I bought a bottle of Nature's Bounty Liquid Filled Absorable Calcium today. It is 1200mg Calcium and 1000 IU Vitamin D3. The label says that the Vitamin D3 supports a healthy immune system.

I work nights, rarely seeing the sun this time of the year. I have been on a high dose of Preds (1.8mg/kg/day) for 2 weeks, and I am sure my neurologist will begin to taper the dose down to maintenance levels soon. I am on Mestinon too.

Did I make the right choice? I have not opened the bottle, so I can return it if necessary.

-Mark-

Hi Mark taking calcium and vitamin D is no problem but i guess you might be wondering about how many mg you should be taking to maintain a healthy balance with your meds. I am not a doctor so I can't say if you have the right dosage or not. Let your GP know what you bought and they will monitor it for you. Failing that take 1 a day in the morning so that your system can use what it needs and eliminate the rest. Drink lots of water. Aggie

Aggie,

Thanks for the quick response. The directions say to take two tables a day with a meal. I may start out with one. I will see my neurologist on Monday and ask him about it.

-Mark-

Getting a serum Vitamin D level drawn would be a good place to start. Once you know your level you can figure out a good dosage of vitamin d3. It will possibly be far more than what's in the supplement you just purchased. Calcium and vit d are very important to have on board when taking pred.

I will bring this up with my neurologist on Monday. My next appointment with my primary care doctor is at the end of February.

I already took one douse. Should I avoid any other doses and ask my neurologist to order the serum vitamins D level test on Monday?

BTW, on a side note, how do you place a "Thanks for this!" says: line on a post. I cannot see how to do it.

Thanks,

-Mark-

There will be no problem if you continue to take the supplement. It really takes a lot of vit d3 to affect your levels over the short term. Either your neuro or PCP should be happy to run the test for you.

Is there anything else I should consider taking? Is there something I should take to compensate for my lack of exposure to the sun?

Thanks,

-Mark-

Hi Mark,
I´m taking 500 mg Calcium and 1000 UI Vit D3 per day since many years...
As you are also on Pred, you should get some Potassium supplements as cortisone lowers blood potassium content but don´t overdo it as excess Potassium is not good for heart functions. I Take one banana per day and some almond powder in my cereals.
Prefer also a low sodium diet.
Maurice.

Before adding potassium supplements, you may want to go through each of your drugs and be sure it is ok. I take losartan for blood pressure, and it specifically warns that taking potassium can cause dangerously high blood levels. The drug slows down your normal elimination of potassium.

I was reading the post and I take one potassium tablet a day over the counter, low dose because every time I go to doctor and my breathing is low they tell me my potassium is low but bananas hurts my stomach. My doctor know that I take it but not neuro. I seen a neuro but he wants me to see one that can do more test like mg muscle test and he put it in my paper work but my insurance has not approved other doctor yet.