I know that several of us have found that our vitamin D is low and I wondered how aggressively you had dealt with it. I have read reports of single intramuscular injections as high as 600,000 IU! Considering that the RDA was until recently just 400 iU, that's a heck of a jump but they report no side effects.

I'll post more later, but it seems that Vit D dramaticly ramps up GDNF in the brain - as much as 18X. It gets past the BBB but only about five percent of serum level. Thus my interest.

FYI: husband took 50, 000IU orally once a week X's 2 and developed kidney stones. coincidence? was reassurred there was no association, though I remember problems with calcium metabolism (and thus precipitation of same resulting in stones) associated with Vit D therapy. Perhaps if one stays well hydrated? again, may have been a coincidence, though husband had never had kidney stones before and has not suffered with them since. He now takes 2000 IU/day.


http://www.parkhurstexchange.com/nephrology/2010-01-09

"...Vitamin D intoxication by increasing calcium absorption is known to cause and increase risk of calcium based kidney stones. It's unclear, however, to what extent physiologic doses of vitamin D alone increases this risk, as it's often given along with calcium to preserve bone health..."

Rick
I cannot for the life of me find my Vitamin D bottle where I have been treated with high dosages for deficiency. I believe at last count I had been given therapeutic supplements 4 times and it was STILL low!

I know that I need to get on top of that, but this dystonia/dyskinesia or whatever it is takes precedence.

I pulled this off of rxlist.com

The recommended intake of vitamin D is 400 IU-800 IU daily. FOSAMAX PLUS D 70 mg/2800 IU and 70 mg/5600 IU are intended to provide seven days' worth of 400 and 800 IU daily vitamin D in a single, once-weekly dose, respectively.

This is, of course, on the flyer for Fosamax treatment, a drug used for osteoporesis (which many postmenopausal women have).

I may be dreaming, but I thought my supplements were 60,000 units WEEKLY. I had to take 1 pill for 6 days, then for retesting. I'm not sure why so long to recheck, unless maybe you get a false positive or something. The absorption must be incredibly slow.

While on this topic, I find it just plain asinine that in the U.S. pet food is regulated by t he FDA, but not supplements. No wonder we're all half dewad or have one foot in the grave (while Fido or kitty is thriving). Don't get me wrong, I love animals.
Peggy

Mine are Vitamin D3 2400 iu softgels, urged on me by a friend with MS. I am useless at taking things like this, being consistent with it. The label says they are 600% RDA, and the D3 comes as cholecalciferol. I have not noticed any difference from taking it, but put this down to my inconsistency, and also think these kinds of supplements are preventative, and therefore may not show results directly.

The mega mega like 600,000IU doses are still very controversial, but we had one poster here a while back who could not absorb things orally and did have some IV supplements done.

The D you get on RX is D2 and not really very active.

In short, the rule being offered by the experts is 1000 IU of D3 for every 10ng you want to raise from your test results.

more here:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

I tested very low and take 2000 IU of D3 daily.

A Timeline

1993 - Synergen synthesizes GDNF

July 1994 - French researchers report Vit D3 increased NGF - GDNF 5x in the lab

Dec 1994 - Amgen buys Synergen

1996 - Amgen trial of monthly injection into brain

Sept 1996 - the French team report Vit D3 increased GDNF 18x in lab

April 1999 - Amgen halts GDNF work

Summer 1999 - NYU researchers show a better way. New Amgen interest

A Phase I trial began in 2001, under the direction of neurosurgeon Steven S. Gill at the University of Bristol Institute of Clinical Neuroscience at Frenchay Hospital in the United Kingdom GDNF was directly infused into the putamen by a pump delivery system. Catheters were inserted into the brain, and GDNF was delivered from pumps implanted in the abdomen. < p> According to researchers, “Within a couple of months, patients were noticing dramatic improvements in their ability to move, and these continued over almost four years of treatment. Even after ceasing medication, the patients’ improvement has been maintained.”(3)

Dr. Michael Hutchinson of New York University related that videotapes of the patients taken before and after treatment were “quite amazing.” One patient initially "took five minutes to walk across a room.” After three months of infusion, “he jumps up and walks back and forth.” (4) After one year in this 2001 Phase 1 safety trial, patients averaged a 40 percent improvement in their symptoms with no serious side effects, reduced dyskinesia, and a 28 percent increase in the amount of dopamine stored in their brains.

In 2002, another Phase I trial was initiated using unilateral direct infusion of GDNF with 10 patients at the University of Kentucky, led by Dr. John Slevin. As in the Bristol trial, researchers and the patients reported positive results.

“… Notably, there appeared to be bilateral improvements, including improved postural stability, which continued through the washout period. All patients with PD also showed evidence of improved affect and fine motor control and speed.”(5) (PD Pipeline)

Dec 2002 - Spanish team report Vit D3 increased GDNF in rats brain striatum when injected intraperitoneally

After the favorable results in the Bristol trial in 2003, Amgen, which had donated the GDNF, stepped in and volunteered to sponsor future phases. The company initiated a multicenter, placebo-controlled trial that included 34 patients, all of whom had a pump-and-catheter delivery system implanted. Half the participants, however, received only saline solution for the first 6 months, and were then switched to GDNF.

Inexplicably, Amgen’s methodology differed from that of the successful phase I trials. The company used larger catheters and a different type of pump (a continuous rather than pulse delivery), and smaller doses of GDNF. Trial participants again reported improvements in their symptoms. After a 6-month analysis of the trial data, however, Amgen in June 2004 reported that improvements in symptoms were not statistically significant, and attributed them to the placebo effect. Even so, Amgen announced that all subjects would be entered in an open label extension study to try to resolve the differing trial results.

On September 1, 2004, however, Amgen abruptly halted the trials and withdrew treatment from participants in all of the study groups. Amgen cited lack of efficacy, and safety concerns, specifically indicating brain autopsies of some of the nonhuman (primate) subjects revealed damage in the cerebellum. It was later learned that the primates had received much higher doses than the human participants. Amgen also announced that GDNF neutralizing antibodies were found in five study participants, and these might lead to a reduction of naturally occurring GDNF in the brain. The Amgen study was initially reported on at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association conference in October, 2004.

Some of the Phase II trial doctors, including the University of Kentucky team, Dr. Hutchinson of NYU, and Dr. Penn at the University of Chicago, did not agree with Amgen’s conclusions, nor with their safety concerns, and continue to question the statistical tests and methods used in the Phase II trials

The brain autopsy of one of the Bristol study participants, who died of an unrelated heart attack in 2005, revealed that dopamine-containing nerve fibers lost in Parkinson’s disease had sprouted back in the region where GDNF had been infused. Because the GDNF had been infused into one side of the brain only, the effects of the treatment could be assessed by comparing the two sides.

“This is the first neuropathological evidence that infusion of GDNF in humans causes sprouting of dopamine fibers, in association with a reduction in the severity of Parkinson’s,” stated Dr. Seth Love, who studied the tissue. (10)

Read the rest if you can stand it

Feb 2009 - Spanish team reported both protection and repair and GDNF increase in SN of rat model by Vit D3 intraperitoneally

------------------------

So, you are a Big Man at one of the biggest Pharms on the planet. You have this chemical that you own the patent for and it does amazing things for, not only PD, but probably other things as well. Things that generate a large part of your cash flow. It will doom some of your competitors but, hey, that's business.

But just as you make your first moves toward the market, one of your researchers breaks the news that the French and Spanish are claiming that you super chemical can probably be produced by simply megadosing with Vit D3.

What the heck are you going to do? You spent all that money to buy Synergen and you have launched research into making it profitable while bragging to the stockholders. If your trials succeed someone is going to point out that the world may not need you in the mix. If youpull the plug you can gain some time.

Then your researcher tells you that the French and Spanish work may threaten a lot more than your PD profits. Sheesh! What's a greedy capitalist to do???

"Is everything a conspiracy? No, just the important stuff."

spoken like a TRUE surveyor mapping out the lay of the land !!!

"So, you are a Big Man at one of the biggest Pharms on the planet. You have this chemical that you own the patent for and it does amazing things for, not only PD, but probably other things as well. Things that generate a large part of your cash flow. It will doom some of your competitors but, hey, that's business.

But just as you make your first moves toward the market, one of your researchers breaks the news that the French and Spanish are claiming that you super chemical can probably be produced by simply megadosing with Vit D3.

What the heck are you going to do? You spent all that money to buy Synergen and you have launched research into making it profitable while bragging to the stockholders. If your trials succeed someone is going to point out that the world may not need you in the mix. If youpull the plug you can gain some time.

Then your researcher tells you that the French and Spanish work may threaten a lot more than your PD profits. Sheesh! What's a greedy capitalist to do???

"Is everything a conspiracy? No, just the important stuff." "

RICK,
are those your words? or are you quoting someone? if they are yours, i'm assuming you are just stating an opinion?

http://www.picrx.com/resources/Vitam...eSubstance.pdf
http://acta.uta.fi/pdf/978-951-44-7547-4.pdf