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Vitamin D deficiency

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Posted 9/28/2009 10:27 PM (GMT 0)
Has anyone been experiencing vitamin d deficiency from their meds?

What can cause this, other than the obvious stuff (liver, weight, lack of sun/dairy, kidneys)?

Posted 9/29/2009 2:26 AM (GMT 0)
Yeah, I've got low vit D, they reckon its from mtx. I have heaps of sun living in Australia but can't seem to absorb it somehow? I've tried changing my diet and now take supplements of D, Calcium, zinc, magnesium as well as my folate. Meant to go have a bone density scan soon. Now I've had a surgical menopause I guess its not going to help. I'm also a bit intolerant of dairy came up in allergy testing so that doesn't help my calcium absorption. I reckon its the toxicity of the drugs we're on, have you found out that you're low?
Best wishes, golitho
Posted 9/29/2009 9:57 PM (GMT 0)
I also have low Vit D. Taking 50,000 units, first weekly, now biweekly and 1500 mg/day with calcium. dexa scan + for osteopenia and prednisone doesn't help. Love the sun!

Be well
Mary
Posted 10/11/2009 4:55 AM (GMT 0)
Yeah, a blood test my rhuemy gave me showed me deficient. The nurse called, so I don't know any more than that. They gave me 50,000 unit to take one time a week and I'll get retested in a few months. I live in Southern California, and although I usually avoid the sun since the meds now make me burn quicker AND I avoid dairy because of intolerance, cholestrol, and the fact it makes my psorisis worse, I've probably gotten the most dairy and sun in the past 6 months than I have in the past 3 or more years - so it's a bit baffling.
Posted 10/13/2009 12:21 AM (GMT 0)
Vitamin D is processed in the body by exposure to sunlight. As you age your body becomes less able to process it. My rheumy told me that most people are deficient even when getting alot of sun. Sardines are very high but :yuck. I also take 50,000 units weekly and 200mg daily.I've been on it for almost 2 years and have only increased from a 22 to 34 on my last test. Rheumy wants it at 40 or above. The deficiency started before any RA meds. Also due to immunodeficiency from the meds I try to avoid excess sun due to the increased risk of skin cancer. My mother also has RA and she has patches of cancerous skin removed about twice a year, she also has vit D deficency. There seems to be no happy middle ground,avoid the sun, be deficient, love the sun, perhaps to pay later. Hope that helps explain a little how we become deficent.
Posted 10/15/2009 1:59 AM (GMT 0)

Hi CaMama,

Was scanning the threads here, and thought I woul chime in.  I was tested a while ago, and was deficient as well.   My doc wants me to take a total of 2400 units a day,with that being a total of all the supplements I take, the multi, calcium has some in it etc.  What I found interesting though, is that she said is is very common for RA patients to be low in D, and that they are testing the general population in the local hospital and are finding that 4 out of 5 people are low....evenhere in sunny Florida! She feels that one of the reasons may be that all the lotions, make-up, everything we use now has sunscreen added to it.  But, I have been seeing more and more things on the TV, in magazines, etc, about low vit D levels, and how important it is to get enough.  Don't know if you ever watch Dr. Oz, but he talks alot about Vit D on his show and just the other day, said that low D levels can contribute to joint pain, weight gain, some cancers,  and many other issues.  Seems to be the new thing out there!  

Take care, Jody

Posted 10/15/2009 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
I had heard once that too much poultry lowers the body's ability to absorb calcium. I was wondering if there were other things like that which could be causing it. Also, I have to wonder, is it the poultry or the steroids that are pumped in to the chickens.

I don't want Dr. Oz, but I do get emails from this Dr. Mercola (some of his stuff can be a little fanatical) and recently he said that vitamin D deficiency also  lowers your immune system making it harder to fight (or easier to catch) flus and colds, etc.

 

Posted 10/15/2009 8:14 PM (GMT 0)

Haven't heard of Dr Mercola, but have heard the same thing about vit D and the immune system... maybe there is something to all of this....

Take care!

Jody

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