Wellness

[colliemom4]

My doctor advised me to take vitamin D but it causes my stomach to hurt. So now I am trying to get it though my diet and hope that works.

[pupwhipped]

I know none of you are medical experts here, but can you tell me what your targeted level of Vit. D is? Maybe your doctor has said what level is optimum. Thanks for any thoughts. Just curious.

[Azcowgirl]

I try to get my sunshine allotment also, since I don’t do dairy, and take hormone blockers due to breast cancer. The blockers can exacerbate brittle bones so I have to stay on top of it. Luckily I do live in the southwest.😎

[Icegoddess]

@pupwhipped, 60-100 is optimal although the normal range goes down to 30.  

I'm hypothyroid which is another risk factor.  I do eat dairy and work in the yard a lot in summer.  I wear sunscreen, but don't reapply like you should.  Even so, I'm always low without supplementation.  I take prescription 50,000/wk + 4,000/day OTC (yes my doctor knows) just to keep me in the optimal range.  Otherwise I get extreme fatigue, and I am osteopenic which is odd for someone as active as I am doing weight-bearing exercises at the gym and figure-skating along with the yard work.

[lovesrecess]

I also take seizure meds....and have upped my D tablets. What anti- seizure meds do you take?

[SilleeMee]

I think most people know this already, but you need to ingest adequate amounts of calcium for healthy bones and teeth. You need the vitamin D for the body to absorb the calcium. It's not necessary to take them at the same time.

[GraceLady]

I, too, am vitamin D deficient.  At the lowest, I was 18.4.  I have been put on 30,000 units of vitamin D weekly for 2-3 months at a time to get my levels up, then back to maintenance levels of 2000 units daily.  It would drop every time.  I am not able to absorb vitamin D like I should, along with other vitamin and minerals.  Finally it was decided that I need to take 50,000 units weekly, and I will probably always need to.  I am now up to 47.6, which is in the lower normal range.  My doctors have said vitamin D deficiency is epidemic everywhere above San Diego.  We see more of it due to the use of sunscreen, and there is not enough food in the world for me to eat to keep my levels up.

[pupwhipped]

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@Icegoddess wrote:

@pupwhipped, 60-100 is optimal although the normal range goes down to 30.  

I'm hypothyroid which is another risk factor.  I do eat dairy and work in the yard a lot in summer.  I wear sunscreen, but don't reapply like you should.  Even so, I'm always low without supplementation.  I take prescription 50,000/wk + 4,000/day OTC (yes my doctor knows) just to keep me in the optimal range.  Otherwise I get extreme fatigue, and I am osteopenic which is odd for someone as active as I am doing weight-bearing exercises at the gym and figure-skating along with the yard work.

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Thanks, @Icegoddess! My last test showed 38.8. So it is within the somewhat "normal" range...but I do not think it is in the optimal range for best health.  

[SilleeMee]

When looking at lab test results for vitamin D levels in the blood it is important to note how it is reported because the ranges are not the same. Labs report numbers in nanomoles and also nanograms. Make sure you look at the ranges reported by the lab doing the test to see where your level falls.

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Vitamin%20D-HealthProfessional/

[bonappetit]

software: fyi...........

Very few foods in nature contain vitamin D. The flesh of fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and fish liver oils are among the best sources. Small amounts of vitamin D are found in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks.

If you are deficient, best to use vitamin D supplement.