Vitamin D, supplements and anxiety & depression

I bought Calm Aid once but when it arrived I read it had Sorbitol in it which really bothers my gut so I never took it. Worth trying though. Have you tried Gaba Calm by Source Naturals or Organic India Ashwagandha? They helped me in the past. Currently I take Natures Way Rhodiola Premium Extract in the morning which is an adaptagen and Dr Wilsons Super Adrenal Stress Formula in the evening which has a small amount of 5–HTP. Both have helped me.

I have also struggled with depression for a long time. I've been on just about every antidepressant they make starting in my 20s with Elavil if anybody remembers that one! So about five years ago my therapist, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, wondered about my vitamin D level. When she checked it was low, in the 20s. She told me to start supplements right away. After a few months of supplement it came up to the normal range. However I've done a lot of reading on vitamin D and the immune system. There are a lot of infectious disease physicians and researchers who feel like the normal range as it stands now is too low. As an aside, there is a lot of research on how vitamin D can be very helpful for your immune system and it was used extensively during the Covid pandemic. A lot of people who did not want the shot increased their vitamin D intake among other things and they did not get Covid although who knows if it's related. But interesting. They suggest taking vitamin D and to try and get your level as far above the 50s as you can. I don't want to suggest that you do this because that's not my place. I can say that what I'm doing is taking 10,000 units per day and my vitamin D level is definitely in the 50s. I can say that it helped a lot and I continue to take that every day. Recently I learned that you should be taking a supplement called K2 along with the D it helps absorption apparently. They do make that in a combination pill. I hope this helps a little? At least you know that it's not uncommon for mental health providers to focus on that as one of their diagnostic tools. I wish you the best. Talk to your provider about taking high doses of vitamin D. They do make a 10,000 unit version so it's not like you have to take multiple doses. Merry Christmas!

That's so interesting about the calcium. I've been on high doses of vitamin D as well and recently saw an article from an endocrinologist that was talking about the issue of calcium and vitamin D. It said that you need to take a supplement called K2 along with the vitamin D or it can cause an increase in your calcium levels. Exactly what you experienced! So I now take a high dose of vitamin D with an added K2 supplement. A lot of formulations have that as a combination. It's interesting that you had that experience! My dose is way higher than yours but I live in Oregon and we typically have Very little sun throughout the year so it's not unusual that most Oregonians have a deficiency. This has been an interesting discussion but I hope people will see this comment about vitamin D and calcium. I'm so glad you posted this. Take care!

Some very valuable information from all of you! Thank you! It is so important for people to take and active role in their healthcare, reading and interpretation of diagnostics and labs. For five years my PCP missed about 5 hallmark signs and symptoms off hyper parathyroid disease...the results, kidneys stones, hypertension, elevated serum calcium, bone loss so dental implants just fell out and an osteoporosis at a -3t level (goes from 1-4) 4 being the work, oh and chronic kidney damage! Another physician picked it up within 10 minutes of reviewing my labs.Coming from the health care field I wonder how errors such as these are reported. Certainly there must be a Quality Assurance team that reviews and addresses the physicians short comings. As Nurses we were mandated to report errors in medication, treatment etc. and report to the Board at times. So what happens to physicians......??????? There were serious and meaningful consequences to my health and well being. The tumor was an inch big on a small parathyroid gland (usually rice size).

@ yanka950 Hi, I note you have been using Duloxetine 90mg for four years for your anxiety. I'm glad it's helpful for you. I've been taking the Lily Cymbalta (Duloxetine) 60 mg for 10 years for lower back pain, and it was quite helpful in reducing that pain. However, as you may know, Eli Lily has stopped producing Cymbalta in late September 2024, and my recent refill request was filled by my druggist with a generic duloxetine! The generic company was Sandoz, a reputable drug manufacturer. Sadly though, the generic version of Cymbalta hasn't been effective at all and has thrown up many weird side effects. Can you tell me who is the manufacturer of your Duloxetine? Since it works so well for you, it seems a logical choice for trying it to replace my original Cymbalta. Thanks, and best wishes. Glen Jones

The brand I take is by Breckenridge. Not sure if that’s what I have always been on.

Sorry to hear about your PCP letting you down. I too have had troubling symptoms indicative of a potential parathyroid condition that my care team doesn't seem to be as concerned about as I am. I get my care through the VA but the doctors are all University of Wisconsin physicians. Other contributors to this thread have agreed with my medical care providers that my numbers aren't that bad. But, things are trending in an ominous direction, so I feel somewhat rudderless at the moment. How often do you get your labs updated? Three months seems to be the standard for my care, so far.

Thanx in advance for any feedback.

Nt that bad means to me that you have some abnormal values. if Not that Bad trends over time then it can lead to problems and perhaps irreversible disease. I would take a plunge and take your medical records to a more experienced physician in the area that has a good reputation for a second opinion. My calcium ran higher than normal for more than 5 years and so did the BUN and over time did cause serious problems. I had spontaneous nose bleeds for several weeks, then took my blood pressure myself (I'm a nurse) and the top # was over 200. PCP just put me on a anti hypertensive.......Never explored why all of a sudden B/P spiked. The normal values should be on the lab report and if over time a value increases or decreases ask why and if you don't get an answer go to someone else.

be careful adding the K2 if you have clotting issues

Itchyd An added thought...if you feel that your medical concern is from your parathyroid glands then the place you may consider calling and getting evaluated is the Norman Center. The only treat thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal gland issues. There are 8 doctors attending patients. I had one of my parathyroid glands removed there in 2022 on an out-patient procedure which took 16 minutes. When discharged I had in my discharge papers the cell phone #'s of all 8 doctors. I did have to call once and received a call back from my surgeon within 30 minutes. There is alot a paper work for the acceptance process, but also about an hour telephonic interview with your physician prior to your decision. An amazing place. I just couldn't find any physician locally that had the experience that these physicians had.