 glasses. With a multivitamin more than 10 tablets would be necessary. Neither is advisable.The skin produces approximately 20,000 IU vitamin D in response 20–30 minutes summer sun exposure—100 times more than the US government's recommendation of 200 IU per day!There are 3 ways for adults to insure adequate levels of vitamin D:
regularly receive midday sun exposure in the late spring, summer, and early fall, exposing as much of the skin as possible.
regularly use a sun bed (avoiding sunburn) during the colder months.
take 5,000 IU per day for three months, then obtain a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test. Adjust your dosage so that blood levels are between 50–80 ng/mL (or 125–200 nM/L) year around.

This is your health. You are suffering, not your doctor. And don't forget that sunscreen blocks vitamin D.

[calman]

Take a look at the cod liver oil and make sure it does not have high levels of vitamin A. I think the Council believes the A in cod liver oil can be antagonistic to the vitamin D, thereby not giving you the full benefit of the D you are taking. Just something to check out. I look forward to hearing how things are going after three months.

[calman]

It is true Dr. Cannell believe D should be at 50 ng/mL or above. However, they believe one needs 5,000 i.u. per day in winter (NOT in all seasons but winter) if you live at latitude above that of Los Angeles, California.

So, to be correct, one needs 5,000 i.u. per day in the winter above the latitude of Los Angeles.