Stop taking vitamins before testing?

[Crete]

I would like to do blood tests this spring to check on my vitamin levels and was wondering if I should completely stop supplementing for 1-2 months first to get a better picture..,

I am taking B 100 complex daily- B12 1000 mg 3 times a week - better you D plus K2 -magnesium 375 3 times a week - selenium 200mg 3 times a week and Ginko 6000mg daily.

I would like to check most on b12 and d

Any advice appreciated!!

And am I taking too many supplements together!!??

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Crete

The NHS lab that does Vit D testing for the general public advises to continue taking D3 but don't take it before the test on the day. This tells you if the dose you are taking is correct to maintain your level or whether it needs adjusting.

For B12, if you want a baseline to see what you are holding on to, then you stop taking it for 4-5 months before testing. If you want to see whether your dose maintains a decent level, or is too much or too little, then like D3 you can continue taking it, but not before the test on the day.

Are you testing selenium and magnesium? Magnesium testing is apparently very unreliable.

Ginko I can't comment on, it's not something I've every taken.

[Crete in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for info.

I don't think I will be able to stop B12 for so long since after only a few days I become forgetful... since my last tests were very high my endo cut me down from daily to 3 times a week that's why I am looking for a way to re-check my levels but will maybe have to go on how I feel...

I don't think I will test for magnesium or selenium since I'm on low doses and take a break from Selenium for a month every so often to stop buildup.

Was recommended to try Gingko for tinnitus so am trying it for 6 months to see if it reduces my white noise - will report back on this!!!

[MaisieGray]

Also, does your B complex, or anything else you are taking, contain Biotin? It is known to sometimes skew blood test results and so should not be taken for 4 or 5 days before your blood draw.

[Treepie]

If active B12 test ,Medichecks advises stopping B12 for 7 days before.

Also ,some tests can be affected by biotin ,think that is B6.Might be best to leave off all B vits for 7 days.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Treepie]

Biotin is B7 - usually included in a B Complex as well as a stand alone supplement - and it's this that Medichecks advises to leave off for 7 days. One of our members recently asked them about this, they confirmed they use Biotin in their testing procedure and said 7 days is the appropriate amount of time to leave it off.

[Treepie]

I did not check which was biotin so thanks.My latest Medicheck order says do not take B.12 supplementsfor 7days before the active B12test.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Treepie]

Do they also caution about Biotin?

This is the post quoting Medichecks reply to the member who enquired

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu....

I'm wondering if they've made a mistake and are cautioning against B12 instead of Biotin, they seem to have made a few clangers lately from what some posts are saying.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to SeasideSusie]

Treepie Sorry, just saw you said they say not to take B12 for 7 days before Active B12 test. But that still won't give a baseline, it has to be 4-5 months for a baseline to see what you're hanging on to.

[Treepie in reply to SeasideSusie]

No mention of biotin.Was also annoyed that they had changed from the BMI that started before 9am to another private agency that starts at 10am.