HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Why do you take Vitamin D supplements if they are antagonistic to Mesalamine/Prednisone?

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
1 2 3
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 6/19/2010 6:57 PM (GMT 0)

Supa said...
flares are brought on for me by illness

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Maybe, your illness causes an immune response, which activates T-cells and this causes your flare.

So then, again maybe, preventing the illness by strengthening the immune system, using D3, is a method of preventing flares?

I guess this could explain the positive benefits of D3, despite the fact that D3 is also what activates the enemy of UC patients.
Posted 6/19/2010 7:35 PM (GMT 0)
supa - what else do you do to prevent your sinus infections?  I seem to have started that problem again after years of not having it.  I took a Z-pak - infection was better and then came back.  I hate taking antibiotics all the time - other ideas are appreciated.  I have been taking non-drowsey sudafed and using a nasal spray with steroids!  Still have face hurting and grey mucous!

ElaineNY

Posted 6/20/2010 6:12 PM (GMT 0)

Medz said...

Supa said...
flares are brought on for me by illness

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Maybe, your illness causes an immune response, which activates T-cells and this causes your flare.

So then, again maybe, preventing the illness by strengthening the immune system, using D3, is a method of preventing flares?

I guess this could explain the positive benefits of D3, despite the fact that D3 is also what activates the enemy of UC patients.

Perhaps it is-maybe the D3 is a lesser of two evils kind of deal, but I do believe that it helps me to stay healthy-and that is imperative for me for avoiding flares. So I will keep taking the D3!
Posted 6/20/2010 6:39 PM (GMT 0)

kops2da said...
supa - what else do you do to prevent your sinus infections? I seem to have started that problem again after years of not having it. I took a Z-pak - infection was better and then came back. I hate taking antibiotics all the time - other ideas are appreciated. I have been taking non-drowsey sudafed and using a nasal spray with steroids! Still have face hurting and grey mucous!
ElaineNY

I try to be as preventative as I can-it is a lot easier to do that than fight an infection. If things get too far, I will go the doctor and get antibiotics (usually a z-pak, but they will also give me levaquin-I have sulpha and penicillin allergies), and then I get right back on track. I use a neti pot daily anytime I feel something coming on, or at times of year that are notoriously difficult for me. If need be, I will use it 2 times a day-it really helps a lot.

Another thing I use with great success is grapefruit seed extract nasal spray. I think the brand name is NutriBiotic-I get it at Whole Foods. If I start to get an infection, using that 2 times a day is usually enough to knock it out. It won't be enough if the infection is really advanced, but it does work very well.

I will also use the OTC sinus meds, but they won't help with an infection-they do help dry things out though and that makes me more confortable.

If I think of anything else, i will let you know, but a neti pot and the GSE nasal spray are my key lines of defense.
Posted 6/20/2010 7:10 PM (GMT 0)
supra - thanks so much for the info. I know this is OT but I really have been stressing about this and does not help my UC for sure.

 We don't have a Whole Foods store here in central NY.  Geez - everyone talks about that store.  BUT - we do have a couple health food stores in the city which is about 30 miles if and when I ever get there.  We really live in the "sticks" LOL.

I have considered a nettipot - can't believe I lived to be 70 with very few sinus problems but seems bad teeth are making it worse right now.  Have three of them out.  Tomorrow getting a cap on one that goes right up into the sinus near my nose.  I took a z-pak end of April and think it never got rid of the infection - came back.  Will ask the dentist tomorrow - she will be xraying it anyway.  I take sudafed non-drowsey and a steroid spray but they do dry me out, I get a headache and face ache.

Thanks again!

ElaineNY

Posted 6/20/2010 7:34 PM (GMT 0)

kops2da said...
supra - thanks so much for the info. I know this is OT but I really have been stressing about this and does not help my UC for sure.
We don't have a Whole Foods store here in central NY. Geez - everyone talks about that store. BUT - we do have a couple health food stores in the city which is about 30 miles if and when I ever get there. We really live in the "sticks" LOL.



I have considered a nettipot - can't believe I lived to be 70 with very few sinus problems but seems bad teeth are making it worse right now. Have three of them out. Tomorrow getting a cap on one that goes right up into the sinus near my nose. I took a z-pak end of April and think it never got rid of the infection - came back. Will ask the dentist tomorrow - she will be xraying it anyway. I take sudafed non-drowsey and a steroid spray but they do dry me out, I get a headache and face ache.

Thanks again!

ElaineNY

Well, I suppose I am fortunate to live near Whole Foods, which I often refer to as Whole Paycheck!! I don't shop there for much-that spray, my kids' probiotics and a few other odds and ends, but they are way overpriced. If you can't find it near you, you could try ordering online-same with the neti pot (I should mention that I use a nasal syringe-it serves the exact same function-just a slightly different method-mine is called Nasaline and I got it at a local place, but I know Amazon has them as well.) I could also pick it up for you and mail it if you need me to.

Good luck tomorrow with the dental work-that does not sound fun. I haven't been to the dentist in years, and I have a feeling that when I finally go, I will need a good bit of work as well Blah. Maybe that contributes to my sinus issues! Anyway, I hope everything goes smoothly...
Posted 6/20/2010 10:17 PM (GMT 0)
I got my neti pot at the local Walgreen's a few years ago, and I've also seen them at CVS.... but ou could order one, kops. Isn't it great we can get about anything mail-order via the Net?! Living in "the sticks" can be a lot less isolated now!
Posted 6/20/2010 10:24 PM (GMT 0)
I would like to clarify that I live 30 miles from the city of Syracuse and get there a couple times a month but our small town has a Walmart, of course, and Rite Aid where I saw a nettipot, etc.  Just don't have a Whole Foods or warehouse clubs around here.  Guess we got about everything we need.  I do order a lot from the internet especially in winter when our snow is a few feet deep!

ElaineNY

Posted 6/21/2010 4:39 AM (GMT 0)

I am more of a lurker here but  I think it is imprtant that I share my personal experience with vitamin D. I was born in the Caribbean and immigrated to Canada  at age 25. I was diagnosed 15 years later with Crohns ( which is virtually unknown in my birth country) I went through all the drug protocol with no success. Finally tried  Remicade at the insistence of my GI  my alternative was a colectomy.

 

Remicade worked beautifully for 4 months . It also helped my arthritis(ankylosing spondylitis) Alas, it started to lose its effectivenes pretty quickly. I was pretty  distraught  because I did not want to wear a bag as a single woman who wanted dating in my future.  I did  a lot of research on vitamin  D because of my osteoporosis abd was taking calcium and about 400 Iu of D3. However, I went to a Crohns symposium in April this year where the leading GIs, naturopaths,scientists  and rearchers were assembled. There I learned about the lack of Vitamin D connection  to crohns.  I was amazed that in my case my migration from a tropical country to a northern clime with far less sunlight could have triggered my condition.

I went home and immediately upped my D3 dosage to 3000 iu and I have never felt better.I reduced the prednisone I was taking from 30 mg to 5mg. My GI and I had had discussed Humira . I am now rethinking that. I will share my findings with him on my next visit later this month.  Also I plan to get my levels tested which I know I should have done previously but I considered it a crisis that could not wait. I  am optimistic for the first time in along while and  encourage all IBDers to have their levels tested . It may just make a difference.  

Posted 6/21/2010 6:15 AM (GMT 0)

tropic girl said...
I learned about the lack of Vitamin D connection to crohns.

What did you learn, how exactly does Vitamin D or the lack of it have an effect?
Posted 6/21/2010 2:18 PM (GMT 0)

Medz,

I learned that vitamin D is an immune system modulator that also fights inflammation.  If you are deficient then it cannot fulfill its role which can be twofold ie: calming an overactive immune system or boosting immunity if necessary. Perhaps that is the reason it is implicated in so many diseases. 

 

 It is possible that I had a  predisposition for IBD( hence my use of the word trigger) but  had a natural protection in the form of sunlight. I was also younger and more active.

Vitamin D also improved my mood which I consider a bonus. this can only be win win situation.

Posted 6/21/2010 5:07 PM (GMT 0)
I posted the study that showed the mice with D3 improved and those without D3 died from their flares basically.

Since the injectable form of D3 arrived I have been doing fantastic so I think that puts to bed any concerns that D3 would rev up the immune system and harm those of us with UC.
Posted 6/21/2010 5:25 PM (GMT 0)
If taking oral D3 helps people absorb other stuff (like calcium) why would anyone have to take it intravenously? That would be suggesting that it is hard to absorb itself wouldn't it?
Posted 6/21/2010 6:27 PM (GMT 0)
I have read that when we need it most, during a flare we absorb it the least. Interesting conundrum there. I read the flare is twice as bad without adequate D3 levels.

I don't inject it IV, I inject it intramuscular ( IM ) although you could argue that it can be done subcutaneously. There is very little feeling in the thigh, I just handle it like a dart and stab it in there. Its nothing. What I like about it is I don't have to consume it with oil in the hopes that it will 'boost' my absorption. I am bypassing all of the nonsense that we as UC'ers have with absorption issues. Jump ahead beyond the GI tract, beyond the liver.

Google Trim Vitamin D3 and Inject.

I'll see if I can find the research regarding the absorption issue. IM injections are weekly, IM allows it to bleed into your system over time, IV would not serve this purpose very well.
Posted 6/21/2010 6:45 PM (GMT 0)

aguywithuc said...
Since the injectable form of D3 arrived I have been doing fantastic.

You were specifically prescribed by your gastro to take liquid D3 for Ulcerative Colitis?

I got some more info here on why D3 works despite activating T-cells:

"if your T cells are functioning properly (are able to activate, perform their role) it is less likely that inflammatory processes/ misdirected immune responses will arise."
Posted 6/21/2010 6:50 PM (GMT 0)
I am not able to find the article which suggested that D3 absorption was lessened during a flare. I do see many references to corticosteroids depleting it which would occur during a flare.

So all I can offer for now is the same link I posted previously where the mice given D3 prevailed while the mice having D3 witheld died during their flare.

scienceblog.com/community/older/2000/D/200003548.html

I am glad I finally ordered the D3 injectable but I am guessing that the digestive enzymes I added per the 'Amish' herbal post are also making a big impact - hard to say as I could not resist starting both simultaneously.
Posted 6/21/2010 7:02 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for posting that, I am compiling my research into 'Treepad' but I seemed to have lost about a month of data.

I am attempting to get a single-person or individual medical policy and am not taking any medications and certainly not seeing my GI Guy.

Insurers were fairly upbeat about it, saying it has been x years since my diagnosis, no major meds, no Dr. suggesting I have surgery. We will see.

To answer your question directly I researched D3 for a while, was told by a guy who's mother died from UC that he felt I needed to get on some HIGH doses of D3/oil pills and that led me to order from Trim when I found the time. People are constantly pitching D3 oral supplements to every American - I know I have absorption issues from UC with everything so my aim is to be serious and hit the target. I also have B12 sub-q injections but honestly I dont think they do anything for me and I wont ever purchase them again. My mother said they helped my grandfather, great, they do not do anything for me. Trial and error. D3 injections I expect to continue to purchase.

I forgot to mention that while I was having blood work done for another purpose I had D3 checked and I was deficient so it seemed sensible to begin supplementing first with pills then with the injectable form.

Post Edited (aguywithuc) : 6/21/2010 1:20:10 PM (GMT-6)

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
123