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[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

I see some of you have been found to be low in Vitamin D, can I ask what dosage you were prescribed and for how long? I've found some vitamin D3 tablets that are 25ug ( 1,000  I.U.) which are to be taken once daily with food. Does this sound about right do you think and how long before you noticed any benefit?

I'd be grateful for any comments ladies as I've noticed some muscle aches of late and I thought I would give these supplements a whirl lol.

Wishing you well.

K.

[nearly50]

I've been taking that dose for a about a year now after being found borderline - wasn't prescribed them and wasn't told how long to take them so I just picked them up in Holland & Barrett. I live in Scotland and work full time so do not often get much direct sunlight so will continue to take one a day. I am not sure when they started making any difference - hard to tell so much else going on.

Did you get your vitamin D levels checked at the doctors? Might be worth doing so.

[Menomale]

I've been taking 5,000 IU (newton everett) daily and have been checked twice last year, levels are normal and steady. I live in a tropical country but not having too much direct sunlight for the last 6 months because I can't bear it and it also triggers hot flushes. My absortion through gut is poor due to IBS and chronic diarrhea, hence the high dose.

I can't tell you that I have noticed any good effects with all perimeno hell going on along with family issues but at least I've seen no bad effects either so I'll keep taking it until I can pay for it (I'm afraid this won't last too long).

[Dancinggirl]

Kathleen - that dose is good for supplementing over the winter months.  Do make sure you get enough magnesium as well as this will help the body absorb the vitamin D. It will probably take a few weeks to feel benefits. We all need Vitamin D in winter and even throughout the year if we don't get enough sunshine exposure in the summer months.
DG x

[Megamind]

I was told my Vit D levels were low (but not told how low) and prescribed 800 IU to take once a day for 3 months. Then reading on here how much higher others were prescribed made me wonder if I even needed them. I had a break for a few months and I noticed my symptoms returning - fatigue, joint aches, bad stomach (I have IBS symptoms and I felt they got worse again after I stopped taking the Vit D). I then got prescribed another 3 months.

I do find they work for me especially my fatigue and joint pain and I noticed an improvement fairly early on.

[Menomale]

Hi sparkle,

Would you care to pm me the brand you're taking? I can't find something similar here and it sounds interesting to me because my Zn and Mg levels were low on latest blood tests.

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

Thanks to you all for your replies, all very interesting! I will definitely be taking vitamin D now.

Sparkle - sorry to be a  pain but can you pm me as well regarding the brand you are taking. Thank you so much.

Best wishes ladies.

K.

K.

[Lesley Joy]

Hi,

My pharmacist (who's also a naturopath) says that Vitamin D is good for stomach issues as well as bowel. Apparently if your have an autoimmune condition, you need extra Vit D especially in Winter. I found it worked well for me last year, I was taking 2000mgs divided into morning and night. 

[Lesley Joy]

Hi,
I haven't had my Vit D levels checked, but the pharmacist says we need more in Winter, begin in Autumn, maximum dose in Winter then taper down in Spring then stop in Summer. I live in New Zealand so get plenty of sun in Summer. I also walk a lot so get a good amount throughout the year too.

My pharmy is a young guy with Crohns Disease (inflammation of small intestine) and he uses this regime.

Lesley x

[jillyrich]

I've read this thread with interest as I have just come off HRT as I'm struggling to find one that suits and doesn't have hideous side effects for me.

However the hot flushes are beginning to return (although they're not too bad at the moment) so I'm wondering whether a supplement may help. I've read a bit about boron and wonder if that could help. Cartainly couldn't hurt to try!

Sparkle, you said you've found a supplement with magnesium etc as well as the boron - please could you PM me the name of it?

Thank you 😀

[jillyrich]

Thank you Sparkle!  I've got a doc appointment tomorrow to discuss the results of blood tests - I will know then whether I may need some supplements.

Stay well

jillyrich x

[Hurdity]

Hi jillyrich - Sorry to hear about your flushes returning after stopping HRT. Unfortunately this does often happen. What a pity that you didn't find an HRT type that suits you. How fare are you on in menopause? Perhaps we can help you find one that will work better? Boron supplementation is not needed - well you should get all you need from a balanced diet, ditto magnesium - but the only thing that will really reliably help with hot flushes is HRT. As you say though you need to find one that makes you feel better overall with minimal side effects!

Hope your blood tests are OK - do let us know?

Re Vit D - now's the time for everyone to get out in the sunshine (at least it was up until a few days ago!) to top up your levels so you do not need supplementation! This is the best way to get it!

Hurdity x

[Elizabethrose]

Oh my Lord have to agree on that one too Sparkle. It's impossible for me to go into the sun, I burn with factor 60 and the sun sure as heck can't get through that suit of armour!! For a lot of people the supplement is the only way to go.

I've been using one that my doc suggested to me a good while ago and it seems to help with the general joint pain. Hubby takes it too now and has helped his IBS, so we're quids in! x

[Mbrown001]

I use a Vit D spray. I don't tolerate pills that well and I don't think I absorb terribly well down to the use of PPIs.
I had to visit a rheumatologist last year due to a wrist joint inflammation and calsification. I've never known pain like it.
He was the one that looked at my blood test results and told me to use the Vit D spray.


So I agree with ER and Sparkle. If this advice comes from a consultant who says it's impossible to get the levels needed by diet and sunlight then I'm going to listen.

Mrs Brown.

[dazned]

Just watched a very interesting program on BBC one this morning about mythbusting health issues. It had quite an in depth section on vitamin D which concurred with most of us that we do definitely here in the U.K. need to take supplements,especially from Oct through Apr. There just isn't enough strength in the sun on our part of the hemisphere. It's so bad there has been a huge rise in hospitals seeing rickets as vit d is needed for calcium absorption. So I think that I will be continuing with my supplements.😇