Vitamin D stopped

It is NOT selfish to get Vit D on prescription (at a higher dose than you can buy over the counter) if you need it - I wasn't Vit D deficient I was depleted and as I have paid tax & NI for 45 years (and am still paying!) I am not going to feel guilty it was prescribed

It never even occurred to me to ask for a prescription when doctor told me that all people over 55 should take a daily
Vit D tablet.
They are very cheap & very easy to buy at any pharmacist.
One day -God forbid -I may need prescription drugs & the more money NHS has the better.

I have said this before I think... I do get paracetamol on prescription. I have to take more than I could feasibly buy as you are only allowed to buy two packs at a time. Anyone going shop to shop would be remembered and flagged up!! One of my other prescription medications won't work properly without it. I will be on them for life. I don't feel bad in the slightest.

You are right to wait to see your own GP.

I agree it’s selfish to take Vitamins and Paracetamol on prescription. And HRT should be reviewed regularly you maybe don’t need it . It’s goid to get a second opinion sometimes

I agree in principle Bopeep except for the issue of dosages - I must check my over-the-counter against the prescription supps.

Unless you have some ongoing condition that requires high dosage vitamin D I always understood VitD is only required if your level is low and once up to standard is no longer needed other than through diet and sunlight. Locum may have had a point on that but HRT is a other matter. Did she say why she didn't want to prescribe.

Hubby went for his prescription review a month ago he was taken off all his medications except blood pressure he was taking proton pump inhibitors and was on painkillers( not paracetamol) for his arthritis, he was told to buy ibuprofen. I myself think its a cost cutting exercise, he is in a lot of pain now and it is affecting his ability to work. There actually was an article in the paper the other day about GPs stopping prescribing health supplements and vitamins. i think if you can buy it over the counter you should if you can afford to, obviously some people cant.

trisher , great news, I hope to make the same progress! At the orthopaedic hospital I was told my Dexa scan result was -2 which is their borderline for diagnosis, but she told me that GPs often don't start treatment until -2.5, so I'm obviously 'borderline'. Have you also taken bisphosphonates? I'm supposed to start on Monday, and not looking forward to it..

I think that if a locum starts changing your medication it may not necessarily be a bad thing, sometimes a fresh look at a problem is a good thing - but it would be wise to make an appointment with your usual GP to check that this is the best course for you.

I've been on Calcium and Vit D supplements for years because of osteoporosis. I have in that time fluctuated between a named brand (Calcichew) and a basic one, both prescribed by my GP and over the counter. supplement bought at my local supermarket. If I'm visiting my GP I ask for a prescription, sometimes I remember to order a repeat and sometimes I just buy some. Osteoporosis is now osteopenia and some of my bones are normal for my age so it's working. I've asked about the difference between the three and haven't really had a satisfactory reply.

aggie have you checked that the levels of VitD and calcium are as high in the Tesco's tablets?

FlexibleFriend I get my vits from Amazon too. Various but always Solgar Vit D3 4000IU and recently VM Prime for women. Early signs of my autoimmune issues included extremely low Vit D. Endocrinologist wants me on it through winter, less in high summer. Plus not enough for range to be just inside normal - important to be optimal.

As far as I know, all types of vitamin D are available to buy OTC or online. However, typically the supplements you can buy on the supermarket health shelves are of one basic type, which isn't suitable for all people. Also I have read that as we get older, our skin doesn't actually produce vitamin d in the sun as efficiently as it does in younger people, and so vit D in the diet or as supplements becomes more important.

Like Humpty Dumpty, I’ve had a Vit D/Calcium supplement prescribed my GP on the recommendation of my orthopaedic surgeon after hip replacement. The calcium helps the body to retain bone density, important for stability in replacement joints, and can only be absorbed if Vitamin D is present. The level of dosage I’ve been given is not available over the counter.

blondenana
Your locum was correct.High strength Vit D prescribed, by your GP, who in your words ' believes you need it' can like Paracetamol be bought over the counter.

I told GP i was taking vit D and Calcium from Tesco , he started typing on his computer , the printer spat and I left with a script for the tablets ! I hadn't asked for it and didn't get it renewed

i also have very low vit d levels and am on prescribed high dose levels for seven weeks then told to buy over the counter supplements which i do any way despite having been told previously by a doctor that supplements were useless!

My GP told me that just about everyone whose blood test results she sees are deficient in vitamin D She blames our climate!

Really, why do people think doctors would write prescriptions for vitamin D if all that was needed was to get out into the sunshine?! I have just been diagnosed with osteoporosis and been prescribed vitaminD+calcium supplements, although I had been taking over-the-counter pills, I am sure the ones I have been prescribed must be different, no GP surgery wants to waste money on prescriptions unnecessarily.

I had the same problem with very low vitD I now buy the 1000 iu from Tesco and take 2 daily. I think they are about £5 but there are 90 tablets in there.

I could have written your post Marydoll.
I too have osteoporosis and in spite of taking Adcal my levels were still too low for my infusion. Like you I had to take a high dose for six weeks then a maintenance dose of 800-1000 IU.
Any other supplements I buy myself.
Also had skin cancer so have to cover up and wear sunblock when outside. I spend the whole summer out in my garden and also have to protect my eyes as have AMD.
So, before you grans lecture about having prescription vit D, just research the differences.

Well some of us have to take vitamin D3, I do amongst many other vitamins which I pay for. I take 5000iu per day not the 800 someone claimed they needed to be prescribed by their GP. You can buy a variety of strengths once you know which one you should be taking. I've been taking it for years and will need to continue for life but still see no reason to expect it on prescription when I can get it from Amazon. Clearly some of you are unaware of exactly what's available to buy without prescription.

I have to say, if I'm having a drugs review or anything else that relates to my long-term health, I'd rather see one of my regular GPs, not a locum, so I understand your discomfort with someone you didn't know changing around your meds. I do wonder, though, if this had been put on your notes by your regular GP?

Why shouldn’t we buy our own vitamins. Wrong of you to think you can get them on script.