Vitamin D

[Cory255]

Based on the findings in this study it has led investigators to believe that by adding supplmental Vitamin D to the hepatitis c treatment regimen (Peginterferon & Ribavirin) it significantly improved SVR rates in genotype 1 naive patients.  

Low vitamin D levels were associated with more severe liver fibrosis and poor treatment response.

http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/2010_conference/easl/docs/0518_2010_b.html

Are there any interactions between Vitamin D & Peginterferon/Ribavirin?

Does anyone take Vitamin D and why?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea to take Vitamin D before/and/or during Hep C treatment?

[RobertBeWell]

It would be, if you were low on Vit D to start with.

Personally, I prefer to get all my Vit D with 5-10 mins a day of sun exposure, but the supplements are dirt cheap if that's not an option. Just don't overload on them. Excess Vit D can build up in organs.

Best way to be sure is to ask the doc for a lab test. I just had one, levels are right smack in the middle of the range.

[Trinity4]

3-1/2 ounces of cooked Salmon provides 90 percent of your daily value of vitamin D.  Tuna, Sardines and Mackerel are good sources too.  Exposing yourself to sunlight is the most important source of vitamin D.  Sunscreens with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 8 or greater will block UV rays that produce vitamin D. An initial exposure to sunlight of 10 to15 minutes allows you adequate time for Vitamin D synthesis and should be followed by application of a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 to protect the skin. Ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least two times per week to the face, arms, hands, or back without sunscreen is usually sufficient to provide adequate vitamin D.  If you have limited sun exposure it is very important that you include good sources of vitamin D in your diet or supplement

[nazzareno]

I've seen similar info on Vit D. My primary Dr. Tested me and I was severely defecient and he prescribed 50,000 units 2x week. My hep Dr. approved. We will check it again next week, after 8 weeks.

[RobertBeWell]

Anyone know the mechanism by which VIt D is often times lower in Hep C patients? Do we not absorb it? Is the liver deficient at making a certain chemical needed to metabolize it ?

[Cory255]

Don't exceed the recommeded dosage.  Agreed.  Deficiency may be the #1 reason why you should take it.  I didn't know that.  Thanks.

Sunlight is a great source.  Certain diets contain Vitamin D.  Good to know.    

Here are a few other health benefits provided by Vitamin D as well.  

Active vitamin D is a potent immune system modulator. There is plenty of scientific evidence that vitamin D has several different effects on immune system function that may enhance your immunity and inhibit the development of autoimmunity.

The active form of vitamin D plays a role in insulin secretion under conditions of increased insulin demand.  Limited data in humans suggests that insufficient vitamin D levels may have an adverse effect on insulin secretion and glucose tolerance in type 2 diabetes. More studies are needed on the role of vitamin D and diabetes.

Adequate vitamin D levels may be important for decreasing the risk of high blood pressure. Again, more studies on vitamin D and hypertension are necessary.

http://www.algaecal.com/vitamin-d/vitamin-d-benefits.html

[burned74]

I posted that study a month or so ago and wondered the same thing:

Why wouldnt everyone take Vit D with their Peg and Riba? The SVR rates are as good as Teleprevir.

[alagirl]

I just had a bunch of testing done to check for all kinds of deficiencies and things.  hopefully they checked vit d levels.  I guess I'll see when I get the results.

[evangelin]

A few years back, HR started talking about vitamin D and I started giving Joe 1000 I.U.'s daily for the better part of a year.   HR said it might even take up to 4000 I.U's to get it up if it was low.  I was afraid to go that high without the test but when we got the word that Joe could try TX again, we tested and he was at  the bottom of the acceptable range. I would assume he was quite a bit lower than that before the 1000 I.U's
I gave him the 4000 I.U.'s for a few more months and have now cut back to 2000  and I hope that is keeping him OK but we haven't tested it again.  The point I'm trying to make is, it might take more than you'd think to get that number up for some people.  I remember Bali went on vacation and laid out in the sun quite a bit ,enough to come back with a tan,and still tested low afterwards but later got it up to a little past the high point after supplementing.
  I wish we had access to more testing because sometimes I have to pray and take my best guess. Reading other's experiences over a long period of time makes my guesses a better bet than they would be otherwise.
Just wanted to add this to the information pool,
Ev

[scratchinghead]

short post
I have been taking 1000mg a day, didn't have a cold all winter.
I am doubling to that to 2000mg with doctor's permission and we scheduled another D lab test once the dosage settles in. I don't have a D deficiency. However, I do live in the NW where summer is only 1 week long . . .

Vitamin D is "in" right now. Good enough for me.

[nygirl7]

I am also significantly deficient in VitD as many of us heppers are. I take 2,000 mg a day (as the information MichaelSimon provided a while back suggests to do).  That is a very informative thread put it in the search and it will come up.
It has everything I think you need to know on it.

Plus VitD is very good for other things like asthma and COPD.........a little bit of sun is not the same thing we need more than we are getting and more than the average person.

The doc has always tested this for me and it has gone down a lot after treatment down down down down...............

[virgocharm]

remember i was complaining about pain after tx. it was because of vitamin d dificiency, which leads to multiple sclerosis,ostearthritus. thinning of the bones. well, just like bill, i am taking vit d  50,000 once a week for 12 weeks,, then once a month for 4 months. prescribed by my pc doctor. i am glad she found it. i am on week 3. pain free bones hard.i think that came from tx. so beware check for it. i thought the worst. like carpal tunnel, spinal and all those arthritus. just to find out, it was a D dificiency..

[spectda]

I try to walk every day in the sun after reading something about this on a previous thread. I get about 45 minutes of good sun per day. Maybe I am going to overdose on this amount! I hope it helps me  to SVR!

[evangelin]

I am so glad you posted this. Very interesting.  Those of you with good memories (not me) remember this post for others with these type complaints, especialy after TX.

One of Joe's leftover complaints is cramps in his calves.  He has always had this while treating but this time he has continued to have them at night or in the early morning. I give him magnesium supplements but so far no good. Any body have any ideas?

Thanks again,
Ev

[Trinity4]

Tonic water and (1) 25mg Benadryl before bed.  Works for my husbands leg cramps.

Trinity

[evangelin]

Thanks,
We've been trying low sodium tonic water but never thought about benadryl. He hasn't had instant results but may not be having it regularly enough.   He probably wouldn't want to take Benadryl  often because of cirrhosis but it might be good for a night when they are really bad.  Joe will probably choose to just suffer though. It isn't an every night occurrence anymore.  
Ev

[nygirl7]

I still get them sometimes too and take regular tonic water, I don't know maybe the low sodium has some negative effect (supposition). when I take the quinine they go away - then I get forgetful and they come back. I think you can get quinine pills - for some one with cirrhosis I'd ask the doctor but aside from that I have always heard that eating banana's (potassium) helps too.  Lately I've been drinking gatorade thinking it will help iron out my lacks of things like that a bit........the leg cramps hurt so much it's worth it to try it all.

Tell Joe I'm sorry - I can totally relate. I've always had them even before Hepc.

[Cory255]

I'm not sure I would be able to absorb the ultraviolet energy from the sun as much as I would want to.  It can be obtained from diet but, is not abundant in food.

I'm now taking 1,000 IU Vitamin D3 daily to ensure I receive an adequate supply.  I really wish I had known about this sooner.  Thank You All for contributing to my post!!

[spectda]

Is there any reason it would not be okay to take 1,000 IU during treatment. Is it the kind of thing that can't really hurt and may help!

[orphanedhawk]

It's also good for glucose levels. After my transplant they were worried about the possibility of diabetes. If I used vitamin D the day before doing my labs, my glucose levels were always lower.( Cinnamon also works for reducing glucose levels.)

While still sick  with decompensated cirrhosis I saw an herbologist who is also a doctor. She had my vitamin D levels checked and prescribed a D-supplement in olive oil to used daily for one month, only.
This makes me wonder if there is a danger in taking too much supplemental D?

[IMstacie]

I take vit D with calcium daily and did so throughout my treatment.

Today, vitamin D deficiency is widespread and seems to be related to so many health problems like heart disease, certain cancers, and depression.  I was amazed to find out how many people I work with are vit D deficient so I started reading about it.  Apparently, it promotes normal cell growth.  Our bodies can’t create vitamin D on its own. We have to get it through sun exposure or food and supplements.  Also, the older we get we can't synthesize and absorb vitamin D as well.

I just had a blood test and I am a little deficient so will probably up my dose.

[no_c_em]

Hello,

  I just joined and wanted to say hello to all. Actually getting ready to head off to bed - probably the same for others but, I just had to make sure that everyone knows how to stop the leg cramps while in acute phase. Its a very common cure and I'm sure most know about it but so far I haven't seen it mentioned. So, here goes: get out of bed and stand on the leg affected, flat footed, while holding up the non affected leg. Its a good idea I think to hold onto the bed post or something as one might not be quite awake as one thinks and could go crashing into the night stand knocking the over the lamp and the 1/2 full coffee cup from earlier in the evening that one forgot to bring to the kitchen before retiring....not that I've ever been so slovenly or anything, just one of those things I could imagine happening....just sayin'  :-)

Good night all
Hey, ya never know - even if one person sees this and is spared the wicked pain then this post will be worth it. They HURT (as we all know) !!
Good night y'all, see ya again real soon...

[evangelin]

Thanks, I will tell Joe what you said.  We can discard the part about the clutter because that never happens at my house   :>)  :>)  :>)  Actually, I think Medhelp is in a large part to blame for my less than perfect house.  
Sometimes if Joe gets a really bad leg cramp, he just leaps out of bed instinctively but maybe he should just plan to do it.  I got bad cramps in my calves during my last pregnancy and I would punch at my calf with my fist which seemed to sometimes get it to quit.  Mine always got worse if I massaged it.  
I hate to admit this but after reading the label of the low sodium stuff I gave Joe...it doesn't even contain quinine.  oops.  I got a bit confused between tonic water and club soda.  It isn't something I ever purchased normally and obviously didn't think it out well.  If the tonic water has a bunch of sodium, he'll just have to do without.  It's already hard enough to keep Joe's sodium under 2000 mg a day, which is what the Dr. said to do for the mild ascites.  So far it has remained mild and I'm glad.  Ascites started up during his last TX try.
I've got to get off here and work on the clutter:>)
Ev

[scratchinghead]

When I get a cramp like in my calf, the second I notice it I squeeze it with both hands and keep it from swelling up, or muscle contracting, whatever. It works, you first heard it here. Squeeze it really hard. serious