Day 89 and my Vitamin D levels are still low.
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Join Date: Jul 2019
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Day 89 and my Vitamin D levels are still low.
I started taking vitamin D supplements 1,000 ui a day with food 2 months ago on doctors orders, I have had another blood test done a few weeks back and I've been told that my levels haven't budged an inch. I really don't know what is going on, my doctor is going to get in contact with me for next steps. Everything else with my bloods was fine, just the vitamin D deficiency is still there. Has anyone else had this problem?
I know that the drink does cause deficiency, but if I'm at 89 days sober and taking supplements shouldn't I be starting to go back to normal?
I know that the drink does cause deficiency, but if I'm at 89 days sober and taking supplements shouldn't I be starting to go back to normal?
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Originally Posted by johntrevy 
I'm at 89 days sober and taking supplements shouldn't I be starting to go back to normal?
Congrats on 89 days!
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On the basis that it's very much an open debate as to whether vitamin supplements confer any benefits at all (i.e. whether your body actually absorbs the vitamins from these sources), I think if you're really concerned, it's best to get that extra vitamin D from food sources and re-test? I don't bother with them personally, fearing they may be a total waste of money.
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Originally Posted by Briansy
On the basis that it's very much an open debate as to whether vitamin supplements confer any benefits at all (i.e. whether your body actually absorbs the vitamins from these sources), I think if you're really concerned, it's best to get that extra vitamin D from food sources and re-test? I don't bother with them personally, fearing they may be a total waste of money.
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Ask your dr about combining the supplement with Calcium. Its my understanding that we don't adsorb D supplements unless they are combined (maybe why they add it to milk?).
10 minutes of Sun each day should help also. That's unless you have a medical condition preventing that. Ask the dr about that too.
10 minutes of Sun each day should help also. That's unless you have a medical condition preventing that. Ask the dr about that too.
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I am on supplemental Vitamin D. I can tell you it was a life-changing thing when I got my D levels up and I still take 2000IU daily in gel caps.
It completely changed my general mood and especially the seasonal affective disorder I used to get all winter where I could barely drag myself out of bed. I started on it years before I quit drinking and the difference was pretty great for me.
I live pretty far north and the angle of the sun is such that it is nearly impossible to get enough D through sunshine here other than in June and July, and many here people are recommended to supplement, especially as they age and skin becomes less able to manufacture D. Plus I read I would have to expose 70% of my skin for 20 minutes a day. A walk wouldn't do it - believe me I tried that route (Pacific NW.)
My doctor recommends it to every patient, and she doesn't even recommend vitamins in general. It's the one that's hard to get in food. I do try to eat foods that contain D, but it's nearly impossible to get enough from food in the northern parts of the world.
My first winter I took 4000IU daily. Of course listen to your doc, but the high upper limits on safe dosage are pretty high.
Keep doing what your doctor suggests, I hope you get the miraculous results I got. No more four-month-depression-that-debilitates me.
It completely changed my general mood and especially the seasonal affective disorder I used to get all winter where I could barely drag myself out of bed. I started on it years before I quit drinking and the difference was pretty great for me.
I live pretty far north and the angle of the sun is such that it is nearly impossible to get enough D through sunshine here other than in June and July, and many here people are recommended to supplement, especially as they age and skin becomes less able to manufacture D. Plus I read I would have to expose 70% of my skin for 20 minutes a day. A walk wouldn't do it - believe me I tried that route (Pacific NW.)
My doctor recommends it to every patient, and she doesn't even recommend vitamins in general. It's the one that's hard to get in food. I do try to eat foods that contain D, but it's nearly impossible to get enough from food in the northern parts of the world.
My first winter I took 4000IU daily. Of course listen to your doc, but the high upper limits on safe dosage are pretty high.
Keep doing what your doctor suggests, I hope you get the miraculous results I got. No more four-month-depression-that-debilitates me.
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Originally Posted by zjw
i'm with bimini on the mood stuff. I take it myself and it helps me feel better. I take 5-10000IU almost daily. Obviously do whatever your doc says. but I just wanna highlight how it works for me.
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Originally Posted by johntrevy
You take 5x 10,000 in a day? Holy moley that is a lot. He says that 1,000 in a day is enough for me but for my levels to only go from 38 to 40 whatever unit in the space of 2 months isn't exactly encouraging or reassuring to me.
I think he meant 5,000-10,000IU
You can find the tolerable Upper Limits online...I can't remember the number, but it's pretty high.
Some people are so low in D that they have to get weekly high-dose injections at the doctor's office for months before their levels go up (so I've read, anyway.)
Stay the course. Your doctor hopefully knows what s/he's doing.
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Originally Posted by johntrevy
You take 5x 10,000 in a day? Holy moley that is a lot. He says that 1,000 in a day is enough for me but for my levels to only go from 38 to 40 whatever unit in the space of 2 months isn't exactly encouraging or reassuring to me.
Lots of people restrict to be thin, and lots of people are vegan, so it’s become an issue.
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Cod liver oil is one way to get natural D, if you’re taking supplements and not absorbing well. Lots of Northern Europeans use cod liver oil to keep levels up, I think they flavor it so it’s not too bad to take as a spoonful.
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I had low vitamin D when i had my labs done after I had quit drinking also. I also started with 1000 IU and mine were also still low and I went up to 5000 IU and It was ok the next time I had my labs done. I still take it every day with my other vitamins. This is in no way advice Just my expierience. As always a doctors advice is always best. TC
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Originally Posted by Tc4ever
I had low vitamin D when i had my labs done after I had quit drinking also. I also started with 1000 IU and mine were also still low and I went up to 5000 IU and It was ok the next time I had my labs done. I still take it every day with my other vitamins. This is in no way advice Just my expierience. As always a doctors advice is always best. TC
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My vitamin D levels were really low, so my doctor put me on a 12 week course of 50,000IU, one pill a week. I did that and am now just taking 2,000 units daily.
Yes, continue with what your doctor prescribed, but ask about increasing the dose, as you said.
Yes, continue with what your doctor prescribed, but ask about increasing the dose, as you said.
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If you were like me, with no health insurance (meaning no primary - shocker) visit your local medicare out patient emergency clinic, on a regular basis. itll cost $135-$150 a visit. try to get the same dr...
anything/everything will be recorded... into their system, so if you have a MAJOR problem and end up in ER, you can refer them to that clinic, which will get the records.
Sunlight, is the BEST form of vitamin D. Period.
Go outside.
anything/everything will be recorded... into their system, so if you have a MAJOR problem and end up in ER, you can refer them to that clinic, which will get the records.
Sunlight, is the BEST form of vitamin D. Period.
Go outside.
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Originally Posted by Meatball2
If you were like me, with no health insurance (meaning no primary - shocker) visit your local medicare out patient emergency clinic, on a regular basis. itll cost $135-$150 a visit. try to get the same dr...
anything/everything will be recorded... into their system, so if you have a MAJOR problem and end up in ER, you can refer them to that clinic, which will get the records.
Sunlight, is the BEST form of vitamin D. Period.
Go outside.
anything/everything will be recorded... into their system, so if you have a MAJOR problem and end up in ER, you can refer them to that clinic, which will get the records.
Sunlight, is the BEST form of vitamin D. Period.
Go outside.
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