Thanks and vitamin D advice

[Tatties]

Following advice from this forum I sent off for a vitamin D test and the result has come back as 30.1 nmol/L - in other words, insufficiency bordering on deficiency. Thanks so much to those who gave advice. I'm now wondering what amount of vitamin D I should be taking and in what form? I have no idea and would be really grateful for further advice.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Vitamin D is too low.

GP should prescribe vitamin D supplements at 1600iu daily for 6 months...

Local CCG guidelines

clinox.info/clinical-suppor...

But it might be easier to self supplement at 2000iu daily

Vitamin D mouth spray by Better You is good as avoids poor gut function. Available in 1000iu or 3000iu mouth spray

GP will only prescribe to bring vitamin D up to 50nmol. Aiming to improve by self supplementing to at least 80nmol and around 100nmol may be better .

Once you Improve level, very likely you will need on going maintenance dose to keep it there.

Retesting yearly via vitamindtest.org.uk

It's trial and error what dose each person needs. Frequently with Hashimoto's we need higher dose than average

Government recommends everyone supplement October to April

gov.uk/government/news/phe-...

As your previous tests show, you have low folate and B12

When vitamin D is low, B vitamins may be too. As explained by Dr Gominack

drgominak.com/sleep/vitamin...

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Research links on vitamin D and Hashimoto's

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/286...

Vitamin D deficiency is frequent in Hashimoto's thyroiditis and treatment of patients with this condition with Vitamin D may slow down the course of development of hypothyroidism and also decrease cardiovascular risks in these patients. Vitamin D measurement and replacement may be critical in these patients.

endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/...

Evidence of a link between increased level of antithyroid antibodies in hypothyroid patients with HT and 25OHD3 deficiency may suggest that this group is particularly prone to the vitamin D deficiency and can benefit from its alignment.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/300...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Our results indicated that patients with hypothyroidism suffered from hypovitaminosis D with hypocalcaemia that is significantly associated with the degree and severity of the hypothyroidism. That encourages the advisability of vit D supplementation and recommends the screening for Vitamin D deficiency and serum calcium levels for all hypothyroid patients.

[Ruthi]

Latest research suggests that you need higher doses to get D up. But with higher doses come the risk of raised serum calcium. So you also need to take magnesium and K2.

I take 5000iu of D3, in oil caps, olive oil is the best, 500mg of magnesium as a mixture if magnesium citrate and malate but any compound other than oxide is good, 600mg K2 mk7. I also take boron.

Information on which brands etc is best in the Facebook group 'Vitamin D and Co factors UK'

[Rmmcrsavs]

My levels were at 15. My doctor recommended 2,000iu a day for 3 months and then said 1,000iu a day maintenance. The D3 can be found in just about any drugstore

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Tatties

Vit D: 30.1 nmol/L = 12.04ng/ml

The Vit D Council recommends a level of 125nmol/L (50ng/ml) and the Vit D Society recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L (40-60ng/ml).

To reach the recommended level from your current level, based on the Vit D Council's suggestions you could supplement with 4,900iu D3 daily (nearest is 5,000iu)

vitamindcouncil.org/i-teste...

Retest after 3 months.

If you have Hashi's it's said that for best absorption an oral spray is recommended (eg BetterYou) although some Hashi's patients have also done well on an oil based softgel (eg Doctor's Best).

Once you've reached the recommended level then you'll need a maintenance dose to keep it there, which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, 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 an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:

vitamindtest.org.uk/

Doctors don't know, because they're not taught much about nutrients, but there are important cofactors needed when taking D3 as recommended by the Vit D Council

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 such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.

D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray.

Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.

Magnesium 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 if taking tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

drjockers.com/best-magnesiu...

afibbers.org/magnesium.html

Check out the other cofactors too (some of which can be obtained from food).

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

lersama

As mentioned to you in a reply previously, if you start a new thread of your own and post your latest thyroid and vitamin results (including reference ranges) and say what medication/supplements you currently take, then members will be happy to help.

The brand of D3 may not matter as much as the form of D3, some are absorbed well, some are poorly absorbed. Then, of course, there are the important cofactors. So if you start your own thread a reply can be tailored to your own needs.

[Tatties]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm really impressed with the helpfulness of people on this forum and hope I'm in a position to help others one day.

I'll go for a high dose of the D3 spray to begin with and retest in a few months. Will look into K2/magnesium as well.