Posted by iforgotmypassword on October 19, 2008, at 0:42:15
it looks like i am very vitamin d deficient. i am wondering if this could be what is causing my neuropsych and extrapyramidal and parkinsonian-like problems, and why my response to medication is incomplete, unpredictable, untolerable and seem to be risky in my case (since i have permanent extrapyrmidal symptoms.)
currently my most effective medication is lorazepam, which i have to use to function and move properly. this has worried me as it is gaba-ergic, and gaba is one of the neurochemicals which seems to plummet with parkinson's. but it is both a inexplicable hesitance and an inexplicable tension with screwy sensations with akathisia and rage that is very unpredictable. i have had screwy mouth movements, and problems talking in an organized conclusive way (and especially trouble with inhibiting talking,) that have been diagnosed both as psychosis and i have been asked if i abuse psychostimulants at the E.R. and i have seen "psychostimulant abuse" on my file, which kindof wierds me out. i have in the past tried to self-medicate out of desperation with higher doses of dexedrine leftover from trials that went nowhere, but responded very badly and certainly in no way i would consider recreational. i think the only time i went to the E.R. over overreaction to psychostimulants was when my doctor tried to add concerta to my desipramine.
in any case i will share the numbers my psychiatrist gave me over the phone, he said for 25 D i had a "10", and that the reference ranges for 25 D are:
<25 is "deficiency"
26-75 is "insufficiency"
76-250 is normal
>250 is "toxicity"but here is what is wierd, while my vitamin D stores (what 25 D is) seem to be quite low according to this, he said the 1,25 D (the active hormone converted from the stores (which are converted from the vitamin)) test was apparently normal, i didn't ask for the number, since i was trying to remember enough already.
there seem to be a certain other physical problems that may cause paradoxical results like this, but i haven't read enough. from what i read, apparently: sarcoidosis and hyperparathyroid disease, but it seems hypoparathyroid as well. i found it interesting and worth remembering that when i was reading about one of the parathyroid diseases, they mentioned parkinson's disease occuring as a consequence of the illness.
not sure what to make of all of this...
then there is the debate over D2 and D3, that i cannot make sense out of. it seems that D2 effectively contributes to 25 D stores, so that then it should also contribute to reliable availability of these stores for conversion to 1,25 D (again the process seems to be in this order: D2/D3 -> 25 D -> 1,25 D) it seems that there are bot studies saying that D3 is better, and studies saying that D3 and D2 are the same. it still does not explain why i am not hearing the same miraculous getting better stories from other "chronic lyme" patients taking D2, that i am hearing from those taking D3. and possible immediate explaination may be is that certain popular sentiments that D3 is better (that seem to get stronger in the alternative realm) may indicate that too few people are buying and trying D2, and that's why i'm not hearing anything. but also, it is interesting, it appears that vitamin D3 may be its own hormone with its own effects? is this plausible. there seem to have been favourable studies on vitamin d supplementation for mood, but i don't remember if they used D3 or D2. i should look into that.
i am also a vegetarian. so i do not want to take D3 unless there is solid reasoning it could be better, the larger sheep industry is absolutely vile.
i had to get these tests through my psychiatrist since a requisition from my naturopath (who initially had the idea to do the test) would not be covered. it was apparently cc'd to both my naturopath, and my GP. but this seems to be taking forever. and my GPs office is so busy, i hesitate to ask for appointments anymore. the staff can be very moody and they can be booked for quite long periods, i was hoping that they would call me. my psychiatrist called and told me about the results because they indicated that my 25 D result was clearly not normal, but he had no further knowledge of the meaning of the results.
sorry this is another exceptionally long, and possibly quite incoherent post.
poster:iforgotmypassword
thread:858207
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20081016/msgs/858207.html