The blues....

Thanks Eileen

I certainly learned my lesson to be more careful..!

I am not going to add any med at this point, if ever.

The one thought was that my adrenals woukd pick uo better on methotrexate  while decreasing pred.. 

I will need to do alot of research if it gets to that.

Plan to hold at ten, prob thru holidays.. Just want this cloud to lift, i know it will...

g

 

There is no guarantee you will be able to get to a lower dose of pred because of methotrexate. It is very disputed. My own suspicion is that the patients who do find it helps may have had some degree of inflammatory arthritis as well as PMR - or indeed instead of PMR. I think it may be worth trying - and if it doesn't cause side effects of its own that is fair enough but any trouble and I would say no more.

Thanks Eileen

Hi Karen

I too have never felt this kind of the blues.

Must be the radical up and down of meds

thanks for response take care g

 

I take 2000 mg of vit d. do you take more than that?

Hi Gina, I also have another disorder called reactive airway disease which has been shown to respond  to higher normal blood Vit D levels. With my doctors’ permission I was taking 5-10,000 iu Vit D a d it helped. We were measuring  the blood level every few months. I actually felt stronger. Pred interferes with Vit D and Calcium absorption so 5,000 u is a reasonable safe dose. Since I had part of my small bowel removed and absorption can be affected I do a Vit D lamppost a protocol  plus 2500u by mouth. 

Some researchers believe the low“normal” levels are too low. 

Correction: not a "lamppost" but a lamp. It's called a Sperti Vit D lamp. It has instructions for safe exposure. I use it 3x a week.

Thanks Karen, I used to take higher doses of D, without issue so will bump it a bit..

be well,

Gina

Though presumably even that doesn't help the person whose skin factory is malfunctioning. Like my husband - out in the sun without suncream all year round and we live at a latitude where making vit D all year is possible. He does have a suntan. But even so his vit D was 7!!! In a more acceptable range after supplements though.

Eileen, my Vit D research, which I do constantly in the scientific literature , states that tanning impedes Vit D skin conversion. The best way for skin to convert is short exposures without reddening or tanning. Persons with darker complexions need more sun to convert. There are genetic factors at play also. The Vit D from sun is stored many months in the body. The D3 from supplements is not stored and, in 2 weeks, the blood level drops by half when oral D3 is discontinued. For persons with malabsorption issues sensible sunlight/sunlamp, is the only way for them to get adequate D. There are research papers just on this issue.

the only way to know is the blood test and that should be done after about 6 weeks of changing the dose and then about every 6 months when stable.

There is still no consensus as to the ideal blood level. 

Toxicity is rare though.

That's quite right - a light suntan is equivalent to a Factor 12 suncream and even a Factor 8 suncream reduces the amount of vit D made by over 90%. But I defy anyone to live where I do and not tan unless they plaster in Factor 50 all year round!!! Malabsorption is a minor issue with vit D though - since there is very little in our diet, less than 10% of what we require is available via food unless you eat large amounts of oily fish or animal liver (yuk!).

My point was that the light doesn't help the person whose skin isn't making vit D - and by our late 60s we are making a quarter or less of what we were able to make at 20, 

Thanks for response... I always felt the best 15 and up! No side effect at those doses..I dont thinknthats the norm.....Hoping your drop gets easier