Hi
Can anyone recommend a suitable supplement I get confused with the various amounts and what is safe and not safe I have been recommended to take 1000iu D3 but would like to combine this withK2 any advice welcome currently taking 10mg Pred due to reduce in about 4 weeks
Your GP or whoever prescribes your pred should have also prescribed a VitD/calcium supplement at the beginning.
One of the most common ones in UK is AdcalD3 which is 1500mg calcium carbonate [equv. 600mg calcium] /400 IU cholecalciferol [equiv. 10mcg VitD] per tablet taken twice a day.
Any reason why they didn’t?
Following advice on here I took Vit K2MK7 100mcg once a day - and even though no longer on Pred- still take both as advised on latest DEXA scan although that was fine [family and personal history comes into play which I won’t bore you with].
My GP gave me a diet sheet on calcium!
Mine said I should have enough in my diet!
If the received wisdom is to supplement with K2 Mk7, why don’t doctors prescribe it. It’s a question very few if any can answer. I asked my GP and he said it’s alternative medicine ‘and I don’t know anything about it’. I’ve asked a few doctors in my time and I get the same reply.
It IS "alternative medicine" although slowly evidence is mounting up that it probably does help - the study results are mixed and almost exclusively derive from observational studies which are notoriously unreliable.
Funding for prescriptions must be sought and obtained on the basis of reliable clinical studies that show a significant benefit and so far, none exist. Here in Italy there are supplements for which our doctors will write a private prescription so you can claim the cost against your tax return but they are not reimbursed by the healthcare system. The same even applies to many medications you might get in the UK on prescription - such as ibuprofen or paracetamol - in order to get higher doses but you pay for them yourself.
PMRpro has kindly replied
The usual suggestion for K2 is about 180-200 mcg per day - depends a bit on the dose of tablets you can buy.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
There is no point taking more than 600mg equivalent calcium at a time, 2x daily spaced doses is the maximum recommended, the body only absorbs about 500mg from a larger dose, the rest literally goes down the drain! Pred and calcium doses should be taken at least 2-3 hours apart or they interfere with each other and impair absorption (dietary calcium sources are OK)
AA prescribed at 12.5mg Pred but reluctant to take it would rather take D3 and K2 plus’s upping calcium in diet or taking some supplementary calcium
Apologies should have thanked everyone for advice it’s all a bit confusing so thanks for helping clear the fog
Have you had a dexascan? There does come a point where AA or the like is needed and supplements won't cut it after a given point.
Been waiting for 2years
That's ridiculous - needs following up ...
Seeing GP in 4 weeks to go through progress will follow up then best that can be done!
That’s terrible - from referral to appt issued was 3 days and I was able to ring up and move it to the following week (week after next) as I had a clash. Sounds like missing paperwork to me
Thanks I agree but I have been involved with such terrible delays (3 years to have an MRI scan on my lower back) and the same for a claudication check etc etc
But thanks to all who have replied
The common factor is the GP I assume?
wow 3 years... I think ringing and nagging on a regular basis is due.
it's definitely the squeaky wheel that gets the oil. My gp is great at following up. Here in NZ we are experiencing long waits too, but I have found once in the system and with a good gp, it's not too long
I was told by my doctor to take 2 x 600mg calcium/400I.U. vitamin D in the morning … also Pred in the morning and I did that for about 6 months until I found ‘Health Unlocked.’ I now take Pred in the morning and calcium/vit D mid morning and mid afternoon between meals. I now have osteoporosis and had my first Zoledronic acid infusion 6 months ago. Would it be too much to also take 50ug of vitamin K2 at lunch time?
I really appreciate all your advice.
Are you taking any K2? The recommended daily dose is about 180-200mcg so 50mcg is well within that, I think the tablets are often 100mcg - have you got 50mcg tablets?
Yes I’ve got 50ug capsules from Holland and Barrett. So it’s ok to take those as well as the calcium/vitamin D?
I've been taking during and after GCA - so at least 10 years - and I haven't dropped off my perch yet!😊
🤣
Ha ha…….Thank you. It’s just that I keep reading that you shouldn’t take too many vitamins etc.
Nutri do a 1,000 iu with appropriate K2 and I think they also do a 2,000iu D3 with appropriate K2. I bought some from Clean Supplements which were 5,000iu with D3. My GP never recommended any calcium or D3 so having done what research I can this is the way I've gone. Some people don't recommend calcium ... I don't know what is best I just do my best.
Interesting article about Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 
Vitamin k2
Vitamin K2
K2 and magnesium
