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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Chris O on June 24, 2012, at 1:17:54
I've tested very low (low 20s) in my vitamin D levels for over two years now. I have never tried to bring up the levels with high D-3 supplementation, but am going to now. I'm going to take 5,000-10,000 IU's a day for several months and see if I notice any difference in mood or tiredness. Already, after three weeks, I feel some decrease in fatigue, I think. I was wondering if anyone with long-term anxiety and/or depression had seen any benefit after taking D-3 supplements and raising their blood D levels. Appreciate any feedback with experiments. My B-12 is also consistently low, but B-12 shots and supplementation have little effect on my mood and fatigue.
Chris
Posted by Phillipa on June 24, 2012, at 9:57:44
In reply to Vitamin D supplementation benefit anyone?, posted by Chris O on June 24, 2012, at 1:17:54
I know I've looked into really good docs in my area who deal with the whole body and supplements with different testing and costs are well beyound my means if you can afford it I'd google docs in your area. I do take D3 and levels last time taken in 50's. 20 is very low. Sunshine small doses raises vita D. Also vita D is good for the bones with calcium magnesium. As for the fatigue and B 12 injections are you anemic or suffer from a form of anemia? I've not heard of it helping depression. But then haven't looked for it for that reason. Phillipa
Posted by bleauberry on June 30, 2012, at 9:30:17
In reply to Vitamin D supplementation benefit anyone?, posted by Chris O on June 24, 2012, at 1:17:54
I have low D. Actually, that is a fairly reliable marker for chronic stealth infection of some kind.
There are opposing camps on the topic of D. Some claim it will make things worse by feeding the infection more of what it wants. Others claim that while it may indeed do that, it will boost the immune system and overall health greater than it helps the bugs, and so the bugs eventually get defeated.
Every time I have tried D I got worse. Damn. Not sure, but I think I was having Herxheimer reactions to die-off. I am convinced I need to try it again, this time at lower doses and work my way up, with a longterm outlook.
Low B12 is also consistent with hidden infections. Whether it helps your symptoms or not, it would probably be a wise idea to try supplementing more of it just to be sure other enzymatic processes and amino acid processes have what they need to do their correct metabolisms. It could also be a genetic flaw or a result of some kind of damage from metals or whatever. No matter, if there isn't enough, supplementing seems reasonable unless it causes worsening of symptoms.
I doubt D by itself, or anything by itself for that matter, is going to be a cure for you or any of us. Things are usually more complicated than that. But if you find it useful, that is cool, because it could be one of the pillars in your overall treatment plan. When it comes to natural treatments of anything, good results happen more frequently with cocktails than singular items.
Posted by Chris O on June 30, 2012, at 16:00:35
In reply to Re: Vitamin D supplementation benefit anyone?, posted by bleauberry on June 30, 2012, at 9:30:17
Bleauberry:
Thanks for the reply. "Chronic stealth infection?" Wow, that's a road I have not gone down with my chronic anxiety and depression and fatigue and overall blah-ness. But anything is possible, I guess. I've tried supplementing with D-3 and B-12--really ramped it up over the past month or so--but I'm not sure if it affecting me that much, if at all. I know that B-12 shots only have the mildest of effects on me, in terms of mood or cognition.
I've read your posts in the past. It sounds like you are more sensitive to, and/or positively affected by, supplements (herbs, vitamins, etc.) than I am. I think I've tried everything on the shelves in fairly high doses to treat my anxiety and depression, but nothing really works. I think you had mentioned success with rhodiola rosea recently. I know there was a time when I took a couple of bottles of New Chapter's rhodiola with absolutely zero effect. Anyway, short of trying Nardil or tricyclics, I'm pretty much at the end of my rope. Exercise helps, but not enough. I'm still basically unemployed, living off my wife in a chronically codependent way (her insurance, her income, mostly--oh, how romantic!). I have pretty much been humiliated and degraded my whole life by this condition, and nothing I try seems to help. I feel like I expend much more energy than many, many others I meet on a daily basis, yet fall deeper and deeper into a pit of dysfunction, or just that expense of energy does not deal with the core of my problem. Genetics? Brain damage? Unresolved grief from a completely lost childhood with a mother who was mentally ill and a family who acted as her partner ("oh, your poor, poor mother; she's had it so hard"). Anyway, thanks for responding. Good luck to you as well.
Chris
Posted by Vincent_QC on July 28, 2012, at 17:03:25
In reply to Re: Vitamin D supplementation benefit anyone?, posted by bleauberry on June 30, 2012, at 9:30:17
> I have low D. Actually, that is a fairly reliable marker for chronic stealth infection of some kind.
>
> There are opposing camps on the topic of D. Some claim it will make things worse by feeding the infection more of what it wants. Others claim that while it may indeed do that, it will boost the immune system and overall health greater than it helps the bugs, and so the bugs eventually get defeated.
>
> Every time I have tried D I got worse. Damn. Not sure, but I think I was having Herxheimer reactions to die-off. I am convinced I need to try it again, this time at lower doses and work my way up, with a longterm outlook.
>
> Low B12 is also consistent with hidden infections. Whether it helps your symptoms or not, it would probably be a wise idea to try supplementing more of it just to be sure other enzymatic processes and amino acid processes have what they need to do their correct metabolisms. It could also be a genetic flaw or a result of some kind of damage from metals or whatever. No matter, if there isn't enough, supplementing seems reasonable unless it causes worsening of symptoms.
>
> I doubt D by itself, or anything by itself for that matter, is going to be a cure for you or any of us. Things are usually more complicated than that. But if you find it useful, that is cool, because it could be one of the pillars in your overall treatment plan. When it comes to natural treatments of anything, good results happen more frequently with cocktails than singular items.Hummm, dont think Vit D can help depression or anxiety and if someone here know it it's me.
I had a gastric by-pass and need to take 50 000 units of vitamin D each day, here they said that the dose of 50 000 units a day is toxic for a normal person.
My Vit D level is tested 3 times a year, they take some blood and look for Vitamin D25 level in the blood. My Vit D level is at 110, I had low level of Vit D especially in the first few years I had the gastric by-pass with Vit D level of 10-20, and to be honnest I dont see a difference in the anxiety state or depression or anything else.
I don't think Vit D can be good for that but can be good for bones especially with calcium as well a magnesium but nothing else...
Posted by Phillipa on July 28, 2012, at 21:45:49
In reply to Re: Vitamin D supplementation benefit anyone? » bleauberry, posted by Vincent_QC on July 28, 2012, at 17:03:25
Vincent the level is too high. I see on websites that 80 is tops. Phillipa
Posted by Vincent_QC on July 28, 2012, at 22:41:26
In reply to Re: Vitamin D supplementation benefit anyone? » Vincent_QC, posted by Phillipa on July 28, 2012, at 21:45:49
> Vincent the level is too high. I see on websites that 80 is tops. Phillipa
Well not really...a level of 120 is ok here...I guess its different for most country. Also in the winter my level usually fall into the 50...and dont feel worse or better... Anyway all my vitamins level are not well balanced and its because of the gastric by pass...water solube vitamins are well absorb but fat solube vits like D or A arent well absorb... Had blood tests last week and will have the results in 2 weeks...I just hope my calcium and iron levels are not low cause I dont take them like im suppose to do, cause of worse constipation...Feel like im running low in energy like when i had anemia...
Posted by PrettyLady on February 12, 2013, at 18:42:06
In reply to Vitamin D supplementation benefit anyone?, posted by Chris O on June 24, 2012, at 1:17:54
> I've tested very low (low 20s) in my vitamin D levels for over two years now. I have never tried to bring up the levels with high D-3 supplementation, but am going to now. I'm going to take 5,000-10,000 IU's a day for several months and see if I notice any difference in mood or tiredness. Already, after three weeks, I feel some decrease in fatigue, I think. I was wondering if anyone with long-term anxiety and/or depression had seen any benefit after taking D-3 supplements and raising their blood D levels. Appreciate any feedback with experiments. My B-12 is also consistently low, but B-12 shots and supplementation have little effect on my mood and fatigue.
>
> ChrisYes, I tested low for Vitamin D, and it helps me a little. When I take about 8,000 IUD in the morning I start to feel better as I wake up pretty anxious in the morning. I did better on a gel tablet than anything else.
Posted by Chris O on February 12, 2013, at 23:44:48
In reply to Re: Vitamin D supplementation benefit anyone?, posted by PrettyLady on February 12, 2013, at 18:42:06
Pretty Lady:
Interesting that you should follow up at this time. A couple of months ago, I tested my vitamin D again. After a brief uptick about a year ago (tested in the high 50s), I'm back down to 20 again. I really have no idea why. I'm outside a lot, live in southern California, exercise regularly. My one theory has been a massive consumption of Honest Tea Moroccan Mint (probably 4 to 8 bottles a day) for over a decade. I've heard that tea leaves have high fluoride levels, and that caffeine depletes vitamin D, but the doctors I've seen don't think this is an issue. I've also been a bit paranoid to take the vitamin D supplement that raised my levels last year (Carlson's fish oil), due to fears that radiation from the Fukashima radiation leak could be in these supplements now. I've been taking a Carlson's drop, the lanolin kind, but I don't think it works as well as my vitamin D levels recently tested low. And I don't know if it really affects my mood much anyway. Hard to tell as I'm such an anxiety disordered freak most of the time. Good luck to you.
Chris
Posted by Vincent_QC on February 13, 2013, at 10:07:57
In reply to Re: Vitamin D supplementation benefit anyone? » PrettyLady, posted by Chris O on February 12, 2013, at 23:44:48
> Pretty Lady:
>
> Interesting that you should follow up at this time. A couple of months ago, I tested my vitamin D again. After a brief uptick about a year ago (tested in the high 50s), I'm back down to 20 again. I really have no idea why. I'm outside a lot, live in southern California, exercise regularly. My one theory has been a massive consumption of Honest Tea Moroccan Mint (probably 4 to 8 bottles a day) for over a decade. I've heard that tea leaves have high fluoride levels, and that caffeine depletes vitamin D, but the doctors I've seen don't think this is an issue. I've also been a bit paranoid to take the vitamin D supplement that raised my levels last year (Carlson's fish oil), due to fears that radiation from the Fukashima radiation leak could be in these supplements now. I've been taking a Carlson's drop, the lanolin kind, but I don't think it works as well as my vitamin D levels recently tested low. And I don't know if it really affects my mood much anyway. Hard to tell as I'm such an anxiety disordered freak most of the time. Good luck to you.
>
> ChrisHi Chris, I also have my Vit D level tested every 3 months, here the normal values is between 67 and 120 nmol/l.
I was recently tested at 66, so low level and last summer I was at 120 who is normal high level and you can trust me that Vitamin D level don't have any kind of effect on the mood or anxiety!!!
So many peoples believe that magnesium or other vitamins and minerals are low and are the cause of their depression or anxiety but I don't believe it... For example, for some peoples, taking magnesium supplements will calm them and reduce their anxiety... If I take magnesium supplements, my anxiety increase, my heart rate go up into the tachycardia range, have muscles cramps and my headache is worse... I recently wanted to try a product call Natural Calm, it's a magnesium supplements that you put in water and produce some bubbles (sorry don't know the words in english)... anyway I take it 3 times, at first I felt very bad and had a panic attack 2 hours after I take it and wasnt able to sleep at all since my heart rate was very high... second night I took it thinking that it was maybe my fears about meds who was doing this, and I had the same side-effects from it... third night I took it and same thing happen... Even if my magnesium level was tested in december and was normal, I don't see why taking magnesium will make me feel better! Same thing apply for the other vitamins as well and minerals and the electrolytes... everything is fine in my blood tests but I feel so bad and my anxiety reach a severe state and i'm sick all the time and homebound, intestinal system shut down, head hurt all the time, low or high blood pressure, chest pain, left arm numbness all the time, dizziness and tinnitus, depersonalisation feeling all the time, eyes pain... name it I have all the possible anxiety symptoms...
So overall, I don't think Vitamin D is important for the mood...and that's my point of view...
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