Vitamin D supplements for low Vit D

[Tomps]

Seaside Susie (through a post here) recommended I should be taking D3.

Can anyone, including Seaside Susie, advise on dose and brand of vit D3; and does vit D3 need to be taken vit K2?

Based on my blood test results below? (Lab threshold given first, and then my results):

TSH: 0.27-4.2 (my results 1.83)

Free thyroxine 12.00-22.00 (my results 14.3)

Total thyroxin(T4) 59-154 (my results 78.4)

Free T3 3.10-6.80 (my results 3.48)

Reverse T3 10.00-24.00 (my results 15)

Reverse T3 ratio 15.01-75.00 (my results 14.89)

Thyroglobulin antibody 0.00-115.00 (my results 12.4)

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies 0.00-34.00 (my results 29.3))

Active B12 25.10-165.00 (my results 230.2)

Folate (Serum) 2.91-50.00 (my results 13.73)

25 OH vitamin D 50.00-200.00 (my result 35.1)

CRP high sensitivity 0.00-5.00 (my result 0.2)

Ferritin 13.00-150.00 (my result 30.4)

Many, many thanks

Tomps

[Clutter]

Tomps,

D3 softgel capsules are good because the olive oil aids absorption. I've used Nature's Best and Doctor's Best from Amazon.

I recommend 10,000iu D3 daily x 8 weeks to raise level and then reduce to 5,000iu daily and retest in March. VitD should be taken 4 hours away from Levothyroxine.

I've never used K2 but I know SeasideSusie and others recommend it with D3.

Are you taking Levothyroxine?

Thyroid antibodies are negative for autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's).

Active B12 is high. Are you supplementing methylcobalamin?

Folate is okay.

Ferritin is low. It should be >70 to avoid hairloss. You can raise ferritin by supplementing iron with 1,000mg vitamin C which aids absorption and minimises constipation. Take ferritin 4 hours away from Levothyroxine.

[Tomps in reply to Clutter]

Many thanks Clutter, my Drs Best are ordered. Huge thanks. To supplement iron, do you use Floradix? Many thanks again. Tamzin

[Clutter in reply to Tomps]

Tomps,

No, I don't have low iron. If I did, I wouldn't use Floradix which has little elemental iron, I would use Ferrous Fumarate 210mcg.

[Tomps in reply to Clutter]

OK, not easy to find it, but I'll ask in the health shop at the weekend for Ferrous Fumarate 210mcg.

Many thanks

Tomps

[Clutter in reply to Tomps]

Tomps,

Ferrous Fumarate is widely available in most pharmacies. If you have any trouble tracking it down buy it from Amazon.

[Spareribs]

Hi Tomps,

I haven't taken Vit D lately & am beginning to get achy (esp. wrists, elbows & knuckles) so am pinching hubby's Nu U 10,000iu softgels - I've tried various tablets, drops, sprays etc over the years & these softgels seem quite good, like little cod liver oil capsules.

According to the Vitamin D council, it used to be c. 1000iu for every 10 points under 100 - so I tested at 40nmol/l so took 6000iu daily (you'd be 6500iu daily) - if that makes sense! & I retested in 3 months, reducing dose accordingly. Now there's D3 with K2 available - so I'll try that, as long term, too much calcium hanging around isn't ideal.

Or a sunny holiday would help! J

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Tomps

I had great result with Doctor's Best.

For Hashi's patients an oral spray gives better absorption eg BetterYou.

I agree with Clutter about dosage. You can retest with a fingerprick blood spot test with vitamindtest.org.uk/index.html for £28 if that's all that you need to test.

Vit D Council recommends 100-150nmol/L

D3's important cofactors:

vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

Magnesium helps D3 to work.

K2-MK7 directs the extra uptake of calcium from food to bones and teeth and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can cause calcification.

I raised ferritin by eating liver once a week, couldn't tolerate iron tablets.

Folate is best at least half way through range, B Complex containing 400mcg methylfolate will take care not that.

[Tomps]

Many thanks Seaside Susie, of course Ive been supplementing Adenosyl Hydroxy which has elevated my B12, so I'm a bit cautious about taking a B Complex now, I might give it a break for a few months.

I've ordered Doctor's Best 1000 iu, and look forward to seeing the results.

Huge thanks for your help.

Tomps

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Tomps]

Tomps

I've ordered Doctor's Best 1000 iu, and look forward to seeing the results

How many do you intend taking daily? 1000iu is barely a maintenance dose for someone with a good level already. My level is optimal and my maintenance dose is 2000iu all year round.

With your level of 35.1, you really should follow Clutter's suggestion of 10,000iu daily for 8 weeks then reduce to 5000iu, retesting after 3 months.

Check out the Vit D Council website table for how much to take vitamindcouncil.org/i-teste... It's in ng/ml so we have to multiply by 2.5 to get nmol/L. Your level of 35.1nmol/L is 14.4ng/ml (35.1 divided by 2.5). So you need to look at

My level is between 10-20 ng/ml

and to achieve 60ng/ml which is 150nmol/L (the top end of Vit D Council's recommended level) you would need to take 7000iu daily. Or to raise it more quickly, follow Clutter's suggestion.

[Tomps]

Oops, I've ordered 5,000 ui (phew!), sorry me getting it wrong. So I was going to take 2x per day. Not sure if I should get some Ferrous Fumarate - but there doesn't seem any on UK Amazon. Was going to leave B Complex. Huge thanks to you and others, for getting me on the right road!

Tomps

[StitchFairy in reply to Tomps]

Tomps have you taken vit D3 before? If not, I suggest being cautious to start with. A minority of people (I'm one) actually cannpt tolerate vit D supplements at all. I would be in a very sorry state if I took 5,000iu let alone 10,000iu. Hopefully you'll be fine, but just be aware

[Tomps]

Thanks StitchFairy. What are the symptoms for someone who is D3 intolerant? Just so I know what I'm looking for. Again, many thanks Tomps