Question about D3

[shellos8]

I haven't been to health food store yet but I did stop by Rite Aid today on my lunch break and was only able to find D3 with 1000 or 2000IU. I read studies that for people with MS you must take at least 14,000IU a day to have any affect.

Is there a higher IU available? Taking 7 or 8 of these a day doesn't sound like much fun. And if I do have to take 7 or the 2000IU per day do they all need to be taken at the same time?

Oh, and does it have to be D3? Is that different than regular Vitamin D?

[Sequoia]

I haven't been to health food store yet but I did stop by Rite Aid today on my lunch break and was only able to find D3 with 1000 or 2000IU. I read studies that for people with MS you must take at least 14,000IU a day to have any affect.

Is there a higher IU available? Taking 7 or 8 of these a day doesn't sound like much fun. And if I do have to take 7 or the 2000IU per day do they all need to be taken at the same time?

Oh, and does it have to be D3? Is that different than regular Vitamin D?

I don't know what studies you read, but it isn't generally true that you must take 14,000 IU a day for D3 to be effective.

If your serum D3 level is very low (have you had it checked?) you may need as much as 50,000 IU in one dose, repeated weekly until your level comes up.

If your level isn't very low, a much smaller daily dose may be helpful...say in the range of 1000 to 2000 IU a day, which is what many neurologists are now routinely prescribing for their MS patients. Some people choose to take more, but nowhere near the 14,000 IU amount you mentioned.

Vitamin D3 is available in doses as high as 10,000 IU per capsule, but you may have to place a special order for it at a health food store or order it by mail.

Yes, it has to be D3, which is better absorbed by the body than D2 ("regular" D). And it should be in gelcaps, not tablets.

Here's a link to a previous thread about Vitamin D:

http://www.msworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=109125

Hope this info helps!

[cosake]

I have never heard the 14,000 IU daily information.

You should talk to your neuro and see what s/he recommends. After testing at a level of 17, my neuro recommended 2,000 IU daily.

I've been tested once since and they were happy with my improvement.

[heliotrope]

My neuro has me on 5,000 IU. And yes, I take 5 tablets. I can't find gelcaps without soy, which can have its own issues (see the previous thread).

[Sequoia]

My neuro has me on 5,000 IU. And yes, I take 5 tablets. I can't find gelcaps without soy, which can have its own issues (see the previous thread).

Healthy Origins Vitamin D3 gelceps have no soy; that's what I take. I'm pretty sure there are other soy-free brands out there too. Have you looked at the offerings of a large online supplement supplier such as iHerb?

[Justsayyes]

I bought Nature Made brand at the grocery, ninety gelcaps of 5000 iu each, but yes to the soy in it for those who can't have soy. It says "new" on the label. I guess this higher strength is newly available by Nature Made.

[cosake]

I got mine from Amazon and they are 2,000 IU each. Don't know if they contain soy or not. Amazon has 5,000 IU pills/softgels and also has the liquid drops in different strengths for those who don't like pills.

[Sequoia]

I got mine from Amazon and they are 2,000 IU each. Don't know if they contain soy or not. Amazon has 5,000 IU pills/softgels and also has the liquid drops in different strengths for those who don't like pills.

It will say in the list of ingredients on the label if there is soy.

[cosake]

Thank you - I don't have the bottle with me to be able to tell anyone if they have soy or not.

[Bob698]

My VA doc has me taking D2 (50,000 unit) once a week for 18 weeks.
I don't feel any difference, either good or bad, and I drink about a gallon of milk a week plus yogurt.

[Sequoia]

My VA doc has me taking D2 (50,000 unit) once a week for 18 weeks.
I don't feel any difference, either good or bad, and I drink about a gallon of milk a week plus yogurt.

D2 is the more common or old-school form, and I believe it's the one most often prescribed by doctors. It does work...it's just not as effective as D3.

[bammaw]

What does vitamine D3 (of even D2) do for us that is helpful to health?

[Sequoia]

What does vitamine D3 (of even D2) do for us that is helpful to health?

I'm assuming your question is about Vitamin D and MS, not Vitamin D and health in general. If you want to know about the latter, just go to any reputable health site such as WebMD.

There's an increasing number of epidemiological and research studies indicating that Vitamin D status not only impacts whether people get MS in the first place, but also how people who already have MS thrive (or fail to thrive).

Here's a quote from an article on a recent Toronto study, originally published in the journal Neurology:

The group receiving the vitamin D demonstrated a remarkable 41 percent reduction in new MS events, a figure that markedly exceeds what is claimed by the standard drug treatment discussed above. What's more, the treatment group actually demonstrated improvement in physical function, a finding not seen in the control group.There were no meaningful side effects in the group receiving the vitamin D treatment and researchers demonstrated that blood calcium levels remained perfectly normal throughout the test, even at the very highest dosages of vitamin D. This was an important part of the study since concern has been raised that high vitamin D levels might increase blood calcium levels.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-dav..._b_818912.html

Many neurologists are now recommending that their MS patients supplement Vitamin D on a regular basis.

[bammaw]

I'm assuming your question is about Vitamin D and MS, not Vitamin D and health in general. If you want to know about the latter, just go to any reputable health site such as WebMD.

There's an increasing number of epidemiological and research studies indicating that Vitamin D status not only impacts whether people get MS in the first place, but also how people who already have MS thrive (or fail to thrive).


Here's a quote from an article on a recent Toronto study, originally published in the journal Neurology:

The group receiving the vitamin D demonstrated a remarkable 41 percent reduction in new MS events, a figure that markedly exceeds what is claimed by the standard drug treatment discussed above. What's more, the treatment group actually demonstrated improvement in physical function, a finding not seen in the control group.There were no meaningful side effects in the group receiving the vitamin D treatment and researchers demonstrated that blood calcium levels remained perfectly normal throughout the test, even at the very highest dosages of vitamin D. This was an important part of the study since concern has been raised that high vitamin D levels might increase blood calcium levels.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-dav..._b_818912.html

Many neurologists are now recommending that their MS patients supplement Vitamin D on a regular basis.

Sequoia, This answeres my question. Thanks once again for being such a terrific source of information (and encouragement I might add)

[nutritiontara]

Benefits; you can google the many benefits of vit D.

I have my patients on upwards of 20,000IU/day with rechecks in 3-4 mos. You want to get your levels up asap. With MS insist on regular tests until you get your levels above 70. (and then retest to find your maintainence dose) Insurance covers testing a few times per year for MS.