Vitamins help!

[nikki2975]

I'm really struggling to get back onto my diet and have developed low Vitamin D, Iron and Folic Acid levels because of it.

I have been prescribed  by my doctor

Ferrous Sulphate - 200mg - One twice a day 

HuxD3 - 20,000 IU Colecalciferol - One twice a week 

Folic Acid - 5mg - One a day 

Am I ok to take them all together? My prescription for Folic Acid and Vitamin D were sent electronically and now that i am back home i've realised there is no leaflet inside them. all the info i have is the dose and how often. Also, does anyone know of any Iron tablets that are better to take than the sulphate? I have to take them twice a day but can't have Tea, Coffee, Milk, Eggs or Wholegrains an hour before or 2 hours after taking the tablet.

I was also prescribed Laxido as i've been having lots of problems with my stomach/liver. I haven't taken any yet as i started working nights and it completely through me on when was best to take them. Since then after some tests it looks like i have IBS but wont know for sure till i have my ultrasound on the 23rd May. Should i start taking them or wait to find out the results of my ultrasound?  I am back to working days too which will hopefully help.

Any advice appreciated, Nikki 

[greygoose]

Is your 'diet' for weight-loss? Are you hypo? If so, low-calorie diets are not recommended. They could do more harm than good. But I doubt that your nutritional deficiencies are entirely due to your 'diet', most hypos are deficient in some things.

Difficult to say if you are on the right doses without knowing what your levels were. Can you post your blood test results - with the ranges.

Folic acid is not the best thing to take - doctors prescribe it because it is the cheapest. Methyl folate would be better, but you'll probably have to buy your own. Was your B12 tested? If folate is low, B12 is often low too. Optimal for B12 is 1000.

Most people take ferrous fumerate, I believe, rather than the sulphate. But, hopefully, someone else will reply to that when you post your results.

Everything else being equal, you can take them all together.   

[nikki2975 in reply to greygoose]

Hi Greygoose,

Yes, my diet is for weight-loss and i am also Hyper.

I don't have a copy of my results yet but i will be getting them tomorrow so i'll post them when i get back. I was tested for my B12 levels and all i know is that it's "normal" obviously i'll find out tomorrow the ranges.

Hopefully someone will reply like you said in relation to the Iron tablets. i've heard of the bad side affects on here plus with a restriction on when i can take it and what with it makes it harder to take the sulphate. I just want one without the restrictions.  

[greygoose in reply to nikki2975]

Ah, ok, you're hyper. I Don't know what effect diets would have on that. I just know you should do it when you're hypo. However, I have to say, I'm anti-low calorie for anyone. We need calories for all our functions. Do you know think that your weight gain may be due to your thyroid condition, rather than eating too much? Do you honestly think you over-eat?

However, being hyper will also cause nutritional deficiencies because the nutrients are used up too fast.

'Normal' for a doctor just means 'in-range'. And it's not the same as optimal. Unless it was the active B12 test, the range is usually vast, so it can't all be normal! lol  Always, always ask for a print-out of your labs because your doctor doesn't always know what 'normal' is.

[nikki2975 in reply to greygoose]

I think it could be more to do with being Hyper.

I rarely eat.. it's just when i do it's Chocolate and fizzy drinks and then i have a meal for tea. I think that's what's causing the deficiencies.

 I am trying to eat 3 meals a day and eating healthier but i'm never hungry till late dinner/tea time. I have cut down a lot on the Chocolate now. I found i wasn't enjoying it. i was just "craving" it and then eating it because it was there. I never think about it or miss it if i don't have any but if i have to go shopping and i see it i want it. most of the time i ignore it but sometimes i cave in and still don't enjoy it. 

I'm slowly starting to realise that with doctors haha. I will get a copy of them tomorrow. I have a list of the ones that were taken last and will post them tomorrow.

I'm confused now. i thought that's what i put lol still to do that twice a day is gonna be a pain more so for the milk and wholegrains as all 3 meals contain at least 1 of them a day.

[greygoose in reply to nikki2975]

So, if it's your thyroid condition that has made you put on weight, you probably need to eat more, not less. Don't count calories, count nutrients. Chocolate isn't so much the problem as the fizzy drinks. A lot of them will contain artificial sweetners, and that's a huge no-no!!!

As for the iron tablets, I think it would be a good idea to write a new question, with iron in the title, because not many people are going to read this thread, now. Just writing 'vitamins help!' is very vague and something we see all the time, so people tend to skip over it. A title needs to be very specific to attract attention.   

[greygoose]

Actually, reading through your post again, I think you've got it a bit twisted. You should take the tablet one hour before, or two hours after eating those particular foods. Not the other way round. lol