Vita D Deficient

Went to my regular Primary care Physician.  She ordered labwork.  I requested that she check my Vita D level.  She reluctantly did.  A couple of days later, she called reporting anemia and low vita D levels.  It seems D level was 28.  Ordered me to take prescription Vita D 50,000 IU once a week to recheck in 3 months.  I inquired whether or not this would be contributing to the fatigue..and over all achiness... She said fatigue is ususally d/t depression... Seriously?  The other thing is I have requested that my GI doc check my vita D level.  Her wouldn't order it, said I wasn't malnurioused.... I checked for old threads on this.  I know someone adviced me before to get this checked...

Would appreciate any info and experiences any of you have had regarding the vita D def.  Thanks

   Dear Alcie,

     When dealing with an other wise healthy individual those estimates are good. For Dinky, 50,000 UI D2 per week is needed. In this case the medical necessity to treat the D Deficiency is the reason for the high does. In my case, I am given extremely large amounts of "D2" via Drisdol and IV treatments. For the rest of my life.

   In the cases of "Medical need"... the "toxic" amount for an otherwise healthy person is not the case. There are many that have medical conditions the require treatments with D2. If left un treated or undertreated the damage is life threatening.

     Here are some reasons why a patient would be perscribed large quantities.

~~> http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitamind/DSECTION=evidence

     Here is an easy to read article on Vitamin D.

~~~>  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitamind

     I know it is hard to understand why doctors take certain courses of action. Especially when looking from the out side, in. There are very urgent, serious reasons why a doctor will prescribe large quantities of D2. Most cases it is short term, or eventually tapered down. But for many... large quantities for the rest of their lives. Obviously it is impossible for someone to try to consume 50,000 Units of D2 in only 7 days (there are two types of D).

    Elenor,

     That is good advise for all. A stroll in the park is wonderful. It wont cure the illness that require immediate intervention with D2, but are good rules of thumb none the less. As we all could use D3 from sunlight. Not to mention the emotional wellness that a peaceful walk can bring.   

     There are 2 main types of Vitamin D needed for humans. Our bodies absorb the various sources in different amounts. Here is a neat article I think you might like. 

~~> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D

     I can see why your doctor would make the testing part of your yearly check-up. It is always good to check on things that if spotted soon enough, can be treated / combated early. I think I get everything from cholesterol to organ function, and everything in between, each year. Plus, in your case, it shows your doctor is very thorough.

*warm huggs*
      dani

I just wanted to let you know that my PCP and Endocrinologist both insited I take 50,000 units per week for 12 weeks, with an additional OTC tablet twice per day and calcium/vitamin D combination.  I was not harmed by this at all and I remain on a maintenance dose of at least 2000 units per day pluse the extra from the calcium/D combination.

My levels have been tested and it was impossible to reach a healthy level without this intervention.  I was nervous about taking such a high level myself, so the confirmation from the Endocrinologist gave me the resolve to actually swallow the pill.  It did seem to help my fatigue some, but then again I have other medical factors at play.

I tend to leave the medical decisions to the trained MD's.  My brother-in-law is an RN/OR supervisor.  I don't believe he has ever given one ounce of good medical advice to me or anyone else in my family.  It is clearly apparent to me that he feels he knows what is best, but has no understanding of what a trained physician (especially a specialist) should be prescribing or diagnosing.  If I ever have a concern about what my PCP prescribes or suggests (and I sometimes do), then I discuss the situation with another trusted physician who is very familiar with my medical history.  I also keep a running list of medications and provide an updated copy to each physician at each visit.  The list also details my current medical situation (as it applies to the Dr I am seeing) and when my next apt is with each other physician.  This way they can communicate.

   Dear Alcie,

 You said ~~> "Dani - I'm absolutely not contradicting what your docs prescribe, merely noting that taken daily over a long time 10000 units D3 is toxic. But a jump start is often prescribed, and people seem to be getting good results. 50,000 a week is still not 10,000 a day."

   Gosh, you must have misread my post. Terribly sorry I confused you. During normal times I take 50K D2 per week. During "crisis" I am given IV D2 treatments along with my 50K D2 weekly dose. It is done this way to keep me from having the more serious side effects or further complications (tetany in throat, seizures, heart problems). My life literally depends on it. I have to be minotored and treated depening on test out comes, the rest of my life. That is the nature of Inherited (genetic) Hypoparathyroidism on this scale. I was using myself as an example as to why someone would need extremly high amounts for medical necessity. We are just talking about medical reasons for high amounts of D2, and if/when is causes pain/fatigue.

*hugg*
  dani

  Dear Alcie,

     No worry! That is why we openly discuss topics. So we can all share knowledge and experiences.

    The medication we are all referring to is Drisdol (ergocalciferol) aka D2. It is what all of us were/are prescribed for varying medical treatments.  Here is some info about what it is and why it is most commonly prescribed.

~~> http://www.drugs.com/mtm/drisdol.html

~~>  http://www.drugs.com/pro/drisdol.html

*hugg*
  dani