Vitamin D - Government Supply

[RobertCLL]

Anyone in the UK received their supply of vitamin D from the Government?

[devonrr]

No. But info says from January and original deadline to register was 11 January. So not expected before then, really.

Soon, else we’ll be out of the gloom and into the Spring sunshine.

[MsChief in reply to devonrr]

Are you seriously saying that Vitamin D or any vitamin is rationed in the U.K.?

[devonrr in reply to MsChief]

Not rationed we can buy it freely from pharmacies and supermarkets but during the pandemic the government is supplying it free to certain populations as it’s found those low in vitamin D suffer more.

[Jds7]

I understand it will be sent out towards the end of this month

[blowinginthewind]

No - but this a sore point with me, I have a very bad reaction to anything which has been near fish - allergic to oily fish, sea food and cod liver oil. Vitamin D meds all that fish products in their manufacture said from vegan ones. I there were no vegan loading doses available and I had to go sit in A&E to take each loading dose - one tablet per week for 6 weeks. Pharmacist found me vegan ones for daily use. NHS would fund a vegan product, even though I am not vegan. I buy my own from Lamberts now. I can afford it, and I don't mind paying for it, but their reason is appalling. No point me getting any under this scheme.

[richardp]

The original deadline for registering was the 4th January which has just been extended to the 11th January with despatch from January so could be a good few weeks yet before arrival.

[Psmithuk]

I think this would be just England? haven't heard anything in Wales.

[holly2]

I have been buying mine from Tesco or Sainsbury's for 4 years now since I found my levels were low following a blood test. They are cheap and cheerful to buy alongside the groceries. Can't understand why the government is buying them at a time when the economy is being wrecked when they are so cheap.

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to holly2]

The dosage of Vit D my doctor prescribed couldn’t be bought in the shops without me taking handfuls.Sometimes therapeutic dosages cannot be bought so I’m relieved to have them on prescription.

However, I’d be quite happy to make a contribution just as I would with paracetamol because I can only buy a couple of day’s supply at any one time, chemists and home deliveries kept running out during last lockdown and I couldn’t/shouldn’t go out every day.

Newdawn

[holly2 in reply to Newdawn]

Yes I think doctor prescribed levels of the vitamin for a person's specific needs are a different issue to a general roll out.

[Shedman]

What? We have to opt-in? This is classic UK govt just now.. big announcements.. then a little sleight of hand (the need to opt-in) and, lo and behold, not many opt-in, so the headline is mightier than the scale of implementation and the outcome.

Simpler? Just tell people to take VitD .. Provide a government supply at a regulated retail price, to any pharmacy that wants it..

Register / OPT-IN here:

nhs.uk/conditions/coronavir...

[edit: Just to be clear, finding out only today, that I would need to register to get this distribution of vitD for all extremely cliically vulnerable patients, from our most concerned Government COVID19 coordination department..

..makes me a tad angry.]

[mrsjsmith in reply to Shedman]

Shedman I had no problem in seeing the link, and personally I would prefer the opt in option and anyone who wants it can access it. I have not been near a chemist since March so that would be yet another thing for my neighbour to collect.

Colette

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to mrsjsmith]

I’ve absolutely no objection with an opt in scheme either. Frankly I think the Govt have enough to co-ordinate just now and simply sending them to between 1.8 and 2.5 million people would result in mammoth wastage.

I support the affordability option however.

Newdawn

[Shedman in reply to mrsjsmith]

I am very happy that you saw the link.. my eyesight is absolutely fine, so I had no problem reading the link.. just had no reason to realise this was a part of the process.. no reason to go hunting for an opt-in link.

How did you learn about an opt-in process?

I’m busy just trying to make ends meet, so I have not been busy reading every government website.. the headline seemed to promise vitD, that sounded good to me, even as a delay until January sounded daft.

All I heard was the headline: Govt will send vitaminD to ECV group of patients, since vitD is a wise precaution / may mitigate against the worst of COVID19.

As stated, I’d prefer the government to provide a retail price controlled (cheapest) source of vitD to any pharmacy that wants to sell it.. make vitD cheaply available to all.. UK is a northern hemisphere country with weak sunshine unsuited to natural vitD production except May-Aug..

..a low price thus benefitting those in serious poverty too.

I dislike, most of all, Govt headlines and declarations that hide critical small print. These are, history shows, dishonest / disingenuous.

Let me guess: your neighbour has been fetching prescriptions from the chemist for you? ..so also fetching vitD would represent nil issue..

[Soukibobo in reply to Shedman]

If you are on the Shielding list you will get a text message with a link to register for Vit D

[Shedman in reply to Soukibobo]

This is all past tense now — the VitD programme is over.It turned out that I had missed the letter — too many letters.. I must be more careful.

However, I did register online.. just that I now hear the supply is of 120x 400iu tablets.. this is approx £1 value in any independent chemist. — I take the equivalent of 7 pills of this strength most days in winter. . So 120 pills is 16 days supply.

Other people may approach this differently. It is not Govt generosity, that is for sure.. this level of pills would likely be wise for entire population in winter, every winter.. GPs could give a pot to each patient, one per patient.

Thanks.

[Soukibobo in reply to Shedman]

I believe the programme has been extended into February ?

[Random78]

I contacted my haematologist, through my CNS, following the webinar, in Oct I think, where CLLers were advised to take vit D during winter and knowing that a prescription would be required to access the correct t dose. I received word back from the haematologist, via the CNS, that there is little UK evidence to support vit D supplement for CLLers and she refused to send a letter to my GP to prescribe!!!

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to Random78]

Maybe your doctor needs to familiarise herself with this recent study and outcome;

‘Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have insufficient levels of vitamin D at the time of diagnosis are at greater risk of cancer progression and death than patients with adequate levels, Mayo Clinic researchers have found.’

jhoponline.com/lung-cancer?...

The Mayo Clinic have been engaged in this research for some time looking at the link between CLL and sub-optimal Vitamin D levels.

I had this issue with my doctors too and quite often they are simply clueless about the issue! 🙄

Newdawn

[Random78 in reply to Newdawn]

Fantastic Newdawn. Thank you, I will forward to the CNS...I had sent the webinar too indicating the timeline, but no idea if the consultant has had time to watch.