Vitamin D....or.... D3?

Thank you, I'll go check it out now.  I've been checked over the years but never found to have a thyroid problem till just as I was getting dx this past fall.  Started on levothyroxine in october, and am only taking 1mg, so heck that's not much.  My dog was taking 3mg a day!

Thanks for the posting, I'll check them out!

Rosmary-

Why shouldn't you take calcium carbonate if on thyroid medicine? I've been on synthroid for about 25 years, and I take calcium carbonate as my calcium source (not at the same time).  

Should I be taking another form of calcium instead?????

Theresa 

Interesting thread.  Thanks for all the input!

Theresa,

As Marilyn said, carbonate interferes with your thyroid med.  It's in the hand-out that comes with the meds if you can find it in all the small print.  That was the only warning I read about calcium, so citrate is the better choice.  But wait out the 4 hours till you take calcium, just in case they come up with new research saying wait 4 hours.

Theresa,

Sometimes they put those warnings in for the few it might harm.  If all is going well for you, the next time you talk with your Dr. he might know the answer.   If you changed to citrate, it's possible that you might need a lower dose of synthroid, or then again, nothing in your levels will change.  I don't know how long you've been taking calcium, but when you started, do you remember having to tweak your synthroid dose?   It might not be bothering you to take carbonate.  Check with the Dr. though.

Hi all,

My labs are back. All seems well according to the lab doc. 

A recap...2 years 3 months on Arimidex (and counting).  I did not tolerate the med well at all, to say the least.  Certain that the hypo thyroid and arthritis made this even worse....but the magnesium supplement made it tolerable again.  

I visit the thread 'Arimidex vs no hormonal therapy' often.  But I've concluded to stay with Arimidex and tweek my other meds and diet around that need.  So far, so good. 

I asked for a check on the D3, Mag, calcium, etc.  The test for vit D is not covered under the national health system...I paid 35 euros for the test.

It is worth a mention to say that I began magnesium supplements (magnesium pidolate) in September...and sporadically took my supplement of D3 with calcium carbonate for many months... (thyroid meds affected if not taken four hours before calcium carbonate).

I'm in a sunny climate (most of the time).  We eat much dairy in the form of cheese (CLA rich especially), vegetables and fresh fruit.  I admit to my passion for chocolate, coffee in the morning, and wine with dinner.

My exercise increased significantly since taking the mag supplement (and getting a puppy!).  No weight loss yet.  Probably the holidays had something to do with it.  I'm reading again the healthy diet thread here..the ladies help to motivated the cut back on the portions and sweets.  However, quality of life seems to creep back into my rational when selecting the portion of my meals. 

I'm satisfied with the results and relieved to know I'm on course nutritionally with diet, etc.  

My WC took a dive...lowest since last March '07.  Maybe the flu in December took the count down..or the dreary January weather....unusual amount of rain.  I'll increase the mushrooms and beets.  I've been craving both....interestingly. 

Vitamina D Totale (25-OH-D) = 31  {range ng/ml 10 - 45}  They also made a notation that the range changed on 4 Dec 2007 for Vit D3 9 - 38.

Potassio Siserico (Kaliemia) = 4.2 {range mEq/l  3.5 - 5.5}

Calcio Sierico = 8.2 {range mg/dl 8.80 - 10.5}

Sideremia (Iron) = 83 {range mcg/dl 40 - 151}

Magnesio Sierico = 2.3 {range mg/dl 1.8 - 2.5}

About the Moc....the doc didn't want to do the lumbar/femora because the lumbar had so much arthritis the DEXA can't see thru?...he said that he didn't want to take my money for no reason.  Instead, he did the hips and femora.  I have arthritis in the hips too, but not as severe.

I was happy to hear that I am not at risk for fracture....an improvement. Yehhh.  The moc cost 80 euro but they refunded 20 euro for the change in bones scanned.

Hope that to share this info helps someone else ... especially those just beginning on the hormonal therapy path.  

Best wishes to all...as always.

Rosemary,

...the numbers say a lot.  I couldn't agree with you more.  The down sides of magnesium deficiency (joint pain, anxiety and depression) were a heavy weight to carry on top of BC management. 

I can't comment on the whys and wherefores of it all...but it is so worth checking into this and I recommend it to anyone.  I may have mentioned that my neighbor went through radiation of her thyroid....the docs supplemented her with ... you guessed it....cal / mag / vit D3.  She's feeling so much better these days ... smiling again.  It's worth it to check.

I am eternally grateful for the knowledge shared by everyone here on the boards, and especially to you and BBS for the information on magnesium deficiency, thyroid function, calcium supplements...etc.   I probably sound like a sappy commercial, and I really don't care if I do, ..... thanks soooo much.  Every day is hopeful again.

This little 'ol lab report is the culmination of major sleuthing (as Saluki called it) from March of last year until now.  I was so curious to see how the numbers would come out.  

I think I'll go and get a piece of dark chocolate and a glass of red wine to celebrate!  Join me?  I had pizza with mushrooms and CLA rich cheese for lunch.  It's skinless turkey cooked in olive oil, white wine and greek olives..seasoned with rosemary and sage.  Probably a tossed salad to go with it...and probably a Vermentino.  Salute my friends.

Best wishes to all...as always

this information taken from google search.... http://courses.washington.edu/bonephys/opvitD.html 

another very good reference ... http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminD/

Much more information available at this site.  The table doesn't copy well so you may want to go to the web site to see it clearly.  Hope it helps Shirley.... 

Vitamin D levels in serum

The normal values are higher than previously used. The definitions of normal and optimal are still debated. Heaney suggests there are two ways to define the optimal level: that level at which calcium absorption does not change further on giving extra vitamin D, and that level which will avoid increases in parathyroid hormone. Both approaches revealed serum 25(OH)D levels of 32 ng/ml. A survey in a general medical hospital found that 57% of hospitalized patients had levels lower than 15ng/ml. This high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D might contribute to osteoporosis. Excess vitamin D, on the other hand, can accelerate bone resorption. In patients referred to a bone clinic, 4 patients with high 25(OH)D levels (53-89 ng/ml) from dietary supplements had hypercalciuria and osteoporosis, and the bone density improved over 3 years after they stopped their supplements.

Thanks, Marilyn.

It's odd how more doctors are ordering this test.  One of my friend's (who has fibromyalsia) doctor (Rheumy) ordered the D test.  Her's came back 15 or 17 (can't remember).  He had her on the D2 prescription.  It will be interesting to see how that one turns out.

Marilyn,

I was listening to a lady on TV the other day and she was saying that since D is a fat soluble vitamin and if we're over weight it's going to get stored in our fat cells and not go to work for us. 

I think mine is working because my hip stopped hurting.  Imagine, just one small vitamin that can change our world.   How much C do you take? Or eat?   I keep reading lately about C and arthritis.  

Rosemary --

Good point about the fat storage of vit D.  This might be another good reason to loose some pounds....

Glad to hear that your hip pain is under control....every little bit helps.

About the vit C....I took supplements for years 1000 mg per day...the horse pill size....but now I take it only in my food.

We eat an orange every day.  Our tree provided us with oranges from begining Dec to just last week.  And yesterday, when I donated to the local Associazione Italiana Per La Ricerca sul Cancro ... I received a bag of Sicilian blood red oranges....soooo good.....for 8 euros....good deal, no?

The lemon tree blooms year round, but we run out usually sometime in the summer.  We use the juice in cooking ... and make water ice in the summer.

We eat salad of all types every day....radicchio is a favorite...especially with balsamico vinegar, oranges and black olives.

But something I overlooked as a good source until I searched the web page that I just posted....garlic, rosemary, sage, parsley.  We keep plants and use fresh everyday in the cooking. I didn't realize how much nutrition they added!  a surprise!

We use red peppers a lot too, but canned and skinned, not fresh because my DH has digestive problems.  I cook these with tomatoes, garlic and chicken.

Foods are seasonal, so it depends the season what is available.  It's artichoke season soon and one of my favorites. 

Probably I get the RDA but maybe a supplement of just a little more might help.  I'll let you know.  I suspect though that the damaged bone due to arthritis is not reverseable...but, one can never be absolutely certain of anything..so I'll give it a try.

Thanks for the info.

Marilyn, here in the states a women's vitamin is advertised with extra D for breast health.

Rosemary, I also read that about D being stored in fat.  Speed up the damn treadmill!

About stomach acid...Dr. Rosenfeld on Fox News Sunday morning said that some people think by taking apple cider vinegar that it helps with too much acid.  Seems odd, but I've heard this before.  He says people tout that ACV helps lower cholesterol and other things (Joan uses it).  He said there's no proof, but that if it didn't hurt you or interfere with meds by all means take it.  He said 1 tablespoon a day is what people told him they took. 

A question then.........

If calcium citrate is the answer, and only 20% of calcium citrate (elemental) is absorbed, does that mean you need to take five 1000mg tablets daily to get your required daily dosage?  

That was the reason I started with the calcium carbonate to begin with - the 40% elemental calcium absorbtion sold me!!  

Theresa

The advice out there is not to go over 2500 mg of calcium regardless of how much of it we absorb.  That's why we take D and magnesium with it to aid in absorption.  Eating high vitamin K foods are important, as is potassium.

We can get in trouble without taking magnesium with calcium because calcium can attach to organs and such, so getting it absorbed where we want it to go, is very important, and not going overboard with it is the most important.

Marilyn,

I didn't read that book.  I can't believe I might have missed one.  I never spent so much time in my life over calcium, mag and D.  There always seems to be more info everyday on one of them.  Iodine is becoming my latest project.

"According to the magazine "Innovations in Food Technology", calcium lactate gluconate has a very high absorption, with 10 times greater calcium solubility than calcium gluconate alone, and 140 times greater solubility than calcium citrate."

Are we supposed to change our citrates for these other forms?

I do take Vitamin C with my calcium.  Hmmm...don't know if it helps.  We'll see.

Shirley