Vitamin D deficiency - is there light at the end of the tunnel?
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hello everyone,
I was diagnosed with a severe vitamin D deficiency in March this year. I have/had nearly all symptoms: bone, joint and muscle pain, weakness, extreme fatigue, depression, anxiety and panic attacks, tearfulness, stiffness, problems sleeping, vision problems, cramps, restless legs, heavy chest.. I have never felt so low in m life and I am just 25 years old! My GP immediately put me on high doses of D - 50000IU a week for a month, then on a maintenance dose of 50000IU a month. I am 7 months into treatment and I feel a lot better now. For example I don't have pain anymore and I am slowly, very slowly getting more energy. BUT I sometimes have really bad days. I still suffer from unexplainable mood swings, mild depression, fatigue and muscle and bone weakness. I am 7 months into treatment already. Is this normal? Is there light at the end of the tunnel? I just want to be my old energetic self - I just graduated months ago and want to start working but I am in no condition to hold down a fulltime job! How long will it take to feel completely better? Anyone who went through this and has fully recovered? How long did it take for you to recover? I just need some support I guess 
0 likes, 5 replies
GeorgiaS icll06280
Posted
icll06280 GeorgiaS
Posted
Hi, no I didn't ask about ME. My GP tested for a lot of things and everything was normal - except for my vitamin D. I will discuss it with him if my symptoms don't improve the following months, though I hope it's just the vitamin D
EileenH icll06280
Posted
I know some people have found it took a few months to feel better and even longer to get back totally to normal.
Do you know what your current level is? One recommended approach from experts is 60,000 IU/week for 8 - 10 weeks - well over double what your doctor started with although he has continued with high doses as maintenance (you DO mean 50,000IU/month don't you?). The problem is that the reservoir in the body must be filled before it spills out into the blood so if you were very deficient you may not be entirely there yet - think a half empty bucket getting filled up sooner than a totally empty one.
If he hasn't yet done so, ask him to check your blood level again. If it is at a good level and you still don't feel reasonably well, ask him to consider doing some other tests. Vit D deficiency is often found along with autoimmune disorders - and the symptoms you complain of are also typical. It may be that the vit D deficiency was a symptom of something else and not the whole cause, although it obviously was pretty instrumental in your feeling so ill.
But if it is just the vit D - then most people do get back to normal. But it does take time.
icll06280 EileenH
Posted
Hi, thank you for your clear and lengthy response, much appreciated. Yes, my maintenance dose is 50000IU a month. Unfortunately, I don't know what my level was, my GP only said it was really low. What you explain makes sense. I guess I have to wait a couple of months to feel better. My symptoms do improve and some are gone, some are mild now. But my recovery is really slow. I will see how it goes the next month, if I don't see much improvement I will ask for additional blood tests. Although I hope it's just the vitamin d and not something else
EileenH icll06280
Posted
So do I - because vit D deficiency is easy to sort out - autoimmune disorders rarely are.
But you will get there - and then you can look for a "proper" job. Though why anyone wants to "adult" and go to work is beyond me
