Yeah not sure I would exceed 1000 iu a day. Slow and steady is the way I am building mine back up.

This is the most comprehensive information about Vitamin D I have yet to find. As you get towards the bottom ( long) it explains why doses are being given above 2000 IU a day.

It is very interesting because it cites how steroids affect calcium and Vitamin D, and how other medications alter absorption.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

For more info google: vitamin + D + absorption

Thanks for the article from the Journal of Clinical Nutrition!

I cant keep my Vit D level up. I have taken lots of different over the counter stuff too. I was recently placed on Rx stuff. I hope that helps. I already feel better after just a couple of weeks on it.

Kristi, I'm quite surprised you were prescribed D2 as opposed to D3 (aka Cholecalciferol). D3 is the equivalent to the "sunshine" factor and is processed in the body as a hormone -- it's specifically that form that's been the hot topic.

I started reading a lot about D3 after I was dxed and have been taking a little over 3,000 IUs daily for at least 9 months. (I ADD UP the D in my calcium and mult-vitamin and then supplement with two 1,000 capsules made by Jarrow.) Vitamin D can build up in the body and can be toxic so your levels should be monitored, as well as your liver function. I don't know if my levels were low before I started supplementing but my endocrinologist tested me a few months ago and even with the amount I'm taking, I was still within normal range (and my liver function was fine). However, I will continue to be monitored, having these tests repeated in future blood work. My endo explained to me that for some reason, they're finding that those high 50,000 IU doses weekly do not seem to present the same problems as high doses building up over time.

The RDA UL for "healthy" people has been raised to 600 IUs. There have been several studies about vitamin D (D3 specifically) possibly being helpful with various neurological disorders, not only MS (and not only in terms of prevention). I know many people with MS in the U.S. whose doctors have been recommending (if not prescribing) vitamin D3 to their patients even if their levels are not low. Most of the things I've read about using this supplement like a "drug" recommend up to 4,000 IUs daily but to reduce intake in the summer or if you live in a sunny climate year round. Again, do be careful though -- do your own research, speak to your doctors and if you DO take it, have your D levels and liver function tested periodically.

I have recently added Vit K to my supplement list because I found in the
MPEG of my body CT Scan noticeable Calcium deposits around my heart aorta
and some considerable Calcification in my right Femoral Artery.

One of the causes of this is Vitamin D supplementation!!!

Note --- there are different kinds of vit K

K1 (phylloquinone) is present naturally in plants.
K2 (menaquinone) is made by bacteria in the intestinal tract of humans and
animals
K3 (menadione) is man made.
K4 (menadiol) is man made. It can be used by intestinal bacteria to make K2.
Unlike the fat-soluble compounds K1, K2 and K3, K4 is water-soluble

I have discovered that Vit K supplements will stop and help remove this
excess calcium. I also believe that Vinpocetine may have a similar action(at
least in rabbit tests). I am taking the LEF(life Extension Foundation)
"SUPER K with K2" supplement which has 9 mg of Vit K1 and 1 mg of Vit K2

http://www.lef.org/newshop/items/ite...ced-K2-Complex

jackD




Arterial calcification is characterized as a buildup of calcium in the
arterial walls. It is a process that can begin as early as the second decade
of life and continue throughout adulthood. Although calcium is an essential
nutrient in maintaining human bone integrity, the trick is to keep it out of
the arteries. Studies have revealed that adequate levels of vitamin K may
help in keeping calcium in bones and out of arterial walls.



Caution
Those taking anticoagulant drugs such as Coumadin or heparin should avoid
vitamin K supplements.

Thanks, Jack. I'd heard about this in regard to calcium supplementation and have been meaning to look to research it more thoroughly. I'm definitely going to mention it to my endocrinologist when I see him in September.

Here is the rabbit thing plus the Bladder thingie. I take 10mg of Vinpocetine twice a day.

jackD

p.s. It is also the BEST cure for MS(58% reduction in lesion activity) and fixes my bladder problems. There is some considerable hyperboyle in the preceding statement but that is what the study showed.



Bladder - thingie

When I got diagnosed 10 months ago I was told I had an extremely low Vitamin D level. To be perfectly honest I was shocked since I had lived in San Diego for 10 years (sun all the time) and moved to sunny/hot Texas and have been here the past 4 years. Thus, I'm not sure everyone's bodies can get the Vitamin D they need from the sun -- clearly that wasn't the case for me over the past 14 years and I spend a lot of time outdoors.

I took the 50,000 IU pills once a week for 9 weeks. It bumped my level up into low normal range. I am now taking 1,000 IU a day.

The MS specialist I saw at the Mayo Clinic in MN. said that I should be taking Vitamin D supplements every day. The MS specialist I saw in my own city 2 weeks ago said that Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for MS (apparently I hit the MS jackpot and as she put it "the stars lined up" because I had 4 risk factors: 1) Vitamin D deficiency 2) grew up in Mass. until age 22 3) mother just diagnosed with MS last year right before me 4) wicked mono/epstein barr infection the year before my diagnosis).
Lucky me! <heavy sarcasm>

Anyhow, nothing proves that taking Vitamin D after the fact will slow the disease down but why not take the supplement? There does appear to be a correlation of some sort.

Hi,Bearygood

I don't know why my neuro prescribed vit D2,heck I didn't know there was a
D2 and D3, I just thought there was just Vit D period. I'm glad I started this thread,I've found out alot of good information from alot people here.

Most folks do not know much about this but NGF Nerve Growth Factor is great stuff to have in sufficient quantity to take care of those small? brain repair jobs common to MS folks.

If you are LOW in Vitamin D then you are probably LOW in NGF Nerve Growth Factor also.

I probably should start a new thread to elaborate on this topic.(Nerve Growth/Repair)

Suffice it to say that Vitamin D makes the body make NGF as stated in the below abstract.

http://www.copewithcytokines.de/cope.cgi?key=NGF (a GREAT sources of my info)

This is why I take 4000 IUs of Vit D3 supplement each day. The excess is GOOD for MS folks because our NEED is greater.

jackD

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9...ubmed_RVDocSum