This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

hi jack, 1000-1200 mg calcium, 600mg magnesium (300 with the d3 and 300 on its own, at bedtime), not to mention 25-50mg zinc, and a smidge of vitamin K or eat good sources of vitK daily.
what's your acceptable d3 level? ever had your zinc tested?

Jimmy,

When last checked my d3 level was 38 ng/ml, with 32 being the low end. I have not had my zinc level tested.

Jack

Jack,

Did you have your vitamin D level checked before you started supplements? That would be some good information, to know what effect that supplement level had.

About a month ago, I emailed Margherita Cantorna, who has done a bunch of research into vitamin D. She did experiments where she was able to block EAE in mice using vitamin D and calcium supplementation. I think others here have referenced her articles. Anyway, she recommended taking 1000 mg D3 per day along with 800 mg calcium, though her recommendations were based partly on the work of others. She also mentioned the 32 ng/ml number as a lower threshold level.

hi jack, 1ng/mL =2.496nmol/L soooo 95 nmol/L yea that is not bad. lowest risk quintile in the last study i looked at was min 100 nmol/L so you're pretty much there. nice!

if you ever get your zinc tested, 11.5-18.5 mumol/L is my lab's normal range, ms men average around 13 (range 11-15) and healthy controls 18.

Well I got my vitamin D results and I was at 21!!!!!!!!!!

So I took four weeks of 50,000iu 1xweek...and now I take a 1000iu per day. It was up to 34. It has helped with fatigue tremendously. I had no idea how bad I was until I had it right.

I suggest you have your doc test yours out and make sure you are over 30! Some newer docs say for healthy people 40-60 is sufficient. I figure us MS folk should maybe be shooting for 50. Tomorrow I recheck it again to see where I am.

Curious your thoughts if any at all.

.

definitely 40 MINIMUM for MSers chris (that's 100 for the metric folks).
50 (150) is definitely where i prefer to be too - get er goin!

When I was first being worked-up, my 25 OH vitamin D was 20.7 ng/mL. Of course, the PCP I had at the time bought into that goofy Marshall theory. he recommended against supplementation, and I didn't know any better. After some internet research, I realized I needed to start taking vitamin D, but I haven't been tested again, yet.

ugh marshall again... glad you're a reader px!

I can't believe I left it until this year to get tested. Glad you got the tests done Chris.

Mine were:
May 2008 52nmol/L
August 2008 50 nmol/L
November 2008 49 nmol/L

I was taking 1000IU D3, then upped it in Aug to 2000IU, now am on 4000IU.
Have to wait until April to see my Neuro but I think I may need even more than this.

Everyone get tested, please!
Here's the reason why:http://www.msra.org.au/news/documents/M ... ebsite.pdf (link has been posted before but for newbies....)

ww, when i started supplementing 4000IU per day or close to it, i did so for months and months and still at my first test i had only made it up to 72.
my hospital advised you can get your d3 boosted 50nmol/L in 10 days by taking 50,000IU per day. i followed those instructions and it worked.
i did it using a highly concentrated d3 liquid from the pharmacist. there's a picture of the product i use on the mega D thread in regimens.
i used to get some additional hi potency liquid diluted for the daily 4000IU maintenance dose. it has to be mixed with oil which isn't that tasty.
i found if i don't get the d3 diluted at all, i don't even seem to need a prescription; it's over-the-counter. so i bought the whole bottle (tiny) and i take one drop roughly once a week. i know from taking 50,000IU per day using the graduated syringe that it's two drops. so one drop = 25,000IU instead of 4000IU x 7 days = 28,000IU

I just got some blood work back this week from my Endo. Back in Feb. 08 it was below 20. Now after a round of the 50,000 iu weekly doses and then my continuing 2000 iu daily I am in the "normal" range, but still on the low with my 25-OH at 31.

The Endo would like it higher but only wants me to take 1000 iu and that there is nothing more to do about it.

Jimmy that's good info. Unfortunately my GP doesn't seem to find my Vit D status worrisome, although I do, and I'm scared of jeopardising the new patient/doctor communications as my last GP (had for 8 years) ended up thinking I was a nutter because I asked too much about hughes and lupus. With good reason, but that's another story.

I'll ask my pharmacist instead, he's amenable to questions! Maybe we have a similar high-dose D3 in Ireland. At the moment I'm taking 40 xdrops of D3, it's actually a product designed for babies (2 drops a day) so it takes time to get them all in!! And high-dose D3 would be cheaper too. Will ask him next week.

Just wondering what did you do for cal/mag/zinc/copper while you took 50,000 IU? - At the moment I'm taking 1500mg cal/1000mg mag/35mg zinc/2mg copper along with 4,000IU D3.

p.s. I think you should call yourself jimmyvits by the way! You are a font of knowledge.

dixie, that's 31 in ng/ml right? if that's your units then you're getting there, you're probably doing okay against osteoporosis at that level, 40 is the minimum for the immune sys. somewhere in here there's a post of mine that tells you how to calculate how long such and such dose will take to achieve such and such level, i'll have to see if i can find that again

ww, pharmacists are gold. your guy can probably help you. haha, i used to take the baby stuff at first but it was ridiculous. kinda tasty though lol!

i did not take enough minerals when i did my d3, which is why i jump up and down for other ppl to do so now. your mix of cal mag zinc cu sounds really good. i can't even believe you are able to handle 1000 per day of mag, for real??? i would never leave the bathroom.

also, do read up on vitamin K and think about eating lots of k veggies
cheers from
jimmyvittles ;)

I weighed in at 9. Nine! Doc said I was close to ricketts, LOL. I started 1000 mcg/day, slowly upped to 5000 mcg/day. Last bloodwork saw me at 20. Hoping for 50 this time .......