Thoughts on vitamin D
This is a mini vent I guess, but I hope it’s helpful to new folk, and I might start linking people here if we get enough good discussion!
Folk are on lots of different drugs and supplements for their MS, some because a neurologist said, some because a stranger on the internet said, and everything in between!
I’d say the two most common are;
- a DMT of some description
- Vitamin D
With DMTs the dosage and rational is largely standardised, I take the same amount of Tecfidera as someone 2000 miles away takes.
With vitamin D though, the numbers vary wildly, and I see lots of discussion happening that suggest what numbers are appropriate that don’t look at any other external factors.
I live in the grey north of Europe, I could walk about outside naked and get less sun exposure than others get from walking past their window!
Diets are also going to impact how well your body absorbs the vitamin D you’re taking.
It’s a complex subject, I think throwing around doses can quickly become overwhelming and make people feel they aren’t doing it right. (No hate to people answering questions or sharing what setup works for them! 💜)
Even accounting for everything and settling on “well your bloods need to show x amount”, there isn’t, as far as I know, a standardised amount for “good for MS”, so long as you aren’t low.
What someone might take to get out of “low” is gonna be different to what they take 2 years later to maintain good levels.
This leads me on to my final point, some folk call vitamin D a supplement and others a drug. I’m sure there is a semantically correct answer but ultimately it doesn’t matter. If you’ve been prescribed a thing, don’t worry if someone else on the internet decides for them it is optional.
Am I off the mark here? Do others feel the same weirdness about the discussion?
Anyway, the perfect amount of vitamin D is … 🤣