What vitamins or supplements should I be taking?

[Ian67]

I take D3 when I remember but that's it

[Lynxcat]

Ian, Many would advise that you should probably be tested to find out which vitamins and minerals your body is short of. Your doctor will then prescribe what is necessary.

I take cod liver oil capsules (rich in Vitamin A and D with a little E), which I have taken for over thirty years so I was taking them long before being diagnosed with coeliac disease. I have taken Vitamin B complex tablets off and on over the years as they appear to help to keep away quite a few aches and pains - (I used to suffer with both sciatica and neuralgia until having B complex tablets .. so I top up with them every so often). I sometime take zinc tablets and vitamin C .. especially if there are colds about as I dislike having colds and coughs! I have a pro-biotic which I get from Healthspan as it contains 20 billion friendly bacteria and I try never to forget to have both kelp tablets and aloe vera tablets - kelp help to keep energy levels up and aloe vera help to heal internally and help to keep the gut healthy. I also have a high dose B12 tablet but only take those if I get mouth ulcers/tongue ulcers and have always had them as a medicine since I read many years ago that they mend mouth ulcers very quickly.

[Ian67 in reply to Lynxcat]

Thankyou I'm at the doctors next wk and will be Gettin some tests

[Irene Administrator]

Find out here why B12, Vitamin D, Magnesium and Iron need to be checked in Coeliacs. We often don't absorb them properly due to stomach damage, and even after going gluten free some are still not process correctly by us. So do get these checked esp if you are a Newbie Coeliac. Then you have a baseline level to improve upon.

Vitamin D: Why eggs, salmon and sunshine aren't always enough

Did you know that Vitamin D is converted into a hormone and is vital for your Endochrine system (inc Thyroid) to function correctly? And yes that does include men and women..

medicinenet.com/nutritional...

Vitamin B12

Losing hair, feeling dizzy, white spots on arms, sore mouth, tired, depressed...get it checked. Meat and eggs contain it but our tums often won't digest it correctly...

b12d.org/content/B12-signs-...

patient.co.uk/health/Anaemi...

Magnesium

patient.co.uk/doctor/Disord...

Iron

patient.co.uk/doctor/Gastro...

patient.co.uk/health/Anaemi...

[Irene Administrator in reply to Irene]

OSTEOMALACIA

How being a Coeliac with vitamin D deficiency can cause aches, pains and soft bones. If your Vitamin D blood tests are less than 50 get your Dr to prescribe CalciChew and D3 supplements and ask about a Vit D injection. Less than 27 is severe vitamin D deficiency.

patient.co.uk/health/Osteom...

[Irene Administrator in reply to Irene]

"Once the diagnosis of coeliac disease has been made, the following tests are recommended if not already completed: full blood examination, iron studies, folate, vitamin B12, zinc, vitamin D levels and bone mineral density. They can also have lactose intolerance, fructose malabsorption, problems with their thyroid gland (underactive, overactive), diabetes, etc. These should all be checked in people with coeliac disease.

[Ian67]

Thankyou Irene... I just an app for next Monday I be demanding all of these test

[Ian67]

Although im sure I did the vit D test a yr ago because I read it should be 50, mine was no where near but he was adamant that it was in the normal range

[NorthernSoul in reply to Ian67]

Deficient and sub-optimal reference figures for vitamin D vary from lab to lab and the techniques used and indeed there's not much consensus in the literature about what 'normal' ranges are since they can vary so much from person to person, even in people who are completely asymptomatic. Aside from the obvious extremes of vit D deficiency (rickets etc.), there's also debate as to exactly what kind of symptoms are associated with sub-optimal levels of vitamin D.

It's a tough one! The best way to get enough vitamin D is to spend 2-3 sessions of around 30 min in the sun which hopefully should be getting a bit easier to do provided we actually get a summer this year...

[Ian67]

No I think there was a figure , but I'm sure it was 24 or 26 and doctor my GP said that that was in the normal range, I said I'd read it should 50 or so but he still said that it's normal with government guidelines or something

[NorthernSoul in reply to Ian67]

Indeed, but only for the lab that your GP uses, not due to any consensus from the medical community. What I'm trying to say is that it varies hugely the lower boundaries can be anything from 10-30 and the 'optimal' levels from 30 upwards. Your figure was probably within the 'normal' range but probably not 'optimal'.

[ailsamary]

some of the lower end vit d defiecines can be classed as "diet deficiences" however in coeliacs its normally a lot lower and classed as a "true deficient" getting "enough" sun however doesnt correct this, even though my coeliac tests were clear i was severely deficient in vit d, calcium, iron, B12 and folate, i am prescribed adcal, alendronic acid, ergocalciferol, vit B12, folic acid and iron tablets by the GP and i take omega 3/6/9 and a co-enzyme on top, couldnt afford all those by myself lol

[Ian67 in reply to ailsamary]

What is alendronic acid, acdal, and co enzyme

[ailsamary]

alendronic acid is to try and prevent osteoporosis and further bone degeneration, adcal is a calcium and vitamen D replacement, whilst the co-enzyme 10 is something i take myself which is supposed to help with energy, have a look on wikipedia it should be able to explain them much better there than i can