Vitamin D

[Diane17884]

Hi guys, I wondered if anyone can help.

I've recently been diagnosed as hypo Tsh 23 and Tf4 12, possible hashimoto's (awaiting test results) My vitamin b12 levels are on the lower end at 287 so I've started supplementing with a b12 oral spray 250mcg and eating foods higher in b12. My doctor says I am within range but I feel its too low. I'm going to see how i get on with this but may increase dose.

As advised previously on here, it's a good idea to take a vitamin D supplement. And due to feeling so lousy I haven't been able to get much sun. However my doctor won't test and I can't afford private testing due to being off work with all this. I feel I may be deficient. Is it safe to take a 1000iu oral spray regardless and is it likely to cause any harm even if I'm not deficient?

Thanks in advance. This site has been fantastic so far!

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Diane

1000iu is a maintenance dose, it's unlikely to do any harm, but if your level is low then it won't improve it either and you'll be wasting your money and won't get any improvement. This is why it's so important to test, find our level then supplement accordingly.

Also, when taking D3 there are important cofactors needed - magnesium and Vit K2-mk7. Magnesium helps the body use D3. 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 tissue where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.

And when taking B12 we need a good B Complex to keep all the B vitamins in balance.

[Marz in reply to SeasideSusie]

... especially Folate ( B9 ) - as this works with the B12 in the body in a very important way. Maybe test Folate and if low in range then it may be good to take Folate/Folic Acid as an individual tablet. If good then B Complex is fine 😊

[Diane17884 in reply to Marz]

I've had folate tested but don't have my level yet. Might be best waiting until I do then asking for advice? I'm just so desperate to start feeling better. Thank you for your advice

[Diane17884 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for your reply I will purchase some magnesium glycinate. Also could you advise on a strength of k2?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Diane17884]

90-100mcg is enough for up to 10,000iu D3.

K2-mk7 is fat soluble like D3, so needs to be taken with dietary fat, eg fattiest meal of the day. If you buy a softgel type, rather than tablet or capsule, then it will contain extra virgin olive oil which will aid absorption. I buy mine here as it is the cheapest I have found for this quality product

bigvits.co.uk/product.php?p...

They do a smaller bottle but not such good value.

[Diane17884 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you so much. I already have the d3 so will give this dosage a go and see how I get on. If not I will make testing a priority and supplement as needed. Do you know roughly how long would it take to see any improvements with d3?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Diane17884]

Impossible to say. You don't have your current level. If it's low then 1000iu won't improve it, as I said it's a maintenance dose. If your level is at that recommended by the Vit D Council - 100-150nmol - then it could be your maintenence dose for the winter, and IF you can make Vit D naturally from the sun then you wouldn't need to supplement May-October. Testing is so important for Vit D, and if supplementing we need to test twice a year to make sure we maintain the recommended level.

And I suggest you do your own research on K2-mk7 and K2-mk4.

And magnesium oxide is the least absorbable form of magnesium - check out this link for the different forms

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

[Diane17884]

Oh I didn't know this thank you. I will need to look into it as I'm currently avoiding soya as part of my diet

[Hidden]

Hi Diane. I recently had my first effective thyroid workup from a new endo after being hypo and not feeling well on several levels for a long time. My Primary physician was managing my thyroid and not doing a very good job. After the lab results came back I was surprised to see that my Vit D level was not only low but out of range stating I was severely deficient. One of the worst symptoms I have been suffering from was generalized muscle aches and pains that had been diagnosed as fibromyalgia. I didn't believe this was correct and refused to take meds for this. I was immediately prescribed 50,000 IU weekly of Vit D by the endo which I must take for 12 weeks. Then I will go to a lower daily dose. This Thursday will be my 10th weekly dose. After the third weekly dose all muscle and joint pains were GONE! I also began to feel better in other ways. Many people are deficient in Vit D and we cannot always count on getting what we need from the sun. It is also a Vitamin that can be toxic (though rare) if we overmedicate. So if it were me I would have my Vit D level tested as it is so important in many ways esp thyroid health. It can be expensive but I would give up something else to afford the test. I also take the K2-MK7 recommended, I recommend reading about the best ways to supplement Vit D on this forum. I'm a retired nurse and learned more here about this than I ever did while working. Doctors especially can be less than knowledgeable about how to supplement correctly. So know what you need before your visit. You may have to educate your doc. I hope you begin to feel better soon. Take care. irina

[Diane17884 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you irina. I guess it makes more sense paying to be tested rather than wasting money on vitamins I may not actually need or might not help. Could you or anyone else recommend somewhere that does private reliable testing?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Diane17884]

Irina is in the US. Assuming you are in the UK then a postal fingerprick blood spot test is available for £29 from this NHS hospital which does home tests for the public

vitamindtest.org.uk/

[Diane17884 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you you guys are great!

[Hidden in reply to Diane17884]

Hi Diane. I am in the US. If you are in the UK post a thread or send a post to SeasideSusie. She is very knowledgeable about what tests are necessary, where to buy the best supplements, necessary info for the best way to take the supplements, and where to get private testing done. I have read also that certain UK labs have special days with discounted prices and Susie, and others, have all this info for you. Our system is different over here.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Once you get test results for Hashimoto's, if it's positive then politely insist that GP tests Vitamin D

Low vitamin D is clearly linked to autoimmune disease

holtorfmed.com/vitamin-d-au...

[Diane17884 in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi slowdragon,

Thank you That's interesting to know. I may wait until I get my results then and go from there. Maybe my doctor won't be as reluctant to test if it's positive. Thanks everyone x

[Hidden in reply to Diane17884]

I believe doctors tend to (hopefully) listen to us when we arrive with our evidence in hand. We are harder to be refused care or be dismissed in general. Here's to smooth sailing. Cheers. irina

[Diane17884 in reply to Hidden]

Just a little update, I got my test results yesterday and unfortunately I do have hashimoto's. I asked again about vit D but again was told they do not test. Doc said the lab will send it back refusing to test so looks like I will need to go down the private route.