I’ve been doing a lot of research of the benefits of vitamin D supplementation and have been taking it now for 2 months with great results (I have severe SAD). I'm not taking any other meds for SAD though I was last year and didn't feel this good. I’m curious if others would have positive results also. Therefore I’m inviting you to join me in the great vitamin D experiment and report on your results here.

The Experiment

Now through April 1

You stay on whatever plan you're currently on.
Take in 3-5 divided doses/day from the time you arise until 6 pm. Taking vitamin D past 6 pm (or whatever your equivalent day’s schedule is) can result in sleeplessness.

Range is based upon severity of underlying symptoms and/or vitamin D test results.
Vitamin D 2400 – 4000 IU
GTF Chromium 600 mcg
Calcium 1200 – 2000 mg
(It's recommended that calcium carbonate be taken with food and that calcium citrate be taken without food and at least 1 hour before food for best absorbtion rates)
Magnesium ½ calcium dose
Leucine 16 mg/kilo or 2.2 pounds of body weight
Lsoleucine ½ leucine dose
Valine ½ leucine dose

Take whatever supplements you regularly take in addition to the above. Levels of the above vitamins are in addition to whatever is in the multi you are taking. Only adjust if you take any of the above vitamins separately.

Sites for supplement purchase:
swansonvitamins.com
vitaminworld.com
vitacost.com
vitaminshoppe.com
vitaminstore.com

Recommendations
Ingest at least 90 ounces of water/day.
Use only the following fat sources where possible: butter, tallow, coconut, olive, omega 3s, flax, and fish oils.

CAUTIONS
--Do not join the experiment if you have damaged liver or kidneys without your doctor’s permission/supervision.

--Only join the experiment if you have one or more of the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. These are SAD, depression, anxiety, obsessive behaviors, PCOS, infertility, fibromyalgia, CFS, chronic pain, musculoskeletal pain, autoimmune diseases, intestinal diseases, Crohns, heart disease, impaired thyroid, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, tuberculosis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, or cancer.

--http://www.westonaprice.org/nutrition_guidelines/nutrition_vitaminD.html. If you can afford to get tested before starting the experiment, please do so. The correct test to order is 25(OH)D, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Make sure this is the test you get. Labs often give the test for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, the active hormone. This test is the wrong test as it offers no meaningful data regarding D status. Optimal values of 25(OH)D are 40-50 ng/ml. “Lab One offers the least expensive testing I have found nationwide and is available in most states. Your physician can reach them at 1-800-646-7788. The test is 25-hydroxyvitamin D. The Lab One test number, just to be sure you get the right test, is #3247. Rarely does insurance cover the cost for this test, which is about $60 including lab fees. Other labs I have queried charge $100-180 for the same test.”

--Only natural vitamin D (D3) should be used. Natural vitamin D has been found to be non toxic at levels of 50k/day. Manmade vitamin D (D2) has been found toxic at 20,000 IU/day. Natural vitamin D (D3) is better utilized by the body.

--Cod liver oil should not be used for this as the amount of vitamin A ingested to achieve the correct vitamin D dose would be too high. If the vitamin D has vitamin A, it should not have more than 1000 IU of A per 400 IU of vitamin D.

Reactions you Might Have
--For those with pain due to injury, pain can recur at the previously injured site as corrective healing occurs due to supplementation.
--More energy
--Less Depression
--Less Anxiety
--More even disposition
--Easier and more regular bowel movements
--Fewer digestive problems
--Less Pain
--Weight Loss
--Less Edema and swelling
--Clearer skin
--Regular menses
--Fewer PMS symptoms

Please keep track of symptoms/improvements in your journal and here as time passes. I am really interested in what the range of reactions might be.

Now my reactions. I've been supplementing with vitamin D for about two months now. I have few symptoms of SAD, only a bit of tiredness at dark, no depression at all yet. My body feels a bit more flexible/fluid. My bowels are very regular and soft. I sometimes have BMs twice in a day. I haven't had indigestion. I have more energy and feel more alert. I don't feel the cold like I used to and can even wear sleeveless and silky nightgowns to bed!! I could never do that before. I would freeze, lol!!!

Zuleikaa, I am interested in doing this: I suffer from depression and am hypothyroid. I had done some reading on vitamin D just yesterday. I don't have any yet but will get some asap.
Elizabeth

Count me in...

I'm curious about these:


What do they do? Also, do you have a suggestion for me as to what level of D to try, and in how many doses? Two or three a day is about all I can manage. Today I took 2400 with rm and then 1200 just a while ago.

Leucine
Lsoleucine ½ leucine dose
Valine ½ leucine dose

Are branched chain amino acids that go with vitamin D and make the D build muscle instead of fat.

People need 4,000 IU/day of vitamin D from all sources: sun, food, and supplements. So if you live up north and it's fall, winter or spring ignore the sun factor (the sun is not strong enough to be beneficial). Look at your food and subtract the amount that you get from food. It's probably not that much D. You need the higher range if you have two or more indications, your symptoms of any one indication are severe, you have dark skin or African American heritage, or if you are of Northern European heritage.

Given that I know your situation, I would suggest you go with 4,000 IU/day.
It's important to obtain the appropriate dose, so that means if you have to cut the dose to two on a particular day to ensure that then that's better than being underdosed. DO NOT TAKE 1 DOSE. These vitamins are more effective in divided doses so I would urge you to try to make three doses consistently.

Here's some info on vitamin D and on food sources food sources which contain it.

http://www.westonaprice.org/nutriti...n_vitaminD.html

I am going to keep an eye on this thread. Maybe start up the challange after my hives go away and I can start my vitamins again, but for now "I am watching you".

Hi Zule,
I'll be starting D3 tomorrow, at a lower dose at first in case of adverse reaction. I don't have the leucine, isoleucine or valine. I'm already taking:
1 multivitamin w/out iron
2 B-50
3 Calcium/magnesium/zinc
600 mg CoQ10 (for CFS and migraines)
3 to 6 g Omega 3-6-9 (for CFS and migraines)
2 odorless garlic (for high cholesterol works well!)
20 meq potassium
400 IU natural E

Right now, my metabolism and energy resemble a train wreck! I am taking estrogen for menopausal symptoms, and T4 for hypothyroidism. I have hypoglycemia, chronic fatigue syndrome, hypertension (controlled by meds), and migraines. The migraines seem to get worse around December through February, so this might be a form of SAD. Let's see what happens! I found D3 as 400 IU gels and will start at 3 a day.

Welcome Persimmon, Sango and Kittenlady!!!

Here's the most complete list of ills fingered by vitamin D deficiency.

Kittenlady
As you can see just about all your ills are on the list. I hope this is the answer for you!!

Vitamin D deficiency indicated in
Alcoholism
Anxiety
Arthritis
Autoimmune diseases
Birth defects
Bone diseases
Bone pain
Burning in mouth
Calcium deposits
Cancer--prostate, colon, and breast
Celiac-Sprue
Coeliac
Crohn's
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic Pain
Cystic fibrosis
Depression
Diabetes
Diarrhea
Enzymatic diseases
Fatigue
Fibromyalgia
Graves' disease
Heart disease
Hernia
High blood pressure
High Cholesterol
Impaired wound healing
inflammatory bowel disease
Insomnia
Intestine
Irritability
Joint pain
Kidney
Liver
Lupus
Malabsorption
Migraine
Multiple sclerosis
Muscle pain
Myopia
Nervousness
Obsessive Disorders
Osteomalacea
Osteoporosis
Panic Attacks
Parkinson's
Psoriasis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rickets
Scalp sweating
Schizophrenia
Thyroid
Tuberculosis

Oh, yeah, they're all on there (I consider hypoglycemia and diabetes the opposite sides of the same coin, involving the same hormonal system).

I didn't mention that I am from Northern European descent on my dad's side -- descended from the Vikings! (I read your posts in the "Supplements" section!) I get a lot of natural light onto my eyes (being an artist, I get broad-spectrum lightbulbs and work in a loft with lots of sunlight), so I probably end up making up for most of the SAD symptoms. But, I sunburn easily, so I constantly protect myself from the sun. There's less ozone up here, so the UV is stronger at this altitude. So, I'm a fair-skin who gets very little D3 formed from sun exposure.

I also forgot to list supplements: Ester-C with bioflavanoids, at least 500 mg, often up to 2 g a day
quercetin -- 1500 mg/day

Taking 3 caps a day, along with my multi-vitamin, will give me a start at 1600 IU a day. Since I go to bed later (usually between 11:30 and 12:30), I'll take my last one at 8 PM -- does that make sense?

So far, I have a moderate headache going. I rate pain on a scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (awful pain). So, I have a #4 headache, occasionally peaking to #7. I often get a "hangover" after a long-lasting migraine. It takes several days, sometimes a few weeks, of anti-inflammatories to get the inflammation out of my brain and blood vessels.

I'll give an entire analysis of my day later.

Dee
I recommend not taking D less than 4 hours before bed so that sounds fine. I really hope this works out for you as you seem to have multiple and severe indications.

Good luck!!!

Thanks, Zule! So far, so good. At least as far as side-effects go -- none to report. I took my last D3 a few minutes ago (around 6:45). I'm trying to get my husband interested because he gets SAD really badly. He's showing symptoms already -- tired, a little down, a bit cranky. I think he's waiting to see what happens with me.

My headache is hovering around a 5, and has been doing so for a couple of hours. No other symptoms to report for today.

Looks like you and I are the guinea pigs so far. Wouldn't it be really fabulous if it helped even some of my symptoms. So glad it's helping your SAD, Zule!

Dee
Glad the D had no side effects. Maybe in a couple of days you can increase the dose a bit, taking the pills two at a time during the day (I know, what day, lol!!). I hope you can get the complex chain amino acids (leucine, etc). They help the D build muscle.

I hope your DH gives it a try too. I'm telling you I don't know myself this year!!

I'm interested in hearing the benefits you have after about a week. I'm really hoping this alleviates/cures your symptoms.

Wouldn't that be a miracle!!! And it's all natural!!!

This afternoon was Son of Migraine (you know, like "Son of Frankenstein," "Bride of the Atom," etc.). A bad B movie. No aura, just really bad pain.

Zule, your suggestion last year that the increased migraines could be a form of SAD is making sense. I've been keeping headache records for a few years now, and I compared different months for the last 3 years. I've counted days when I had a severity #8 or above, just for August, September, and October, and averaged 3 years of data. August averaged 4 days; September averaged 9 days; and October averaged 12 days. Most of Septembers' migraine days occurred around and after Equinox. And classic migraines (with auras) occurred on Sept 25 '02, Oct 23 '03, and both Oct 15 and 16 '04. I was one day off in my one post -- I had a severe common migraine on Oct 22 this year. Close enough. I didn't look at Novembers' data yet, and I won't do so yet -- I don't want to "expect" migraines and skew the D3 results.

I don't think the migraine today was from the D3, but I'm going to stay at 2000 IU per day for a little while just to make sure. It could be the aggravation of old injuries that's been mentioned. The headache did seem to rise from my neck.

Hope tomorrow is better.

Dee
I don't want to say I told you so, lol!! Sorry you have to go through the pain though at least it's making sense to you. Not much comfort I know.

I really hope that the D3 is the answer. I understand you not wanting to increase the D3 right away. Give it some time to get into your system before an increase. It's most important to take the D3 consistently every day than to increase it right away.

Of course you should be at 4000 IU, but you'll work up to it.

Now that Steeved has joined we'll get a handle on a man's perspective of D's benefits. I don't think he's interested that PMS symptoms are supposed to be relieved, lol!!!

Since I don't have "the parts" any more, I hope I don't get more regular menses!