[Natalie8]

I just had to share. This is a fantastic article that came out in Sept. 2008 on Vitamin D deficiency and how to treat it. Two things stood out to me. First, the vitamin D dosage and its therapeutic effect is dependent on your weight. Second, taking 1,000 IU a day over 3-4 months will usually get your number up by 10 ng/ml. Thus, if you had an initial level of 10 you would have to take 3,000 IU a day for several months to get to the level of 40. (but it's not linear)

Anyhow, there is lots of other good stuff in here.

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/PDFs/...deficiency.pdf

[watsonsh]

Great article Natalie, thanks for posting.

[lady_express_44]

I have tried to type this three times, and my computer keeps locking up (my daughter added something last night that threw my comp into a tailspin ), so I'll try to keep this short . . .

For anyone considering increasing their dosage through supplementation of Vitamin D, above 200IU -400IU per day (current recommended daily requirement), please BE SURE TO BE MONITORED by your doc:

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

Myths about Vitamin D:

http://bacteriality.com/2007/09/15/vitamind/

Higher levels of vitamin D CAN be toxic for any one of us as individuals, so always discuss your plans with your doc, and be monitored regularly if you want to go higher then 400 IU per day.

Cherie

[dmplaura]

Didn't have time to read the article yet, but my neuro and GP told me "1000 IU of D3 daily".

My neuro does monthly blood work for Copaxone (Mr. Thorough) which includes testing thyroid and CBC (kinda glad he does this!), but I'm wondering, what can too much Vitamin D do to a person?

Edit: reading now. I am sitting here with my mouth open, reading “The active form of vitamin D, [1,25-D] is a potent immunomodulatory seco-steroid” meaning that it is a steroid-like molecule which is able to control the activity of the immune system.”

Vitamin D supplements = steroid? What? LOL!! Cherie halp!

[lady_express_44]

Originally Posted by dmplaura

Didn't have time to read the article yet, but my neuro and GP told me "1000 IU of D3 daily".

My neuro does monthly blood work for Copaxone (Mr. Thorough) which includes testing thyroid and CBC (kinda glad he does this!), but I'm wondering, what can too much Vitamin D do to a person?

Edit: reading now. I am sitting here with my mouth open, reading “The active form of vitamin D, [1,25-D] is a potent immunomodulatory seco-steroid” meaning that it is a steroid-like molecule which is able to control the activity of the immune system.”

Vitamin D supplements = steroid? What? LOL!! Cherie halp!

Laura, I'm really not so concerned when a person's vitamin D (liver function, etc.) are being evaluated on a regular basis, AND if their doctor KNOWS what they are doing. However, vitamin D is available over the counter just about anywhere . . . and there are people running around the net recommending anywhere from 5,000 IU and 50,000 IU per day (in fact saying people are "iidiots" not to take that level ), yet not recommending that people be tested or monitored at that level. That scares me.

A funny story . . .

On one forum I have been going to for years, there have been two particular posters who have implied and argued that the cause of MS is vitamin D deficiency, and that all the information that is currently out there about "vitamin D toxity" and "vitamin D overdose" is inaccurate or over-stated. This discussion has become very heated at times, as you can well imagine . . .

A few months ago, one of them finally admitted that he tried to go on (I think) 1,000 IU, after arguing with his doc that 400 IU would be insufficient for a PwMS, "according to new research". His doc finally gave in.

His doc monitored his liver while he went up and down in dosage a few times, to test the results of that level of supplement. Every time he went back up to 1,000 IU, his liver numbers went out of whack.

Eventually they came to realize that 1,000 IU, through supplementation, was TOO much for HIM . . . yet he had no problem increasing his levels through sunshine and diet alone. To be honest, I was surprised he admitted that on the forum, after all his arguing about this over the years.

Anyway, I don't do dairy and haven't done in years. I can't recall if it is a protein or calcium that causes me so much problem, but I was taken off all dairy about 25 yrs ago (I cheat a little, but pay for it).

My only point is ... if a person wants to take more then the recommended daily requirement, please get your levels checked when you start, and continue to be monitored. It's not like we will grow a third arm by taking too much, but how else would a person know (with all the other weird stuff that goes on in our bodies and from the drugs we take) that we are causing ourselves harm if we are not monitored?

And, while I might agree that most people can handle much more then 400 IU, not everyone can that's for sure!

As far as it's "steroid" effect, some argue that's a good thing for PwMS.

Look up reputable sources of information on the net about "Vit D Toxicity" and "Vit D overdose" if you want more info on that . . .

Cherie

[dmplaura]

Thanks Cherie!

You don't do 'dairy' you said... you mean, you avoid dairy like the plague as I do?

My only 'cheat' (and it's arguable how much dairy is actually in them) are those processed cheese slices (fat free). I have 1 a day max. Sometimes I don't even eat them.

Yogurt would have been my secondary 'cheat', but then I found soy yogurt!