Vitamin d 26.5

Hello, please can you advise treatment for the level of vitamin d deficiency.

Levels are 26.5

Thanks

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Chaca

With a Vit D level of 26.5, if that is NMOL/L you are just 1.5 away from severe deficiency.

You need to speak to your GP and ask for loading doses of D3, don't leave the surgery with a prescription for 800iu daily, it needs to be loading doses - see NICE treatment summary for Vit D deficiency:

cks.nice.org.uk/vitamin-d-d...

"Treat for Vitamin D deficiency if serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels are less than 30 nmol/L.

For the treatment of vitamin D deficiency, the recommended treatment is based on fixed loading doses of vitamin D (up to a total of about 300,000 international units [IU] given either as weekly or daily split doses, followed by lifelong maintenace treatment of about 800 IU a day. Higher doses of up to 2000IU a day, occasionally up to 4000 IU a day, may be used for certain groups of people, for example those with malabsorption disorders. Several treatment regims are available, including 50,000 IU once a week for 6 weeks (300,000 IU in total), 20,000 IU twice a week for 7 weeks (280,000 IU in total), or 4000 IU daily for 10 weeks (280,000 IU in total)."

Each Health Authority has their own guidelines but they will be very similar. Go and see your GP and ask that he treats you according to the guidelines and prescribes the loading doses. Once these have been completed you will need a reduced amount (more than 800iu so post your new result as the time for members to suggest a dose) to bring your level up to what's recommended by the Vit D Council - which is 100-150nmol/L - and then you'll need a maintenance dose which may be 2000iu daily, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with City Assays vitamindtest.org.uk/

Your GP wont know, because they're not taught nutrition, but there are important cofactors needed when taking D3

vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems.

D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds.

Magnesium helps D3 to work and comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

Check out the other cofactors too.

I am assuming that you take thyroid medication as this is a thyroid forum.

As your Vit D is deficient, your other nutrients most likely are as well. Have you had B12, folate and ferritin tested?

[Hidden in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hello, thank you for your response. On b12 injections, on prescribed ferritin and folate.

Nhs said my vit d was over 50, found out today through spire haematologist that it’s 26.5. Not sure why it’s dropped that much in a few months. I will contact gp tomorrow, but will need to request the results. Yes I have hashimotos. Thank you for your help

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Hidden]

Chaca

If your Vit D level was 50 and it's now 26.5, assuming you're not supplementing then levels drop during the winter as there is no sun for us to make natural Vit D so we use up our stored Vit D.

Are you addressing the Hashi's with a strict gluten free diet and supplementing with 200mcg selenium l-selenomethionine daily to try and help reduce the antibodies? Keeping TSH suppressed also helps reduce antibodies.

Are you taking your iron tablets with 1000mcg Vitamin C to aid absorption and help prevent constipaton? Always take iron 4 hours away from thyroid meds and two hours away from other medication and supplements as it will affect absorption.

Levo should be taken 2 hours away from other medication and supplements (4 hours for iron and Vit D).

[Hidden in reply to SeasideSusie]

Not taking selenium l-selenomethionine yet, is there a a good brand? My ferritin levels are now ok I was told, still got 1 month left of iron tablets. I have been taking a vit d spray 3000 I think the dose was.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Hidden]

Chaca

I tried a couple of different brands of selenium and a lot of them have an unfortunate odour. Cytoplan Selenium is a yeast bound selenium, with as good absorption as l-selenomethionine but only comes in 100mcg tablets, they are very small and odour free cytoplan.co.uk/selenium Frequently on 3 for 2 but the latest offer has just finished unfortunately.

Stay away from selenite and selenate forms as absorption is poor.

For thyroid hormone to work (that's our own as well as replacement hormone) ferritin needs to be at least 70, preferably half way through range. You can help raise ferritin level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in... Liver once a week should raise ferritin, and once it's optimal then once every 2 or 3 weeks should maintain that level.

[Hidden in reply to SeasideSusie]

Can I ask, when you say loading doses is that a injection?

[Mary-intussuception in reply to Hidden]

No

[Hidden in reply to Mary-intussuception]

Tablets?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Hidden]

Chaca

Normallly it's tablets that's prescribed. Because you have Hashi's and as you are supplementing all your nutrients, it's very likely that you have an absorption problem. When you buy your own D3, which you will eventually because the 800iu maintenance dose is unlikely to be enough, then an oral spray will be best as it will be absorbed better. BetterYou do a D3 spray, they also do a D3/K2-MK7 combined spray.

To address the absorption problem that accompanies Hashi's, check out SlowDragon's reply to this post, it contains information and links to help healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Hidden in reply to SeasideSusie]

Good morning seasidesusie, just off phone to gp and they are prescribing 800iu daily until levels rise and then 400 daily after that. Does that sound about right to you? Thanks

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Hidden]

Hidden No, it's nowhere near right, 800iu now and 400iu later is an absolute joke.

Did you read the Vit D information in my original reply to you? If your current level is 26.5 you are 1.5 away from severe deficiency, and as you are below 30 the NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary says you need loading doses.

You have some choices

1) Accept what your GP has given you and your Vit level doesn't ever stand a chance of rising.

OR if you want to improve your level and reach that recommended by the Vit D Council

2) Make an appointment with your GP, print the NICE CKS summary and show it to him/her and ask for the appropriate treatment.

3) Buy your own supplement and take the equivalent of the loading doses. That will be 300,000iu over a few weeks (say 4-5 weeks). As you have Hashi's then an oral spray will be best for better absorption eg Better You. It comes in 1000iu and 3000iu doses. You could buy the 3000iu dose spray, take 9000iu daily for 5 weeks = 315,000iu (almost the same as loading doses). Then change to 3000iu daily. Retest 3 months after starting using the spray. If you've reached the recommended level (100-150nmol/L) then find your maintenance dose as mentioned above.

BetterYou do a D3 only spray, and they also do a D3/K2-MK7 combination spray in 3000iu which would save you buying a separate K2-MK7. Remember the cofactors I mentioned that are very important.

[Hidden in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hello seasidesusie, yes I did read all your lovely information. I tried to tell the gp about nice guidelines, but she said that that’s for below 25. I shall print out nice guidelines and give them a copy. Thank you very much, I’ll let you know how I get on

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Hidden]

This is why I won't do telephone consultations for discussing results. Much better to do this type of discussion face to face, hand them the written evidence and they can check there and then what the local guidelines say. If your local guidelines say loading doses only up to 25, then I would be telling my GP that as I'm only 1.5 away from that level then I would not be taking a mere 800iu, I would be doing the loading doses myself.

Doctors aren't taught nutrition, they simply don't have a clue. To them, in range means everything is perfect and you can't possibly be unwell. They don't understand 'optimal'. I'd like to see how your GP copes with a level of 26.5 and a mere 800iu D3 daily!

[Hidden in reply to SeasideSusie]

There sticking at 800iu daily 😬.

[Hidden in reply to SeasideSusie]

I have the 3000iu spray, is that more of a dose than the 800iu tablet?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Hidden]

Chaca

Yes, there's 800iu in an 800iu tablet and 3000iu in a 3000iu spray.

If it was me, I would do number (3) in my post above. Take 9000iu daily for 5 weeks, reduce to 3000iu daily until 3 months from starting then retest. Don't forget the important cofactors mentioned in my post further up the thread. We're often better off sorting D3 ourselves.

[Marz in reply to Hidden]

Hidden - after you have read all the excellent contributions and explanations by SeasideSusie you know the prescription from your GP is far from correct. Please re-read all the replies above and take issue with your GP ASAP