I was hoping someone who knows supplements (or has had good experience with certain brands) can give me some advice on what to buy. I am looking to take these separately:
Vitamin D at 2,000 iu daily
B12 complex (high strength) daily
Folic Acid 800ug daily
** This is what my Endo has recommended that I start supplementing- but he did not recommend brands to me. I am wanting to take these vitamins separately as I had a bad reaction (itching sensations) from trying the Thorne B Basic Complex.
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thyroidqueen12
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This is what my Endo has recommended that I start supplementing
Vitamin D at 2,000 iu daily
Yesterday you posted this result:
Vitamin d: 139 nmol/L (50-200)
Considering that the Vit D Society and Grassroots Health both recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L and some studies suggest that there is no benefit in a level higher than 125nmol/L then I'm surprised he has suggested that you supplement, especially considering that we are now into the summer months when most people can make Vit D naturally from the sun.
If that was my result - a natural level without supplementing (which I presume you aren't at the moment) then I would not supplement at the moment, I would test again at the end of October/beginning of November and then base a winter dose on that. Also remember that when supplementing with D3 we need to add the important cofactors magnesium and Vit K2-MK7.
B12 complex (high strength) daily
Vitamin b12 active: 105 pmol/L (25.1-165)
Again I don't understand why he's suggesting this. If Active B12 is below 70 then this suggests testing for possible B12 deficiency, so we always say here aim for 100 plus. Your level does not need a high strength B12 supplement, just a maintenance dose contained in a B Complex which is often around 400mcg but this does vary with different brands.
Folic Acid 800ug daily
Folate serum: 4.2 ug/L (>2.9)
Folic acid has to be converted by the body into folate so it's more sensible to buy methylfolate.
If you buy a good quality B Complex containing methylcobalamin (for the B12) and methylfolate then this should be enough.
I take Thorne Basic B, it contains 400mcg each of methylcobalamin and methylfolate. When my folate level was bottom of range it had risen to top of range in 2.5 months taking 1 x capsule of Thorne Basic B daily. It also raised my B12 which was already a good level and now it's well over range - originally 651pg/ml and now with just taking the Thorne Basic B it was 1,370pg/ml last November and I take the Thorne for the methylfolate to maintain my folate level rather than trying to improve my B12 level.
I realise you have said you reacted to Thorne Basic B but do you know what you reacted to - was it the excipients or was it one of the active ingredients? If it was one of the excipients then it's possible to buy excipient free supplements, they just take a bit more searching, but if it's one of the active ingredients then I don't know how you get around that without knowing which of the B vitamins you reacted to so I assume this is why your endo has suggested just these two vitamins - but how do you know it wasn't one of these that you reacted to?
We need to keep all the B vitamins balanced which is why a B Complex is suggested as it contains about 7 or 8 B vits, by only taking B12 (which is questionable whether you need it and certainly not a "high dose" one) and methylfolate or folic acid then you risk your B vitamins being unbalanced.
Hi - I totally agree that for a healthy person it is far better to take a complex but there are cases when the body needs more of a supplement - so you take the foundation dose and then add whatever the body needs extra due to a deficiency. I was so seriously deficient when I became ill 25 years ago that I had textbook problems with zinc - magnesium (being tested by the only person at that time who had a machine to test for low magnesium and I was seriously lacking) and such low Vitamin C that I had symptoms of scurvy etc. etc. - I was told I had malnutrition by an NHS doctor who had undertaken tests on me to confirm these dreadfully low textbook vitamin and mineral deficiencies and..........he was incredulous when I said but that is not possible as I take supplements how can that be - he said good job you did take them or you would not be here now. After this I was told to take these supplements and had regular blood tests over many years to ensure that these deficiencies were kept at bay.
I get what you're saying but the OP's results do not show a low level of Active B12 so I don't understand why the endo is suggesting high strength B12. Yes, folate is low and should be dealt with.
Not sure what else her endo saw in bloods - but there are occasions when B12 is artificially higher than it really is as the liver is pushing it back into the blood stream as an emergency response to an illness. For example a few years back I had mega high COQ10 levels - and the consultant I was seeing said you had better stop taking that supplement now - he was shocked when I said but I don't take it Dr. I looked and researched as to why this should be the case and couldn't find anything - then when I was looking at something for someone else's problem I found it - I was taking too high a dose of thyroid hormone (or at least one that did not agree with me (NDT) and COQ10 had been dragged out of my food in response to it trying to stop my heart being under pressure - it never ceases to amaze me how the human body will do all it can to save you.
The B12 that people with pernicious anaemia often take is:-
Superior Source B12 B6 and folic acid and it really does raise levels.
It is a tiny tablet that melts on the tongue - it is difficult to get hold off and you will probably need to get it on Amazon UK like I do - it is a USA product so only sold via UK distributors. Vitamin D there is a company I use called G and G vitamins - who are a family run business who manufacture in UK - excellent products and the other company I use is Nature's Best who also do good products but sometimes their tablets are very large unlike G&G that are capsules. Hope this helps.
I’m not qualified to advise on doses etc , however I’ve been using what I’ve found to be a wonderful company called Health Leads based in wales . They don’t use any fillers at all or soy, sweeteners, hydrogenated oil, colours, or lactose. Thus the capsules are very small in comparison to most other brands . I’ve found them excellent .
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