Vit D3 causing cramps - any suggestions as to why?
I take 3-5 1000iu tablets with magnesium (solgor chelated biglysate?) and a multivitamin (immunace vitabiotics) after food in the evening well away from NDT taken am.
I became suspicious and stopped the vitD3 and cramps (feet and calves both sides right slightly worse) stopped they are always in the night. I added magnesium as I read it can stop them. No joy. Stumped
if I take too much vit D I get a cramp in the first joint of one finger!Weird!I have had a private vit D test & I had adequate levels.A friend told me about this symptom from her 90 year old mother,That's why I recognised the symptom.I take magnesium bisglycinate too.
Thanks for your reply which is very helpful. Perhaps I don’t any vit D 3 supplements any more. I have had terrible bone aches whilst not taking it and these have gone since resuming it. You can’t win🙄
Taking vitamin D can improve your use of Levothyroxine. Then can get low T3.
Pain in feet can be plantar fasciitis, common when hypo
It is not plantar fascitis I know all about that one having had it badly when overt and undiagnosed. How would D3 affect the T4 and T3 in NDT? May be push it more to T4? I have that DIO2 mutation making me a poor converter I did wonder if I am not getting enough T3. Had better get some blood tests I guess...
Also that multivitamin has iodine in. If you have Hashimoto's that's best avoided.
drknews.com/iodine-and-hash...
thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...
Generally advised on here to avoid multivitamins
How low is vitamin D?
Suggest you retest thyroid levels 6 weeks after being on constant dose of vitamin D
Thanks for that advice, much appreciated . I know now multivitamins are less than ideal from comments on here but have not got me head around what I should have instead. Re the iodine does that hold true even after your thyroid completely croaked? No that I go looking for iodine or am on some controversial iodine programme or anything and would generally avoid it. I only noticed it was in there recently and those didn’t have Gluten.
I was seriously vitD deficient some years ago result was c 20 I think at at the very bottom of the scale anyway, I was in a terrible stAte and put on a maintenance dose by doc. It has never been tested since. But they did make me feel a lot better. I tend to take them in the winter also I have not been feeling 100% since last August - no obvious reason why oddly I have elevated systolic blood pressure after a life time of ultra low bp (due to hypothyroidism no doubt 🙄) and do wonder why - but stopped because I wanted to see if the cramp went away and it did. I have started again and It came back that very night. I was plagued by cramp for years when Undiagnosed and assume it was caused some imbalance or other. Quinine worked a treat but might have been better to have got thyroid hormone replacement therapy. It has never fully resolved I even get it in my hands sometimes but not recently.
I would say it could be low salt, low potassium, low calcium (you are supplementing magnesium). Possibly causing dehydration. They are the 4 that normally cause night time cramps. Perhaps the Vit D has upset your calcium and other electrolyte balances a bit. Try a few granules of sea salt dissolved under your tongue an hour before bed. Half hour before bed drink an 8 oz glass of water to counteract any dehydration in the night. Are you taking vitamin K2 with your Vitamin D ?
You can also try a glass of milk as well 1/2 before bed (I do not like milk other than in tea). I take 2 tablespoons full of double cream or a 2" bit of cheese. xX
No tho I do scoff the odd bit of emmenthal cheese which is supposed to be loaded with it. Thanks for the suggestions I think it must be those minerals all out of whack. The magnesium can stop the cramp if I avoid D3 also head felt clearer somehow was hoping it might help the blood pressure and heart pains too (has those for half my life so not freaking out about them rather like an annoying but familiar friend!)
Have you had your potassium, magnesium checked? Ask for RBC blood test, red blood cell test to get a better look at what they are doing cellular level. Mine magnesium always showed up ok on normal blood tests, as well my potassium, calcium, but hell no they were dire at cellular level. Did consultant say what heart pains were dearest.
“Some hormonal problem women of your age often get” no advice not follow up no nothing. I presume they meant hypothyroidism as I can’t think what else they might have been refering to. I was not diagnosed for at least a further 8 years (this was after 12 years of heart pains) - heart has never been quite right again once I became really ill then eventually got a diagnosis. I told them what it was so they did ‘t Even have to think !
Have you been diagnosed with ME/CFS they get a lot of heart pains, Dr Sarah Myhill has wrote about these. Magnesium is good for this. xX
No none of those just overt (very very overt) hypothyroidism I was extremely poorly - only just got medication in time before I died of it. I guess I got some long term consequences like a damaged heart but I am still here and doing ok all said and done just minor annoyances really compared to the hell some people are going through on here mind you I did my pennance alright!
First thing yo say really is test before supplementing
Ask GP to retest vitamin D, or test privately via vitamindtest.org.uk
The others to test are B12, folate and ferritin. Again ask GP to test, or can test privately
Private tests are available
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers.
All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting and don't take Levo in the 24 hours prior to test, and T3 12 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)
Important to test FT3 and FT4 plus antibodies
SlowDragon thanls I am seeing the GP soon so will request those and hope they say ok.
I take NDT so presume my blood test for TSH would cause considerable consternation I gave up on all that thyroid blood test stuff because I felt so normal again I could not see there could be a problem. I never know whether to just come clean and say to them like it or lump it that is what I am taking and that is the end of it. I felt dire on Levo thyroxine probably due to DIO2 mutation making me a bad converter (although I do some conversion.) after two years of misery I tried NDT which Has been much better for me. At least I can work effectively and I have energy plus a brain that actually functions reasonably well.
Yes I have DIO2 heterozygous variation, plus Hashimoto's. On NHS T3. Gluten intolerant and multiple vitamin deficiencies
I had terrible pain when initially on vitamin D. More info on profile
I do all my own private blood tests.
Hi- you have a lot of the answers above,
But I would say if cramps are a sign of overdosing may be go down to 1-3000 iu per day rather than 3-5,000 you’re taking atm? Rather than coming off altogether especially in winter.
Also if it only happens during night I’ve found a magnesium oil spray absolutely brilliant in immediate relief from nerve cramps and spasms. Just rub in to skin.
It may be form of magnesium you’re taking isn’t the best one for you- plus ingesting through stomach might not be being absorbed properly.
But what I thoroughly recommend- someone also mentioned this- you should be taking vit K2 mk7 along with vit D- it helps to direct the calcium away from the blood and into the bones... could it be that your current regime is raising your blood calcium levels too high rather than into bones
I recommend the ‘better you’ brand of vit D spray with k2 added. You can vary the dose you want (it’s a little red bottle)
Hope that helps
Chest pain can be caused by low iron. Do you know if your levels are okay?
I have wondered because I get breathless going up stairs or on moderate exertion too. When I was was really overt and undiagnosed I tried to give blood the iron droplet test was wrong but they did something ese that came back ok😳 it was agony because they could not find a vein and once they did I laid there and though they are a bunch of vampires sucking our blood it really freaked me out . I felt terrible afterwards took ages to feel ok to leave. Get this blood was no good - too many anti malaria antibodies (had it 30 years ago) 🙄. Another one to request from doc
Hello TSH110 - have you told your doctor that you get breathless going upstairs or on moderate exertion ? What does he say and did he carry out any further tests ?
I avoid the doctors as much as possible. Last time I went I had a fall, turned out I broke my pelvis painful but nothing serious. Got some jolly good pain killers. Oddly a hypo sister broke hers at a similar time. We don’t take same medication either. I have changed GP Surgeries he was an old school doc bit scary but on the case if a tad conventional but he improved my health no end. Obviously, I move to an unknown quantity’. A diabetic pal has a doc there she rates but this is someone else. I will mention the breathlessness but if any test involves an
MRI scanner i’m running for the hills - huffing and puffing 😳
Oh dear so sorry TSH110 . I only mentioned it because a friend had the same symptoms ( she even got breathless after a shower). And no her diagnosis didn't involve an MRI scanner.....so she didn't need to run fot the hills. 😀. Good luck and hope you get it sorted.
D3 can be toxic, I think you're taking far too much.
Thanks fur your comment I wonder how you conclude that dude is excessive. The VitaminD council don’t think so they recommend these doses and say the current RDA recommendations are way too low. I think you have to take huge amounts before it becomes toxic. See their comments below:
vitamindcouncil.org/how-muc...
Mind you I have stopped taking it and have only bothered a handful of times all winter because I realised it was causing the cramp. The only way to know what my levels are is to get a blood test as recommended in comments. I suspect mineral imbalances as suggested by others rather than an overdose. I have read that the D3 can unmask a magnesium deficiency and blood tests for magnesium are not helpful as the blood level is maintained at all costs by the body. I certainly have symptoms that accord with lack of magnesium. Seems you mess with one then you upset the others.
You can't assume that. Very common for thyroid patients to need on going high dose Vitamin D as maintenance dose
The only way to know for certain is for TSH110 to get tested, ideally including calcium and PTH and magnesium (though magnesium test is very unreliable)
If I stopped taking the VitD3 the cramps stopped and as soon as I started again they came back again that night. It may not be vitD3 persay but from what I have read more likely magnesium/calcium imbalance as a result of taking it. It could be pure coincidence but given how predictable it was I find it improbable that it was not playing some sort of role in provoking the cramp, especially as I had become suspicious the VitD3 might be involved and stopping it provided immediate relief. I understood magnesium testing was a waste of time because most of it is in the bones not the blood and will not reveal any deficiency. It cannot be the full picture because I am plagued by sudden bouts of cramp in legs, feet and hands especially in the evening and in the night which can occur for a few nights then nothing for weeks. It was every night without fail whilst taking VitD3. I don’t need a test to prove it, the above is good enough evidence for me. No research I can find explains it, I rather get the impression that actual cause of cramp is a bit of a mystery even to medical science. I resort to quinine when it becomes particularly trying. Magnesium has also proved effective in rapidly quelling attacks. Even my doctor said to take magnesium for it. I leave VitD3 well alone. I do not feel poorly like I was when deficient in it and I do not get electric shock sensations like I did before diagnosis, which I understand is a sign of calcium deficiency and my dexa scan was in the top 1% of the population so my leg bones are rock solid at least. I realise that one can become very VitD3 deficient with hypothyroidism even working outdoors and “optimised” on levothyroxine (TSH 0.2-0.5). I now take NDT which has helped alleviate many of my unresolved symptoms, but the cramp has not been fully quelled. If anyone can explain it, I’m all ears.
Perhaps you need higher dose of magnesium?
Yes I think that must be the case. Do you think the D3 would be ok to resume taking if the magnesium was effective in alleviating the cramps?
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