Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: Spangles on November 05, 2018, 05:20:40 PM
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Hi Ladies,
I've not poster for a while.
Does anyone suffer from vitamin D deficiency? If so what symptoms have you had?
My doc refused me a blood test for it and said everyone should be taking it anyway.
However, if that's the case I don't know what brand or dose to take. Any help will be greatly received, especially the symptoms.
Thanks
Spangles
xXx
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At this time of year if you've had enough sunshine (which in UK we've had quite a bit of until very recently) then you shouldn't be Vit D deficient - if you are eating a good diet which contains some - because it is stored in the liver. If you have a darker skin and depending on where in UK you live, you might not have got enough or if you spent a lot of time indoors. It's not an exact science but current guidelines as I understand are for everyone to CONSIDER taking a supplement - depending on your lifestyle, diet and age eg I take some pure cod liver oil about once week which has some vit D in it, but I doubt I need to as I had lots of sun and eat good diet with oily fish etc. Testing is not routine no - you would have to pay privately. I had a private blood test done a couple of years ago in March and my levels were way up - over 90 whatever was being measured - can't remember the actual units - but I am now confident that I won't be deficient if levels were very good in March. If you are concerned maybe do what I do and take a cod liver oil capsule once a week or something - but if you know you've hardly had any sun, live too far north or have darker skin and don't have much in your diet then take something a bit more often maybe? Sorry can't help with symptoms - I would have thought you would have to be quite deficient in order for symptoms attributable to vit D deficiency to show up?
Hurdity x
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Yes Sparkle, that would be great thank you xXx
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Thanks Hurdity,
Yes we have had a lot of sun this year, however I must say, I totally stayed out of it! I live in the midlands so obviously we don't get as much sun as the south.
Spangles
xXx
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If you stayed out of it most of the time then you might well be deficient or at least sub-optimal.
Everyone should try to get out into the sun without sunscreen if possible for X minutes per day or whenever the sun's out!! (No offence Spangles!) - Even if just at weekends.... so much better to get it naturally than from pills! However now summer's over sounds like in your position you will defo need some Vit D.....
Hurdity x
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I live up north. Doc tested me a couple of years ago and my levels were so low they were 'unable to be picked up'!! Had to take the really strong dose for five weeks etc etc. I do now take the H&B one every day. Didn't have any/many major symptoms.
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You are a bit out of date Hurdity. No one in Northern Europe gets enough Vitamin D in the winter months, hence the new guidelines that we all supplement from October until spring.
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You don't have to pay private for the test. I've been routinely tested for it when I complained of tiredness and joint pain. I've since had two further tests for it just by asking the practice nurse if I can be tested again.
I was told it's very common now in the U.K. to be deficient although that was before our good weather this year. I'm not one to sit out in the sun but the nurse said you can't get enough vit D from your diet.
When my levels were below 30 I was tired, my joints ached in particular my hip and I had low mood. Those are the common symptoms.
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I found an NHS downloadable leaflet (sorry don't know how to do links on my phone). It says people over 65 cannot get enough via the skin. Well I'm 62 so that's near enough for me.
I have always said that vitamin deficiency was more of a problem as we get older.
Google Vitamin D deficiency and the NHS link should come up.
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Wow your doctor was so unhelpful!
Fatigue, sweats, joint/muscle pain, hair loss, low mood, weight gain are all symptoms of low Vitamin D (plus others).
When I was diagnosed as deficient I found eleven other people I knew were also diagnosed.
Current thinking is that supplementing should be done, especially throughout winter months.
Having an ‘optimal' vitamin D level has a lot of protective health qualities too.
There is lots of science/research based information to read up on using the internet, maybe print some off to help you start another conversation with your doctor.
If you do supplement, as the doctor suggested, then you really should have your levels monitored so I don't really understand why they don't want to get a starting level.
Hope you get some help soon :)
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I have had a thread about VitD here for nearly 2 years, updated today :-\
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You are a bit out of date Hurdity. No one in Northern Europe gets enough Vitamin D in the winter months, hence the new guidelines that we all supplement from October until spring.
If you can point me to these up-to-date guidelines I would be grateful as I haven't come across them.
Yes it is true in N Europe we do not get enough vit D FROM THE SUN from October to March (except this year!), but if you have had plenty of sunlight during the summer months and depending on skin type there should be stores for a while at least and a good diet rich in vit D is also esesntial.
I haven't come across guidelines that says that everyone should take a supplement in winter - as I said - the new Guidelines that I am aware of were 2016 which said we should all consider taking a supplement. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/ This page was last reviewed in March 2017.
Equally I have not come across anything which suggests that over 65's do not make enough vit D in the skin so would be interested to see the research - or the leaflet at least. I suspect that any data like this will be from a survey of actual vit D levels in a whole range of older people many of whom may well spend a lot of time sitting indoors.
I totally agree that vit D is vital and no-one should let themselves become deficient, but not everyone needs to supplement - it's a question of looking at lifestyle and diet as well as age. For example I nag by son in his 20's to take vit D supplements even in summer because he spends very little time in sunlight so is in danger of becoming deficient. I know I won't be - so why waste money on supplements - except as I mentioned the odd spoonful of cod liver oil once a week or so for general health and which also contains some vit D.
CLKD there are loads of threads about vit D and all sorts of different topics - no-one is going to search randomly and post on the same topic that one person started unless it is one of the long-running threads.....
Hurdity x
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But it's silly to have 2 threads running on the same topic. It means comments are missed.
Supplements are different to what the GPs prescribed Mum and myself, after blood tests VitD levels were low so medication was prescribed with the appropriate level of what was required to boost back to where we both felt well again.
I have had to re-start my capsules this week as I feel so tired. Despite being out and about in the sunshine except in the intense UK heat this year my symptoms have returned. [see my other threads]
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CLKD you should really get your vit D tested again before taking the capsules. I was convinced my levels were low again due to the symptoms returning but when I had my levels tested they were now classed as a good level.
It may be something else causing your symptoms. You're probably tired due to the cough/cold you have.
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:thankyou: I haven't the energy to go to the Surgery ::)
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Here is the leaflet, as requested.
http://www.wlmht.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Vitamin-D-leaflet-A5-8pp.pdf
Also the term 'consider' in the recommendations is surely just politeness. We would all be offended if the the NHS 'insisted' on any treatment or advice. We don't have to follow, we choose.
Remember also that Vit D is really a hormone and not a true vitamin so just think of it a another form of HRT.
So long as you stick to the recommend dose I can't see the problem and as one in 4 of us is probably deficient taking it is a sensible insurance. Well I think so anyway. :)
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We should all take Vitamin d especially as we get older. The recommendation used to be 10ug which is approx 400 iu's or a teaspoon of cod liver oil but it is now recommended to take 800-1000 iu's per day to have a normal level. I take 25ug times one per day and have done for a long time now
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Hi Ladies,
Thanks for your replies, I am now using Boots 3000 Vitamin D so I will see how it goes.
CLKD, people can start threads on whatever topic they want to on this site. It doesn't matter if there are threads on the same topic, (there are often many on the same topic). I have read other threads on here about Vitamin D, including yours, it is not a competition to see who can get the longest thread going. It's more a case of what is right for that individual at that time.
Spangles
xXx
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However, too many threads on the same topic gets tiring and means that experiences are missed, if we kept to one we could keep up with each other.
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Nope.
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Hello ladies,
This is one of the best simple reviews I've read so far regarding Vitamin D and Calcium supplements:
https://www.mdedge.com/ccjm/article/173635/endocrinology/calcium-and-vitamin-d-supplement-or-not# (https://www.mdedge.com/ccjm/article/173635/endocrinology/calcium-and-vitamin-d-supplement-or-not#)
Conolly X
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:thankyou:
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You're welcome 😉
Conolly X
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You're welcome, Hasty.
Here's another very good article (actually an editorial) called The Death D-fying Vitamin:
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(18)30313-6/fulltext (https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(18)30313-6/fulltext)
Conolly X
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You're welcome, sparkle :)
Conolly X
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However, too many threads on the same topic gets tiring and means that experiences are missed, if we kept to one we could keep up with each other.
When people are tired they don't have time to scour the forum searching for information - they they are worried they want help quickly. I notice on other threads you suggest that people use the search box, not everybody is as technically adept as you especially when they feel unwell and are tired.
As a matter of interest are you proposing to delete a thread?
Thanks Hasty.
The articles you had shared are very interesting.
As for using the search box CLKD, it doesn't recognise Vitamin D, this is because it is needs updating so. That it is able to cope with more extensive search criteria.It says that words have to be at least two characters, hence no results for vitamin D, hence my thread! I'm so sorry you are offended by this.
Spangles
xXx
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Thanks Conolly. A good article
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Hello Herdwick,
You're welcome, thanks for reading.
Conolly X
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I have asked the Staff to check Mum's VitD levels ........ the village GP attends routinely each Monday . She complains of 'not feeling well' but I don't know if it's low levels, because she is fixating on perceived issues within the Home or general awkwardness!
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20 months ago. We both were. She doesn't get out into the fresh air as much as she did then!
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Especially if she has to bare her arms ::) but it is sunny enough for 10 mins in the morning and afternoon. The Lady who did the activities has left :-\