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October 6, 2010 at 4:43 am #596597
tanyar23ParticipantWe just found out my 13 year old was deficient in this. It wasn’t until I requested the doctor ask for this lab that we found out. She’s been fatigued lately. She’s got the supplements now, but was crazy. According to one of the articles out there, one in seven teens is vit d deficient. Just something to keep an eye out on as we move into the winter months….
October 6, 2010 at 8:38 am #705114
JanSParticipanttanya…we’re all deficient in Vit. D up here in this neck of the woods, not just teens.Right now I take 50,000 IU of Vit. D once a week, have been for months now. But I’ve been drastically deficient for years. For younger people, it’s so important to the development of strong bones and teeth as it helps with the absorption of calcium. For adults, the research is showing that it (deficiency) may be correlated with an increased risk of cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and high blood pressure. Good that you had your daughter tested…hope the supplements help.
October 6, 2010 at 3:10 pm #705115
BonnieParticipantI’ve been seeing articles and news reports about Vit D. deficiency. I take an extra 1000 a day in addition to my multi which has 800. I think that is obviously not enough. I also drink about 2 glasses of milk a day, giving me about another 200. I read somewhere that we need to have 17,000 IU a day of Vit. D every day to stay healthy but most vitamins only have 800, saying that is 200%.
October 6, 2010 at 3:14 pm #705116
AlkiKmacParticipantJanS is spot on! The northwest leads the country in MS and breast cancer….and the common link is Vit D definciency. Ladies….get tested, and retested, and retested. Keep on top of it. You’ll have more energy each day and may save your life.
The supps are inexpensive. If you’re low and have to pump up your reserves, the 50,000 IU Rx is also inexpensive. You may have to stay on that long term, like JanS, or you may just need to Rx dosage short-term, then able to keep up your reserves with OTC Vit D. Just keep retesting once or twice a year to stay on top of it.
October 6, 2010 at 3:17 pm #705117
AlkiKmacParticipantBonnie – I took the 50,000 Rx twice a week for three months to pump up my reserves, then took OTC Vit D (2000mg) and calcium that had another 800 mg and still got low again after one year. So, now I’m back on the Rx dose for 3 months, then I’ll try 5000 mg a day plus the extra with my calcium. Then I’ll retest in 6 months. Work with your doctor.
October 6, 2010 at 4:26 pm #705118
EmmyJaneParticipantI’ve been on the extreme dose of Vit D (50K 2/week) twice now after being diagnosed as “extremely” deficient. I take 2K/day now
Funny side story: After my prescription ran out, I bought an OTC supplement of 400 IU. I didn’t know at the time how high my prescription had been so I went and asked the pharmacist how many of the 400 IU I had to take to equal the prescription. I had a good laugh when she said “the whole bottle, twice a week.”
I believe Costco sells the 1K or 2K pills.
October 6, 2010 at 6:17 pm #705119
SueParticipantPlease be careful with megadosing any supplement without recommendation/testing of your own personal situation from your doctor, naturopath, etc. With Vitamin D being fat-soluble (meaning it doesn’t pass right through you but is stored), you *can* take too much of it, which can cause other health concerns.
http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/the-truth-about-vitamin-d-can-you-get-too-much-vitamin-d
October 6, 2010 at 6:52 pm #705120
dawsonctParticipantI know some will consider this an over-simplification of the problem, but you really CAN make a big difference if you get OUTSIDE during daylight hours, preferably around noon, with as much skin exposed as possible (and legal/acceptable by community standards [stash the Speedo, guys]). Walking or exercising enhances the positive affects, of course.
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Fish, especially the oilier types, and shellfish, legumes, and mushrooms are all good sources. Most Americans don’t include enough from that list in their diets.
Canned salmon is one of the best processed food available, extremely versatile, packed FULL of vitamins and minerals (yes, you eat the bones. They are soft). When was the last time you or anyone you know made something out of that? It’s better in every way than canned tuna, in my opinion.
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Of course, if their is a convenience alternative to purchase, like a pill or a box of light, why go through the hassle.
October 6, 2010 at 7:38 pm #705121
charlabobParticipantThe OTC Vitamin D was devastating on my, um, digestive system. My wonderful Acupuncturist (Hi, Miranda) recommended Floradix tonic and it made all the difference in the world. My blood is no longer tired and neither is my tummy.
It’s available in PCC and probably other places — expensive, but for me, worth it.
October 6, 2010 at 8:32 pm #705122
AlkiKmacParticipant@dawsonct – please don’t slam people or assume they’re eating incorrectly if they have low Vit D. I live and work on Alki and spent tons of time outside this summer. I eat lots of mushrooms, leafy veggies, salmon and shrimp too. This really is a problem for women (maybe men too) living in the NW. This problem didn’t start for me until I moved here (from Chicago and NC where there are longer summers and more year-round sun). Saying we’re turning to a pill supplement as the easy way out is deeply insulting. My doctor knows what I need better than you.
October 6, 2010 at 9:25 pm #705123
ellenaterMemberFloradix is awesome!
I can say from experience that Vit. D deficiency is no picnic. It has made a mess out of my health and contributed to a bunch of hormone and thyroid stuff, including a fairly large goiter. I take 6,000 IU daily and it makes all the difference in the world. It literally is like night and day–I am a completely different person.
I do agree that you should get your blood-work done. It’s not something you should just assume!
Thanks for posting this, tanyar23. I don’t think a lot of people really get how badly things can turn without it!!! Seriously.
October 7, 2010 at 4:35 am #705124
tanyar23ParticipantThanks for the suggestions, I appreciate them. We hung out in the sun today. It was nice. And, I had no idea about the connections of MS and Vitamin D. It’s important to be vigilant.
October 7, 2010 at 9:39 am #705125
SonomaParticipantI’m pretty sure Vitamin D3 is considered more effective than Vitamin D. So read the labels carefully.
October 7, 2010 at 12:27 pm #705126
EscondidoMemberChalabob – I’m glad you mentioned the Floradix Tonic. That stuff is awesome!
October 7, 2010 at 1:35 pm #705127
BonnieParticipantI just read my label of my Vit D and it is D-3. I also read that if you take it with food 70% more of the vitamin is absorbed into your body than if taken without food.
October 7, 2010 at 3:38 pm #705128
EmmyJaneParticipantEllenater- Do you mind elaborating on the connection between Vit D deficiency and thyriod issues? I have hypothyroidism so in general I have an enlarged thyroid (although lately it seems to be getting bigger.) I also have the low energy, lots of sleeping, etc. etc. stuff that comes along with hypothyriodism. Any insight you can provide would be much appreciated. :-)
October 7, 2010 at 4:33 pm #705129
squareeyesParticipantI have Hashimoto’s disease and it was my endocrinologist who insisted I start taking Vit D. My level was well below normal and I started taking 2000 IU which, when I tested the following year, got me into the low normal range. He’s still not happy with that and wants me to increase to 4000 IU per day. If you read the link below, that doctor also advises that low normal for Vit D is still too low for people suffering with thyroid issues.
http://thyroid.about.com/b/2010/09/30/vitamin-d-important-thyroid.htm
October 7, 2010 at 5:09 pm #705130
EmmyJaneParticipantGreat article Squareeyes and thanks for the information. I also have Hashimoto’s.
October 7, 2010 at 6:12 pm #705131
clark5080ParticipantI must be missing something how is Floradix Tonic going to help someone who is V-D deficient?
7000IU daily and still just middle of the road on the scale
October 7, 2010 at 6:16 pm #705132
hopeyParticipantIt looks like there are a number of different Floradix preparations – Alpenkraft, Epresat, Calcium/Magnesium. Which one is appropriate for Vit D deficiency?
October 7, 2010 at 8:11 pm #705133
CaitParticipantI was actually told by a doctor that at Seattle’s latitude we don’t get enough vitamin D from the sun to supplement the amount we should be getting – it’s not an oversimplification, it just doesn’t apply here.
I had single-digit levels of vitamin D in college and had no idea why I felt so terrible every day. The vitamin D has done absolute wonders and I’ll never be without it again! I’m on 1000 IU per day.
October 7, 2010 at 8:40 pm #705134
cathywMemberWas at PCC this am and they had Floradix tonic, but not one specifically for Vit D.
October 8, 2010 at 3:24 pm #705135
BigPhilParticipant“was actually told by a doctor that at Seattle’s latitude we don’t get enough vitamin D from the sun to supplement the amount we should be getting”
A bit of a pedantic note, it really has to do with our weather more than our latitude. We’re only at roughly 47’36 so we’re not that high. Really, anything above 37 (San Fran / Denver / Richmond VA) solar exposure starts to droop as a source for Vitamin D. Quite a few areas are more north than us (even in the U.S.) and they don’t have similar issues with D deficiency. It’s the overcast weather. It’s also dramatically correlated with age, and young people need very little non-overcast sun to generate all they need. It’s why white skin evolved, actually.. outta 3 billion alleles its actually only 1 genetic ‘letter’ that gives white skin, and you can see it evolve directly in line with latitude. Of course, our ancestors covered far less of their skin and spent much longer outside every day.
2,4, 8000 IU is crazy, I had no idea you could take that much without serious issues. I thought the recommendation was 1000 IU for the ‘average’ person.
I’m curious now to see where I’m at.. I don’t think I’ve ever had a deficiency.
October 8, 2010 at 4:27 pm #705136
herongrrrlParticipantBigPhil, you might be surprised by your test results. A few years ago my doctor started testing every one of her patients for Vit D levels, and after one year she had only found a handful in the normal range. Every single one of them had recently moved from a sunnier place! I was really surprised to learn that I was deficient, since I spend a lot of time outside and eat a reasonable diet with lots of vit-D rich foods, but my first test at the end of particularly sunny summer showed that I was just barely in the low end of the normal range. Subsequent tests a couple years later showed me quite deficient. I take 4000IU/day now and it has made an incredible improvement to my energy level and mood.
October 8, 2010 at 5:10 pm #705137
ClawGirlMemberIt’s also important to note that sunscreen is believed to limit the Vitamin D we produce. My doctor advised that I spend at least 20 minutes a day in the sun WITHOUT sunscreen. I’m also taking 2000 IU/day, as well as eating Vita D-rich foods. All this and I still struggle with my D levels (ranging in the upper 20’s to upper 40’s depending on the season – still too low). However, since I’ve started this regimen, symptoms from my autoimmune disease (suspected MS) have virtually disappeared. By the way, my Vita D levels were at 14 when I was first tested several years ago.
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