Vitamin D3

[43-19gummy73]

Is anyone taking vitamin D3 to help reduce the intense pain of diabetic periphral neuropathy and how long for and at what strenghth, very important if you are getting some positive results !!!

[Gambit62]

You may find this document of use in deciding on doses - European Food Standards Agency recommendations for Upper daily limits for intake of various vitamins and minerals - it gives a good overview of the hazards that have been identified and how they impact on the recommendations - vitamin D is page 167 in the document (which is slightly different when loading as a pdf.

efsa.europa.eu/sites/defaul...

Have you had your B12 levels looked at?  There is a significant overlap between symptoms of B12 deficiency and diabetic neuropathy.  If you are taking metformin this can adversely affect your ability to absorb B12 from your food ... though as you get older the ability to absorb it tends to get less anyway as your stomach acid levels start to get lower.  However, because of the overlap in symptoms and a general lack of awareness of the full range of symptoms of B12 it is unlikely to be something that occurs to your GP.  I also mention it as vitamin D and B12 deficiencies often occur together.

Unfortunately there isn't a definitive test for B12 deficiency - usually use B12 serum but it has a number of problems and is only a guide to be used in conjunction with symptoms but the overlap with diabetes is going to make things even more difficult.

For info: you can find a list of symptoms of B12 deficiency here:

pernicious-anaemia-society....

[43-19gummy73 in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you so much for that detailed information, this is exactly the data we need when making decisions, there are many GP's not always aware of some the findings of reseach, so we quite often feel alone and not enclined to go chasing all and sundry for aknowledgements and comments, the time taken gets far to long. With regards to vitamin B12 I discovered some years ago now that B12 can be depleted by Metformin, I also advised my close friend, cousin and Dr...in chemistry, plus a diabetic, had not heard of this and now as a result supliments with B12 as I do. I don't remember being advised on any blood tests that B12 levels are down, generally what is said 'every thing is OK' and thats it, but no longer for some time now, I ask for specifics and will specify before all the tests, for data inclusion. Another area I uncovered that Vitamin B9, Folic Acid can be depleted by antidepressants, quite often, apart from many non--diabetics are given in huge prescriptions, antidepressants, B9 another vital vitamin in maintaining brain health but again nobody generally saying?? Why not ??  The current increased interest in vitamin D3 again not widley published unless you have enough interest to follow development on what has been revealed through research thus far.............it was interesting to me that yours was the only responce to my post!! What had already been gleaned is that the level of D3 in the blood to achieve, for most, is 80 to 100 ng/ml to give the desired responce of significant reduction in neuropathic pain and remarkably an improvement in glycemic control, I am aware of the other approaches that can give similar results, D3 is just perhaps another addition but very useful knowledge too. could be much more benefit going on as well, for the diabetic and all people, we know deficiency is fairly common place, and the maladies that do come with just that....................all grist for the mill as they say.