Vitamin D, supplements and anxiety & depression

My psych doc recommended Calm Aid to me. He said the active ingredient in there has shown to be sometimes just as effective with anxiety and sometimes sleep as Ativan. Has anyone tried these? What are your thoughts. Really been struggling for 2 weeks

@yanks950
I had vitamin d deficiency and other vitamin/mineral deficiencies. It can definitely cause many symptoms and it is important to address the deficiency asap so it doesn’t cause other health problems.

Here are some links that mention vitamin d deficiency symptoms.

1. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15050-vitamin-d-vitamin-d-deficiency

2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/vitamin-d-deficiency/faq-20058397

3. https://www.medicinenet.com/14_signs_of_vitamin_d_deficiency/article.htm

I just checked the ingredients for you. Lavender. It could be helpful. For anxiety meditation deep breathing exercises where major muscle groups are tensed and relaxed could help. Cutting down or eliminating caffeine is an option.

Vitamin D is also hormone like in that our body can produce it with sun
exposure . It functions on our immune system which has connection with
our brain. Consider it probable to have an effect on our emotional function.
Definitely worth supplementing and getting 10 minutes of sun twice a week.

Haven’t been drinking caffeine since this started. As far as meditating idk how to do it or where to start. And I’ve never really believed in it in the past but maybe that because I never tried it. It’s hard to know where to start with any and all of this while your going through hell

Vitamin D3, I am told by my menopause consultant, helps produce melatonin, seratonin, and dopamine in the brain. All which produce a calming effect. I have been taking about 4,000 IUs per day, along with Vitamin K2 which helps with absorption. Also, taking those two with food that has fat in it helps with absorption. It has really helped me sleep better, after suffering from insomnia for many years.

I always have low vitamin D if I don't supplement. I have treatment resistant depression as well as anxiety and insomnia and getting my vitamin D level to a normal level has never helped any of those things. I know how important it is for our bodies so I continue to supplement; it might be worth a try for you? Please make sure that if you do supplement, you get regular bloodwork to make sure you're not over-supplementing. I had a PCP put me on a huge dose and I ended up with vitamin D toxicity, which was quite unpleasant.

Can you describe how your toxicity presented, in terms of symptoms?
I am also on a pretty high dose (4000 per day) which has brought my levels up to normal but I often get concerned that over time this may become an issue. I do get tested annually during my physical.
Thank you!

It caused hypercalcemia, which was miserable. My case was mild and I feel really bad for people who have a case that is worse than mild! I had lots of GI symptoms but the worst for me was feeling like I was going crazy. I mentioned that I have anxiety but it's more like a slow burning anxiety that's always simmering. When I had vitamin D toxicity and hypercalcemia, my anxiety made me feel really, really agitated (which isn't typically normal for me) and jittery. I also felt like I couldn't think straight or express myself effectively.

My thyroid was also off during that time period (hyper - not sure if it was related to the hypercalcelmia) and I didn't think my PCP had a good handle on it so I begged for a referral to an endocrinologist. He ran some of his own labs, looked at my medication list and figured out instantly that my vitamin D oversupplementation was responsible for everything! He adjusted my dose and it took awhile but I got my calcium and vitamin D back to normal. I'm so thankful I insisted on that referral.

It turns out my PCP wasn't looking at all my labs - this could have been easily prevented! I don't see that PCP anymore and I always get copies of my labs now. "All your labs are normal" sounds great in theory but if your PCP is incompetent, it doesn't mean much. I verify everything.

It sounds like you're doing the right thing by getting your labs done every year! Getting me at the right level of vitamin D has been difficult in the last few years so I get tested every 6 months. I'm on 3000 day now, which seems to be the right dose. Hope this helps!

Big help – thank you so much for the information. I’m currently on 4000 IU daily, but have recently stretched it out to every other day which should cut the dosage in half and keep me at a level that would be near impossible to cause the hypercalcemia. I will also probably test at the six month mark to make sure things are going in the right direction without getting really low again.
For many years, my D was under 20 but PCP shrugged it off as not a big deal. After about a year on the 4000 IU regimen I brought it up to 60 but want to make sure I don’t spike it beyond that. Another situation where it’s really important to take your health into your own hands and not assume that everything they say or do is correct. Appreciate your time…thx again!