I finally got to see a specialist in April and he told me to get on some Vit. D -- not megadose, just normal. Well, I didn't get any until well into May, but over the past few weeks my daily symptoms (fatigue, heat sensitivity, etc.) are NOTICABLY lessened. Gone. I'm not napping everyday. My cane that I just bought is in the trunk of my car getting dusty.
CROSS MY FINGERS, this is a good thing, Vitamin D.
Hey Lisa...hopefully you are taking D3, Calcipherol..thats the best D for anyone to take...and you should be taking at least 1000 ius as "regular dose" although many of us take more. I take 2000 Ius in the summer months and up it to 4000 ius in the winter...of course, I also get my blood levels checked twice a year for this, as D is a drug you can take too much of.
Its great that you are feeling better! Congrats on finding such a simple cure!
Good to hear, Lisa! I assume/hope you're taking D3, not D2? Make sure you check on your levels and liver function periodically! Too much D can be harmful. There's lots of good info. on this board if you use the search terms D3 and cholecalciferol.
Hi Lisa! I had started a thread about Vitamin D not too long ago, and I got some great info, if you want to do a search. I saw my PCP today and he said I've never looked healthier, and he attributes much of that to me starting Vitamin D. He also ordered labwork to see if I'm deficient. He also told me that I would start feeling more energetic soon. Your post got me really excited that it might happen!
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April
dx 9/07
Avonex started 11/07,
Stopped 4/10 due to no insurance.
Phew - just checked my own bottle and it's vitamin D3. Didn't know that there was D2 or D3! Anyone shed some light on this? What's the difference ... I'm guessing that just getting the bottle that says "D" isn't a good idea then? I swear I learn something new on here everyday
Hi Amy and Lisa. I can shed some light on the differences. Vitamin D2 is Ergocalcifero, which is specific to the absorbtion of calcium in the body...although it is a good and necessary thing- only about 50% of what is in a vitamin is absorbed....
Vitamin D3 is cholecalciferol which is the recommended form to take. Not only does it also help calcium absorbtion, but it is more like the sun's vitamin D, and is much more easily absorbed into the body in a pill form.
The FDA still states 400 ius a day, however just this week I read another report which says that because we are using more sun screen and wearing clothing which helps to block the suns rays, we are still not getting enough vitamin d in our diets...they are now talking about raising it to 1000 mgs year round, and this is for healthy people....
There is alot of speculation that people further from the equator and who do not grow up in the sun are the first to get MS....they believe there is a link between lack of sunshine and MS...I personally find that hard to believe, I spent my summers as a lifeguard and was outside every day of my life, and still got MS, but Epidemiology is a tricky thing....but nevertheless, by taking 800 or 1000 ius of Vitamin D3, you are NOT going to hurt yourslf, being an MS patient....what is very important is to realize that Vitmain D can be taken in toxic doses...again, 1000 ius wont do it, but some doctors put patients on short term doses of up to 10,000 ius a day FOR A WEEK. Thats something that needs to only be done thru a physician and monitored closely!
Lisa, if you want to doulbe your dose, it will not hurt you and might even show you faster results, but no matter what you do, you should ask, next time you have blood work to have your D levels checked...(also get your B levels checked at the same time) just to give yourself a baseline....again, 1000 ius WILL NOT HURT YOU- and in fact may very well become the recommended FDA dosage by the end of the year....and amy, even if you were taking the vitamin D2, it wouldnt hurt you, but stick wtih D3 or anything that says cholecalciferol on the packaging to make sure you are getting the most benefit.
Thanks Nikki! I started taking it on the advice of my neurologist. She recommended 1000UI/day. Didn't know about the different kinds tho - it's pure coincidence that the one I grabbed off the shelf is D3. Will make sure to check from now on.
Ok gang.
I also went to grab my Vit D bottle.. Thankgodness i'm taking the right one too..
See Amy, I too learn something new everyday. We in the mist of winter and all. Thinking about taking two tablets for a couple og months, can't hurt right ??
As Nikki mentioned, too much vitamin D CAN hurt. ANYONE supplementing with D should let their doctor know and get their blood checked periodically. This kind of danger exists with any fat soluble vitamin -- these can be stored in the body for long periods of time as opposed to other types that are expelled from the body naturally. Vitamin D2 is known as ergocalciferol; vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol. Vitamin D3 is the type of D that the sun makes when it hits your body. It differs from D2 in that it is actually processed in your body as a hormone. The reason that the liver (and actually, kidneys) can be damaged if ODing on vitamin D is the involvement in the vitamin's metabolization. Too much D can also present other non-organ dangers -- high blood pressure, etc.
I believe the RDA for vitamin D was increased to 600 IUs. (Yes, I know that most of the charts say 400 -- but look at when they were last updated!!!!)However, if using this to treat something, even 600 is low. Your doctor may not know a lot about vitamin D. Not unusual -- some doctors know more about vitamins than others. The MS "sunshine theory" causation aside, there have been studies about D being helpful in possibly treating people who already have MS. Re: the lack of sunshine theory, the only conclusive thing it says is that it makes you more susceptible to developing MS. I don't believe that lack of sunshine alone is going to put you here but I absolutely believe it makes people more vulnerable.
There are things that can naturally cause a vitamin D deficiency and for those of you on steroids, prednisone is one of them.
I have written a lot about vitamin D3 on this board -- if anyone is interested in knowing more, I really recommend you using the search function. HOWEVER, nothing and no one here takes the place of you doing your own research. If I believed everything I read from just one source after first being dxed, I would be in a much different place than where I am today. I have always been a multiple source kind of gal and it's really come in handy where this condition has been concerned!
I was diagnosed with MS last December. I started Rebif injecitons in February, and after the related fatigue kicked my behind my doctor put me on 50,000 UI of vitamin D--one capsule per week. I think it has helped my fatigue somewhat, but nothing phenomenal.
Glad to hear it's working out for you as well!
