Vitamin D replacement: options please?

[DavyB]

Hi all

I was diagnosed as vitamin D deficient last year, now corrected thankfully.

My Doctor prescribes me 1000IU/day Colecalcierol as maintenance.

I feel fine, but worry as these capsules look like horse tranquillisers compared to the Vitamin D tablets you can buy cheaply in supermarkets/high street stores, which are no bigger than a levothyroxine tablet!

After seeing some negative comments about Colecalciferol raising blood calcium levels, I am planning on purchasing my own tablets from outlets above (very cheap) as must be safer as due to size must have less fillers.

Just wondering if anyone else has negative advice on Colecalciferol, and advice on best high street brands?

Many thanks

[Clutter]

DavyB,

It's tablets which have lots of fillers. Most softgel capsules have two ingredients cholecalciferol and the oil which carries it. As your GP is prescribing cholecalciferol you should have an annual vitD and calcium blood test to check levels.

[DavyB in reply to Clutter]

Ah fab, thank you Clutter You are right as i cut one open and its full of gel. Yep annual tests are now agreed with GP. Maybe i should just stick to what the GP prescribes in that case. Thanks

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

DavyB This is a good softgel - only two ingredients - D3 and olive oil

bodykind.com/product/1314-b...

It comes in different strengths which they have on that site.

When taking D3 we need it's important co-factors

vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs it to bones and teeth rather than arteries and soft tissues.

A D3/K2 combo which I take is amazon.co.uk/Allergy-Resear... which is a small gel capsule.

[bluebug]

If you were going to suffer increased blood calcium levels you would have suffered it by now. Most of people who have found to have problems do so when they are put on doses to improve their vitamin D level.

The only thing you must check is each time you have a new medication prescribed it doesn't interact with vitamin D3 and any other medications and supplements you take.

Oh and you are lucky you are prescribed a maintenance dose - most of us have to buy our own.

[DavyB in reply to bluebug]

Surely if your GP knows you are D3 deficient, they have a duty to prescribe D3? It's what my GP moaned about: as soon as they are aware they have to treat lol

Mind you, the high street ones are cheap enough so hopefully they will be ok

[helvella Administrator in reply to DavyB]

It is arguable that things like vitamin D should be bought by individuals at a sensible price rather than the NHS being charged far more - plus the overheads of processing the prescription.

If the argument ends up saying we have to buy our own, we possibly need a standard approach. Maybe doctors could issue an "advice prescription"? A sheet of paper which clearly states what product, what dose, etc.

This would:

Be on your records;

Let anyone ask a pharmacist (or other supplier) for the right product - by simply showing the paper;

Keep any advice readily available to the patient.

By all means, disagree with the exact numbers and wording - but something not a million miles away from this:

Vitamin D3 1000 IU capsules. Take five a day for two weeks then reduce to one a day indefinitely. If you are suffering from an upset stomach or sickness, you may prefer not to take until feeling well again.

[bluebug in reply to helvella]

It is actually on my medical records that I was told to take vitamin D3.

However when I changed doctor and put it down on my list of medications the GP doing the new patient review freaked out. The reason he freaked was because they don't prescribe maintenance doses of vitamin D3 in my NHS area.

However as I am aware vitamins and minerals can interact with other medications and was told to take a maintenance dose of course I was going to list it.

[helvella Administrator in reply to bluebug]

Probably also a good idea so that the GP can ask about it every so often.

"Still taking your vitamin D every day? 2000 IU a day, is that? Any problems with it? OK - keep taking it, you're doing fine."

In the fulness of time, perhaps we'll be allowed to add things ourselves? Even if they do not become a part of the main record, it doesn't seem a bad idea to be able to record all the things that we take. Vitamins, minerals, over-the-counter medicines, etc.

[bluebug in reply to helvella]

I'm sure at the dentist I go to they tell you to list everything including supplements. I think they started doing that because evening primrose was found to interact with a lot of things.

[RogerG]

I like the products from Bio-Tech Pharmacal because they are tiny, soft, easy to swallow and hypo-allergenic

The filler is soluble cellulose, so you can even cut them open and dissolve them in a drink

Here is a link to "How much Vitamin D do I need ?"

vitaminduk.com/2012/02/21/h...

I get mine from Amazon UK - just search for "bio-tech vitamin d"

.

[DavyB]

Thank you everyone for your help. On reflection and reading all your advice I have decided to stay on the the GP prescribed 1000IU/day Colecalcierol, with an annual blood test. Many thanks all

[DavyB]

Slight worrying update,... this months Vitamin D3 is still Colecalciferol but is now in a small white capsule containing powder I assume this may not be as good as the previous years capsules that were bigger and oil filled?