Vitamin D

Hello Teetime, 5 years ago I fell and broke my ankle, having to have it pinned and plated. It would not be described as a "bad" fall, the problem was that unknowingly i had developed osteopenia which is low bone density (a low level of vit D) but not low enough to be classed as osteoporosis. My count was 9 which was very low and I was totally unaware of this, feeling fine. Since then I have been taking AD Cal D3 which is the drug you mention without any side effects and my count shot up within months.

I do not feel any benefit but as my count is high I am more than happy. For other reasons I should not be exposed to too much sun so when we do have sunshine in summer, I sit in it for 20 minutes x3 a week.

I take AdCal D3 as well, due to osteopenia.

Strangely enough, I have noticed that I'm now getting fewer aches and pains in my legs and back, although that could be down to my general fitness having improved.

My biggest problem is remembering to take the tablets - they're the ones you dissolve in your mouth (or chew!).

I am on this as well for colitis - probable bad absorption of Vit.D.
I have the ones you don't have to chew!
One thing I learned online is that if you take them early in the day, they don't interfere with your melotonin at night - and yes, I think I am sleeping better.

Thank you for the info I bought some today and start tomorrow it would be nice if my aches and pains lessened as a result.

If they were suggested by the rheumatologist, she will be writing to your GP and you will be able to get them on prescription. My surgery no longer prescribes the fizzy ones because of cost but the other variety is quite palatable.

I agree, you should be getting it on prescription, Teetime if your rheumatologist has recommended that you take it.

I don't get mine on prescription even though my cardiologist recommended it. He even suggested I got them from Holland and Barratt where they often have them on offer.

They were very cheap in Boots less than £3 it would cost the NHS a lot more to generate a prescription for me.

I've just come back to this thread after having second thoughts. As you live in England and presumably have to pay prescription charges, Teetime, you're certainly better off buying your own tablets.

AdCal D3 tablets online are around £5-£8 for 96 or 112, whereas my GP only gives me a 28 pack! .

Ana how mean of your GP. I picked up my prescription yesterday and it is for 112 tablets but not the fizzy variety because of cost.

Sorry Teetime I did not realise that you were under 60 and not entitled to free prescriptions. If you do have to pay, go for the sugar coated as opposed to the fizzy ones as the latter tablets are more expensive.

I wish charleygirl no just 61 but I do get a good big bag of stuff from the GP now every month I'm happy to buy my own Vitamins I bought a multi vit as well for a boost - and a ton of Perfect and Protect!!!

Ana; Gp's get aid for each prescription they do. So, if everyone had two months supply of their medication it would cut their income by half. Also, you'd be surprised how many people are prescibed Adcal, pick up the medication each month and then never take it. A lot of people are automatically prescribed Adcal [not sure if it's when your reach 65 or something; I'm a bit out of touch these days].

Hello Tegan, that's really, really interesting. Because I'm interested in health stuff I do a lot of random reading and I've been aware of an increased interest in Vitamin D and a lot of articles and evidence saying that we are all quite low in the vitamin.
I don't understand it because like you I spend loads of time out in the sun and I've wondered if falling levels in the population might be due to either us all spending more time indoors looking at screens or the influence of those who chose to go about robed.
I'm sure you're as capable as me of searching on the Internet but I just had a quick look to try and remind myself of what I'd read. I found this page good www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Vitamin-D.aspx. Although I'm quite an alternative medicine person, I do like to try and balance some of the whackier stuff with something mainstream. I thought the comments on this page were interesting and useful.
There is especially one which talks about the balance of things in our body and how vitamin D absorption is related to levels of magnesium and calcium. I have read about how modern farming means we don't get as much of these minerals in our diet anymore.
The other thing that occurs to me is how people don't eat butter anymore and I seem to remember that butter is a source of vitamin D. I eat loads of it!

We all tend to drink low fat milk as well; I wonder if that makes a difference?

Also exercise improves bone density and we tend not to do manual work these days.

I eat plenty of butter, only use full-fat milk and get plenty of outdoor exercise - but I still have osteopenia!

I think other factors are involved in many cases of Vitamin D and/or calcium deficiency.

According to the NHS Choices website Vit D is to be found in the following

oily fish
fortified fat spreads
fortified cereals
eggs
powdered milk

I found this interesting and went to look for the two fortified items- couldn't find the spread and found only cornflakes saying it had additional Vit D - not much fibre in cornflakes so I wouldn't choose those. I wonder if anyone else has found these? I cant say I use powdered milk but we do have eggs several times a week and fish a couple of times.

If the fortified cereals and spreads just have added vitamin D I expect it would be easier to take a supplement. Cod liver oil also contains quite a lot of vitamin D too, and don't forget you need calcium as well to aid absorption.

I think that medication such as omeprazole can stop the body absorbing a lot of things and doctors prescribe ptp's all the time.

I'm also prescribed a vit d supplement, after a scan confirmed my hips/pelvis are in the osteo pena range. I take omeprazole, and until I read Tegan's post, it didn't occur to me it may be inhibiting absorption of other meds.
I live in the north west, and was told at our rheumatology clinic that random samples of the population here, in February , indicated we're all Vit d deficient.