Vitamin D deficiency

[TameRacingDriver]

I started taking Vitamin D3 high dose tablets to try and reduce depression symptoms. Certainly feels like it took the edge off quite nicely for me.

[freddytin]

Chesnut mushrooms are rich in D, expose them to an hour of sunlight first.

I quite enjoy eating the occasional one raw

[Funk]

V8covin said:

Funk said:

I went to the doc a few years ago feeling like I was getting shingles - lethargic, ached in my bones. I was exhausted. Turns out it was a significant vitamin D deficiency and I was put straight on a massive booster dose for a couple of months. I now continue to take 150?g daily and haven't had any issues since.

Surprising just how rotten vit.D deficiency can make you feel.

That's pretty much my experience.
Did you have any breathing issues ?
Mine started with an ache in my left lung area but has moved to the chest now.
Feel slightly better but only been on the pills for 10 days

No, no breathing issues that I recall. I thought I was just coming down with a virus. The doc was excellent - a newbie who ignored my request for anti-virals (as I say, it presented nearly identically to when I had shingles) and instead ran a full blood panel. It was that which showed the Vit D deficiency immediately and was a relatively easy 'fix'.

[sparkyhx]

What gets me, is Vit D is known to be a 'problem' for winter in the N hemisphere, and indoors working. I've seen first hand how debilitating it can be. How the F did we manage in the 19th and early 20th centuries with people in factories and mines, no cars etc.

[Funk]

sparkyhx said:

What gets me, is Vit D is known to be a 'problem' for winter in the N hemisphere, and indoors working. I've seen first hand how debilitating it can be. How the F did we manage in the 19th and early 20th centuries with people in factories and mines, no cars etc.

People died much younger and probably lived broadly crappy lives.

[V8covin]

sparkyhx said:

What gets me, is Vit D is known to be a 'problem' for winter in the N hemisphere, and indoors working. I've seen first hand how debilitating it can be. How the F did we manage in the 19th and early 20th centuries with people in factories and mines, no cars etc.

People walked,kids played in the street...but the kids still got rickets and adults died a lot younger so they probably didn't manage all that well

[LordGrover]

...and going back further our (white) skin became lighter to better absorb UV radiation so reduce vitamin D depletion.

[Halb]

Funk said:

sparkyhx said:

What gets me, is Vit D is known to be a 'problem' for winter in the N hemisphere, and indoors working. I've seen first hand how debilitating it can be. How the F did we manage in the 19th and early 20th centuries with people in factories and mines, no cars etc.

People died much younger and probably lived broadly crappy lives.

Sadly true.
When I studied the history of medicine, the life of a typical britisher was pretty harsh and short (compared to modern standards), the introduction of the NHS (hygiene) led to a yuge upswing in the lifespan of the lower classes.

[V8covin]

Just back from seeing my GP for the 1st time since I was told about the deficiency.
He reckons my levels were dangerously low and if I'd been a child l'd be in danger of rickets.
Says it will take 2 to 3 months for my levels to get up to a normal level and I'll still feel like st for a while yet

[xyz123]

V8covin said:

Just back from seeing my GP for the 1st time since I was told about the deficiency.
He reckons my levels were dangerously low and if I'd been a child l'd be in danger of rickets.
Says it will take 2 to 3 months for my levels to get up to a normal level and I'll still feel like st for a while yet

Can you take a higher dose for shirt term boost? Long time ago, my wife had a similar situation with seriously low vitamin D. She was prescribed an injection. It happened to be at a time where there was a shortage of such Injections and had to go to about 25 pharmacies before one had it in stock.

No idea if they still do those vitamin D injections...

[V8covin]

xyz123 said:

Can you take a higher dose for shirt term boost? Long time ago, my wife had a similar situation with seriously low vitamin D. She was prescribed an injection. It happened to be at a time where there was a shortage of such Injections and had to go to about 25 pharmacies before one had it in stock.

No idea if they still do those vitamin D injections...

Yes,an injection lasts for 6 months.
I'm on a high dosage tablet,20 times stronger than your average daily supplement would be but I only take 2 per week

[Derek Smith]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Rickets was common in the inter-war years. I used to live in SE London and a significant number of adults had Rickets in the 50s.

[Zero7]

I still think the dose GP's say you should take is a bit low, especially the maintenance dose. I take 5k per day. I found the once or twice a week high (30k) dose shat straight out. I can tolerate smaller doses, 500iu or the 1k spray was not enough for me.

[V8covin]

Zero7 said:

I still think the dose GP's say you should take is a bit low, especially the maintenance dose. I take 5k per day. I found the once or twice a week high (30k) dose shat straight out. I can tolerate smaller doses, 500iu or the 1k spray was not enough for me.

Too high a dosage can be bad for you

[Mr Whippy]

dirky dirk said:

After flu and bronchitius, i got something called floradix recommended to me,
of Jackos mrs,

works quite well

Floradix is iron with vitC to help absorption, among a range of other stuff.
So it’ll also boost immune system if you’re low on nutrients.

However taking it isn’t a win win, as you can get too much iron.

So good if you’re low, and you know you are, or have a condition that means supplementing is a good idea.

Having it when you don’t need it isn’t always a good idea.

There is also Floravital which is gluten free, and yeast free.


Not trying to nanny anyone, but the best way to be healthy is to eat healthily.
If you get your gut happy and stress down, and moderate exercise (anything but sedentary really), you shouldn’t need any supplements really.

Well, except VitD!

[Zero7]

V8covin said:

Zero7 said:

I still think the dose GP's say you should take is a bit low, especially the maintenance dose. I take 5k per day. I found the once or twice a week high (30k) dose shat straight out. I can tolerate smaller doses, 500iu or the 1k spray was not enough for me.

Too high a dosage can be bad for you

I've bene doing a daily dosage of 5k for years, no ill effects, I think you need to be a lot higher dose for it to be concern, I do stop in the summer months. I found with my level being at 11 and lot dosage it was not going up quick enough. Also the NHS guidelines for normal levels seem a tad low, there is a lto of good research out there.

[Pickled Piper]

Lukas239 said:

The majority of British are vitamin D deficient in the winter. Studies suggest Vitamin D supplementation can also prevent/lessen minor infections.

Bit D 'insufficiency' (references vary but typically <32ng/ml) requires replenishment (higher doses than OTC supplements).

I'm of the opinion you have to be quite insufficient to be symptomatic. Rarely is there an underlying cause but things like coeliac or moderate IBS can cause it.

Latest medical research suggests that a healthy level of Vit D is somewhat higher than was considered OK 10 years ago. As above many Brits are Vit D deficient in the winter.

Increased use of sunscreen also reduces the amount of Vit D absorbed through the skin in the summer. If you are naturally dark skinned (Black or Asian) then your skin has inbuilt sunscreen and you will be receiving less Vit D from sunlight and are in danger of being very low in the winter months.

[sparkyhx]

Funk said:

sparkyhx said:

What gets me, is Vit D is known to be a 'problem' for winter in the N hemisphere, and indoors working. I've seen first hand how debilitating it can be. How the F did we manage in the 19th and early 20th centuries with people in factories and mines, no cars etc.

People died much younger and probably lived broadly crappy lives.

My daughter was 16............could barely walk and was forever sleeping, hers were dangerously low.

But imagine doing serious manual labour, walking probably several miles to get to work at the same time as feeling like that, which is kinda my point.

It was a relief to find out it was Vit D as we thought she had ME

Edited by sparkyhx on Thursday 30th January 11:43

[sparkyhx]

V8covin said:

sparkyhx said:

What gets me, is Vit D is known to be a 'problem' for winter in the N hemisphere, and indoors working. I've seen first hand how debilitating it can be. How the F did we manage in the 19th and early 20th centuries with people in factories and mines, no cars etc.

People walked,kids played in the street...but the kids still got rickets and adults died a lot younger so they probably didn't manage all that well

Not in winter when they walked to/from work/school in the dark

[Teddy Lop]

Interesting lack of contribution given the events of the couple of years since it was last replied to.

Listened to a podcast interviewing Linda Benskin and Gruff Davies today; they have a lot of very interesting things to say on vitamin D.

https://vitamindforall.org