Vitamin D

[Kazzie2017]

Hi there my Dr has put me on vitamin D today called Fultium D3. My level is 34 nmol, I asked him is I should take magnesium with them and he said no as I have quite high calcium levels and the vit D will reduce the calcium? I'm really confused with all of this I cannot get round all the understanding of it all. My B12 is 184 ng/l which he said is ok. I am currently being tested for Hashimoto's.

[greygoose]

I think he's the one that is confused! Taking vit D3 will increase your absorption of calcium from food, it won't decrease your calcium. So, you should take vit K2 - MK7 with it, to make sure the extra calcium goes into your bones and teeth, rather than the soft tissues.

But, calcium has nothing to do with magnesium. You should be taking that because it's a co-factor of vit D. And most people are deficient in magnesium, anyway, because soils are depleted.

[Kazzie2017 in reply to greygoose]

Thankyou for reply. I am totally confused now. So will my calcium go up being on vit D as I have kidney stones. Which magnesium do you get there are lots. 😬

[greygoose in reply to Kazzie2017]

Yes, your calcium will go up when you take vit D3. But, if you take the vit K2 - MK7, that calcium will go into your bones, and not your kidneys.

As for the magnesium, depends what you want it to do. Personally, I take magnesium citrate, because it helps with constipation.

[Kazzie2017 in reply to greygoose]

Thankyou for this I will pop to my health store and buy some k2.

[greygoose in reply to Kazzie2017]

Do not be surprised if they haven't got it. Or if they tell you vit K1 is the same thing. Or if they try to sell you it in a pill with other things. You just want vit K2 - MK7 by itself.

[Kazzie2017 in reply to greygoose]

Ok maybe I'll try order online

[greygoose in reply to Kazzie2017]

Might be easier. Amazon is good.

[startagaingirl]

Hi - b12 of 184 is definitely not alright. Anything below 500 can cause neurological symptoms and optimum for effective use of thyroid hormones is actually around 1000. So you really need to supplement that. It is important to keep all the B vits in balance so a good b complex is required as well. Folate (b9) is another one that is often deficient and it works with vit b12, so how is your level of that?

Vit d - how much have you been prescribed? We keep seeing people taking only 800iu per day which is barely a maintenance dose, you really should have loading doses as per NICE guidelines.

[Kazzie2017 in reply to startagaingirl]

Hi many thanks for reply, my folate is 9.9 ug/l and ferritin 42 ugl. I am on 3200 v12. I wonder if all my symptoms are just because my B12 is so low. My mum has PA. shall I just buy some B12 as he is not going to medicate as it is within range.

[startagaingirl in reply to Kazzie2017]

Hi- PA is another auto-immune, so it is very likely that you do have hashimotos as they do run in families and it causes 90% of hypothyroid. Though your TSH is not showing hypo yet, it is quite possible that you will come back positive for anti-bodies.

Your folate is over half-way through range (earlier post) so ok.

Ferritin - it should be 100-120 or higher. All these deficiencies are almost universal with hypo by the way, especially hashis.

You really should be tested for PA yourself before you supplement with vit b12, especially since your mum has it - could you see another GP who might have a better grasp of this? If there is no possibility of being tested then sublingual methylcobalamin - 5000/day - would be the normally recommended vit b12. And don't forget the multi B complex, ideally with methylfolate rather than folic acid.

I am not sure what dose you are quoting "3200 v12"? If that is d3 then it is not likely to raise your vit d to its optimum 100-120 in any reasonable timescale. Ideally that would be doubled for a few weeks.

All these deficiencies are common with the malabsorption caused by hashis/hypo. Your vit d, vit b12 and ferritin levels could very well be causing you unpleasant symptoms on their own. Here's a link for b12 symptoms, for instance b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

Do you have any gut problems? Intolerance of gluten is very common with Hashis and a strict gluten free diet can be worth trying for at least 3 months to see if it makes a difference.

Gillian

[Kazzie2017 in reply to startagaingirl]

Yes I do get gut problems but only 1-2 times a week, that was put down to ibs. I had a coeliac test last year which was negative. Thank you so much I have got better info on this forum then from my own GP. I had a blood test today so will wait for results then go back to him before I self medicate B12. The vitamin D caplets say D3 3,200 IU on them equivalent to 80 mg Vitamin D if that helps.

[startagaingirl in reply to Kazzie2017]

Hi - I thought I suffered from ibs for years, apparently stress associated. It was only after hashis hypo diagnosis and advice from this forum, that I decided to go gluten and dairy free. The dairy was because of my own suspicions based on a change of diet just before a major attack of fatigue. Whilst didn't appear to make much difference to me, I stuck it out. After a few months I accidentally consumed first gluten and then butter. After each I had gastro issues, heartburn, a splitting headache and mild flu like symptoms for a couple of days. It appears that the removal of gluten and dairy had allowed internal healing to take place, which then showed my real intolerance.

So not all intolerances are coeliac - there is very definitely another category of non-coeliac gluten sensitivity. I would suspect, with gut symptoms and malabsorption of nutrients, you may well be in this category. Don't expect doctors to understand or even acknowledge this category - it seems to many of them there is coeliac or nothing.

You may want to double up on your vit d for a few weeks, you really need more than 3200iu per day with your levels.

Good luck

Gillian

[Angel_of_the_North]

GPs don't study or know anything about nutrition. Vit D will increase calcium absorption so you must take vit K2 with it so it doesn't end up in your arteries instead of your bones, and you should also take magnesium - especially if you have high calcium already. Unless you have a problem with the parathyroids, calcium blood tests are usually "normal" as the body robs calcium from the bones to keep the blood Ph correct. Same with magnesium. Many, many people are deficient in magnesium and it is more important for good bones than calcium.

[Kazzie2017]

Thankyou all so much I have ordered the k2 -MK7 from amazon. My blood tests have come back and my B12 is now 223, folate dropped to 8.4. The TSH is now 2.11, no F3 or F4 results. Do they take longer? Or did Dr not ask for them only said thyroid function on test.