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Large Doses of Vitamin D helpful in Osteoporosis

By nathji Monday, May 04, 2009

The reviewers note that normal dietary sources provide about 2.5 micrograms per day, while this can be increased up to 10 micrograms with fortified foods. Dietary supplements would provide higher doses.

“We applied the same method to our risk assessment as the Food and Nutrition Board had used years ago, and our results concluded vitamin D could be safely taken in much higher amounts,” Hathcock said.

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Pam Flores, Health Guide
5/ 5/09 7:47pm

Hi Nathji:  You covered some excellent questions, that I'm sure our members could elaborate on.

 

If any of you have some insight on these theories, please post with your personal experieces.  Since many of you are on a therapeutic high doses of vitamin D; I'm sure your knowledge will be invaluable, as is Nathji's!

 

Thanks Nathji for your thought provoking questions!!  And keep the Sharepost coming the are wonderful to read and can help us all.  Journaling through Shareposts is a good way to educate our members, and something I'd recommend for those who want to further their education and draw others into the process, by posting personal experiences.

 

Pam Flores

5/ 5/09 9:39pm

Dear Pam,

 

Thank you so much for your encouraging words, and for also your advice and guidance of the past, as a consequence of which I have been encouraged to share more of my experiences and knowledge with others on this esteemed site.

 

Yours,

Priya

Pam Flores, Health Guide
5/ 7/09 12:32pm

Hi Priya:  You might be interested in reading the following web site from the Univ of WA bone physiology course on vitamin D, the author (Dr. Ott) is also a member of the ASBMR, American Society of Bone and Mineral Research. 

 

http://courses.washington.edu/bonephys/opvitD.html

 

Unfortunately, those of us with hypercalcemia wouldn't be able to take these high doses of D for osteoporosis, since it could possibly raise our calcium levels, but it sure would be nice if we could find an alternative to bisphosphonates that would become the "panacea" for bone loss.

 

Here's another symposium you may be interested in, from the ASBMR on vitamin D. 

 

http://app2.capitalreach.com/esp1204/servlet/tc?cn=asbmr&c=10169&s=20343&e=6950&&

 

The audio and slides options is nice since you can listen to it while doing other things, but the format for download is up to you.  Enjoy!!

 

Take Care...

Pam Flores, Health Guide
5/ 7/09 12:41pm

Priya, I just tried the second link, and if you have trouble with it, just copy and paste it into the browsers address bar.

 

Good luck...

5/ 8/09 2:08pm

Dear Pam,

 

As always you are the expert, and your knowledge is staggering in all fields of medicine. Thank you for your support of my post on Vit D, and also for the links to the very helpful and detailed researches on Vit D. I will go to them right now!!

 

With best wishes and thanks,

Yours,

Priya

(nathji)

5/ 7/09 4:39pm

Hello Nathji...thanks you so much for sharing your article on vitamin D.  I have read many of your post on the NOF board and so glad to see you posting here as well. I for one would love to see Vitamin D replace biophosphonates, since they have caused so many people problems and for many not with the results they were told to look for.  It would be a safe, effective treatment that most everyone could take without fear.  Once again..thank you for sharing. 


take care...phyllis

5/ 8/09 2:04pm

Dear Phyllis,

 

Thank you for your kind words. I do hope Vit D takes over the role of biophosphonates which are now becoming more frightening than ever because of terrible side effects being reported by almost all the persons one comes across. On the contrary no one seems to say anything against high intakes of Vit D, which is a very encouraging sign.

Thank you for reading my posts on NOF as well.

 

 

Yours,

nathji

Anonymous
Caroline
5/21/09 9:29pm

I have a 4 year old diagnoisi of osteoporosis.  I have been taking Actonel for three of those years.  While I have had few side effects I became concerned about the longevity of taking the drug.  I am now under the care of a bone and mineral density physician at a Research Hospital who is also involved in research.  She has advised me to take the drug for no longer than 5 years.  She tells me that the drug stays in the body for about 2 years after stopping.  She is a strong proponent of Vitamin D3 taken in high doses (4000 to 10,000 units)  I am no longer taking Actonel and do not plan to take biophosphonates again.  I am tired of being a guinea pig for the drug manufacturers and I'm not putting up with it anymore.  I'm treating my osteoporosis with natural foods and supplements.   Anyone else fed up??

5/21/09 10:33pm

Dear Caroline,

 

Thank you for being kind enough to post a response. You have given all of us a very vital piece of information -- that Actonel remains in the body for two years even after it has been stopped.  I  had often wondered what would happen, since I took Actonel for 14 months and then stopped altogether, because I had a "sick" feeling all the time and aches in the legs while walking. I feel better after stopping Actonel, but I dont know how the bone density test will fare. What if the bone density is bad -- while I feel well overall? This has been the experience with some, who stopped biophophonates and then went into a panic after the bone tests and started taking them again--even though they were feeling well!

 

I have begun to take Vitamin D at the 60,000 IU dosage that is available here. To be on the safe side I take one dose every 10 days, which averages to 6000 IU per day.

Since no blood testing is available where I live in the Himalayan mountains, I am taking the dose very carefully.It has been rightly pointed out by Pam Flores that you cannot take Vit D in hig doses if you already have a high calcium level-- which will then get aggravated further.

 

When I took the first dose of 60,000 IU I felt as if I was filled with a plurge of energy and that I could walk over the proverbial "tallest mountain"-- but with the second dose I did not get the same feeling. They say it builds up slowly in the system over a period of months. Many people have reported this "splurge" of vitality after the first large dose. How much Vit D translates into benefits for bone density probably has not been investigated fully. I will get a bone density done after some days and will find out.

 

Dacid Mendosa has a much more informative post on Vit D at:

 

http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/69970/comments

 

Best wishes,

Yours,

Priya

 

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By nathji— Last Modified: 12/06/10, First Published: 05/04/09