Vitamin D deficiency?

Hey friend

I absolutely do not know the answer to your question but just wanted to see how you were doing.

And I did comment on Dr. Gross's most recent article  and asked him about what you are going through and if he had anything to add.  You can check out his response by clicking the link. 

I have never had my Vitamin D levels checked...should we routinely be doing this if we have MS?  Maybe you could write a share post about all this. 

Hope you feel better soon.

Hi Lisa,

I have never had my D level checked but started taking a larger dosage on the recommendation of a naturapathic doctor as well as my chiropractor.  The recommended daily does is only 400 but I've done research and listened to other experts (including Dr. Oz on Oprah one day  who recommend taking 4,000 IUD a day rather than that real lose dosage.  I would like to think that it helps keep me feeling less weak and less numb but I have no concrete proof other than the fact that I do feel less weak and less numb. 

I also have a friend who does energy work and she recommended trying to get outside for 10 minutes and sit in the sun with your eyes closed but so that the sunlight can seep in through your eyelids.  She claims it gets into your blood stream much faster through the eyes.  But important to keep your eyes closed because you could damage your eyes if you have them consistantly open while looking at the sun.

So of all the supliments, I am a big fan of D!

Kathy

I have been in the last year watching my Vit D levels the lowest I have gotten that I know about is 23.  I am now wondering if Vit D is part of the answer. Every time I get my level back up to 32 I feel a lot better.  Even though I have been dx for 4 years I am still in denial when I feel good.  I suggest keeping up with you levels.  When we figured out that I was low it took 8 weeks of taken 50,000 IU once a week to get it back to level.  I am now taken 2000 IU a day and I will go back this week to see if I got it back up. 

Vitamin D is very important and a deficiency has been linked as a cause of MS. Also, it is important to get your hormone levels checked. Just treating hormone imbalance can help with MS symptoms. Vitamin D Deficiency is also linked to certain types of cancers.

Numbness,tingling, slow motor skills and digestive issues are common with vitamin d deficiency and as Lisa said can mimic MS symptoms.

The homeopathic doctor has me taking 4,000 IU a day right now of D3. She says that the BIO-D-MULSION Forte from Biotics Research Corporation is one of the best on the market providing 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 per drop. D3 has been found to be the most effective to take and is considered the more absorbable the then D2. I'm sure that it can be found online.

The vitamin d council recommends a persons levels be between 35 to 65 with 50 being optimal especially in the winter months. On the other hand 5 to 10 minutes in the sun 3 times a week can help with these levels also.

Just because you go to the doctor and they say your levels are in range at 32 doesn't mean that is the best level for you. That is not the optimal level only a recommended level. Do whats best for your body. The vitamin D assciation says you can take 10,000 IU a day with worrying about toxicity issues. Please get your levels checked periodically since taking too much vitamin d can do as much damage as not taking or getting enough.

This is very weird.  I am actually a physician, a pathologist, with mild MS and recently have been very tired, and also had many GI symptoms like severe constipation (scope showed chronic active gastritis).  My TSH came back 5.4, so now on thyroid replacement hormone, more alert, but still tired, thought it was the MS, or the Sjogrens autoimmune disease, which I also have (everything overlaps). I just keep on working and going, any improvement is better than nothing.  But now I find out I'm vitamin D (and B12) deficient, even though I eat a lot of red meat and a lot dairy foods.  Vit. D level is slightly more than yours though at 13. I am not sure if there is a connection between vitamin D deficiency and MS, never actually thought about it.  But now I guess I have to research it.  I am on vacation for a few days, so will do this.  It is nice to know some else has these crazy problems too!

Marianne Murphy

 Oh my gosh. I was googgling Hugh Downs and came across your page and  I am so glad I did!  I have not been diagnosed with MS HOWEVER, I have been struggling for years with all of the symptoms you have described and then some. I have seen countless Drs and not one has been able to help me .   My visual problems are the most depressing and scary at times.  But  I  will get to the subject of VIT. D deficiency... my last vit. D  result was 5. I take 50,000 IU's once a week for 4 weeks then get rechecked.   It does go up to normal but falls back down to well below normal within a few weeks.  I never  really notice too much difference in how I feel when my levels are normal.

I  recently posted a response to this but after reading it, I felt it was not very helpful so I am  going to try again.  First I want to make it clear that  I feel awful most of the time.  When I do take my RX of 50,000 IU's of VIT D  once a week for 4 weeks , I do not notice feeling any less awful. However, when I go to Hawaii  and spend  a week on a beautiful beach getting lots of Vit. D  the natural way, from Mr. Sunshine , not surprisingly,  I do feel much better   My conclusion is that getting it from the sun is a better method for me ...as long as Hawaii is thrown in there too 

Hello Lisa! Got your message and I will be answeriing that separately.  As a matter of fact, a few months ago I read an article on the connection between Vitamin D and MS.  So I started taking 1000 IU twice a day (I always start supplements at low doses).  Girlfriend, I felt the effects the very next day.  Although it does not help the intense pain I am in all the time, my energy and endurance levels shot up dramatically!  I could not believe it.  I will be increasing to 3000 IU a day on 9/1/09.  I just had my comp blood panel done, and my dr was very impressed with my vitamin D.  Although the results showed  23 for Vitamin D, this was compared with the blood panels from last August when it was at 7.  In fact my whole panel showed excellent blood health if you know what I mean.  I highly recommend increasing your Vitamin D, but start low in case you may have a reaction or something and build slowly.  My family noticed the change immediately, and the D was started all on its own, with no other changes in my meds.

I would definitely give it a try!

Love and Light,

Jan

I have M.S. I started feeling crappy again. Tired all the time sleeping 12 -14 hrs, muscles hurting, twitching (which I assumed was all the m.s. til I read more about vit d). "Brain fog" increased, constipated, upset stomach, increased migraines.

 My neuro's office called today. Vitamin d level DOWN AGAIN. Should have known.

Earlier this yr went to family dr. told him how I felt. Had read an article sounded like me, I asked them to do a vit d level. Came back 18, was told take vit d over the counter. Right> Got worse down to 9, then finally was given 50,000 units 1 x weekly, no side affects, took almost 2 1/2 mths to come back to 66. They never gave refill or said keep taking, soooo I didn't.

 Well when the crap hit again, I asked Neuro about d level, they did the test, which they told me today 20.3.Back on 50,000 units, am going to question big time why the drop. Especially after reading bout problems low vit d causes.SCAREY

I am so happy to have found this site. I have been numb since May of this year which led to my Neurologist ordering a lab and then a MRI. The bloodwork came back normal and the MRI showed a small lesion on my spine. She said that if she were to continue seeing me (we were moving in 2 weeks) she would be positive to say I had MS and that the lesion was definitely causing the numbness that I had been experiencing. I had the same symptoms 8 years prior but my MRI only of my brain at that time, was clean and my bloodwork was good so the doctor's conclusion then was that it was anxiety. Within a few months that episode was over and hadn't came back until this May. Well, since the end of July, I began to experience muscle spasms in my thighs and excruciating leg pain that would hurt so bad I couldn't keep my legs still. Come the beginning of Aug. I began have extreme bone/joint pain and a headache(s) that NEVER go away. I have been in constant pain, taking Hydrocodone, Darvocet, Tylenol w/Codene, and Naproxen with NO relief. I FINALLY get into a Neurologist here in MD next Thursday!! I did have an appointment last week w/a new doctor where we live now who ordered blood work and gave me a referral to the Neurologist at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Well, they called with the lab results and the blood work looked good, all but the Vitamin D. She said that it was low and that I need to take 50,000 units 1x/day or week for 8 weeks followed with 400 units 2x/ day for 3 more months. I

am extremely anxious going to the Neurologist but I just want this pain to end. I'm married, we're military, I have 3 kids and I'm taking care of my father who has dementia. I don't exactly have time to be "sick". If anyone can relate or offer advice I would love to talk to you! Thank you for all of your posts!

Well, I went numb on one side had and my first migraine aura and thought I was having a stroke.  I went through all of the MS testing, saw a neurologist and rhumetologist, had tons of blood tests and THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME - YEAH RIGHT!  I continued to be numb, have vertigo, muscle spasms, got upset over things that don't normally upset me at all, tingling in arms, legs, face, feet, etc.

I have suffered from horrendous back pain/stiff muscles and headaches that would last a week for more than 10 years (I'm 39), and this episode was really debilitating to me.  I had to work, because docs all kept saying you are just depressed and having anxiety - I am pretty happy actually.  I took ativan (which actually helped, but not with the stiff muscles), flexerill, darvoset, even all at the same time - didn't help. I would wake up in the morning as stiff as board....tingling and feeling like the floor was moving when I was standing still.....

Well, I read on-line that vitamin D deficiency could be a cause of symptoms and had to request they test me for that..  I had to wait three months for an appointment and just started taking some anyway...  I was taking a 200 IU dose for month before I had my blood test.  It came back low normal, and I told them I was taking a supplement, and they offhandedly said to use the Viactiv chews.  Well, I started taking those, and within one week - my tight back muscles were totally LOOSE!  My numbness is finally subsiding, and I feel GREAT!! No fatigue for no reason, muscles feel good, tingling almost down to nothing, no headaches, no crying over nothing, no stiffness in the morning...

I still don't know what happened to me - it was awful.  I have one kidney that has produced a kidney stone, I do have stomach problems pretty often, and I eat way too much sugar - but for now - taking 125% of vitamin d, 50% calcium, and 50% potassium every day has greatly improved my well being.  It doesn't hurt to take the viactiv so if you are feeling bad, just give it a try.  If you feel better, it must mean you were low.... Just make sure you share that info with your doctor...  But I have seen so many people with the same situation on line - doctors telling them that there is nothing wrong with them when they have all the symptoms that I did and they are suffering horribly, potentially needlessly - if they are simply low in vitamin D.  Given the drugs they tried to give me - it makes me wonder - how many of us that have been prescribed antidepressants just need vitamins?  Why are so many of us low?  Are we inside too much?  This has just been such a huge epiphany for me - I just want to tell everyone so people don't have to suffer...