Q: What Vitamins Should You Take If You Have Autoimmune Disorders?
Hi, Linda,
RA meds can cause nutritional deficiencies because they interfere with absorbtion. I don't know what vitamins are indicated in general for people with RA. That would be a great question for your doctor.
I am starting MTX tomorrow. My doc did not prescribe folic acid, even tho MTX is known to intefere with folate metabolism. I looked up foods that contain folic acid and I am going to stock up on oranges, spinach and broccoli. I already eat whole grain cereal. All of these foods contain folic acid.
A lot of us take prednisone form time to day. Some RA patients take it daily. I'm sure most of us have read that taking steroids increases our chances of developing osteoporosis. My doctor has me take 1200 of calicium daily. Well, I used to take 1200 mg of calcium daily. I found the pills hard to swallow, and they had a few unpleasant side effects. I stopped taking the calcium supplement, and started eating calcium rich foods and drinking milk as an alternative. I need to tell my doctor what I am doing, and make sure that is adequate. I try to make sure I get at least 1200 mg of calcium a day in my diet.
Hope this helps!
V
Hi Linda,
This is a good question for which I've not seen a concrete suggestion. Each of us have unique needs and may have different deficiencies. I recommend that you talk to your doctor about testing your blood for possible vitamin deficiences and to discuss what you might need based on the meds you are taking.
Like V mentions, it is common to take extra Folic Acid when you're taking methotrexate. A few years ago, my primary doctor tested my blood and found that I was severely Vitamin D deficient. I started a prescribed regimen to get my levels up and I continue the treatment with over-the-counter Vitamin D to keep my levels up.
My doctor recommends a general multi-vitamin and wants to know if I'm taking anything extra such as Fish Oil, calcium, etc. It is important to keep your doctor informed as to what supplements you are taking. Put them on your current medication list.
That doesn't answer your question with a specific list, but I hope that it helps.
Lisa
Have you entered our Week Three contest yet? We also giving away five copies of Karen Ager's book Enemy Within. Both contests close at 6 PM tomorrow
http://www.healthconceptsint.com/education/overview-of-our-immune-system
Dr. Ray Strand has researched Nutritional Medicine for the past 17 years, he is also an author of several books such as Death by Prescription, Bionutrition, Healthy for Life. Here is a link to an article that he wrote. Hope it helps!
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