[NPInfo] Re: Vitamin D defiency

[Carla Anderson]

I also routinely check 25 OH Vit D, and it is the Vit D3 that I focus on. As stated 30-100 is the normal range, but 20-30 is insufficient and below 20 is a deficiency. If below 30  I treat with  2,000 units otc daily, and re check in 6wk to 3 mos. At this point the recommendation is 800 units daily for women and men that are already normal. So if they take otc Calcium with 600mg and Vit D 400 units bid, they will be getting the right amt. I have never given the 50,000 units Ergocalciferol personally.  I have found that levels come up nicely with the oral dosing. But I do think it is highly correlated with muscle pain, and fatigue and I have also seen it as low as 6.  They just had a segment on Good Morning America, about Vit D is more like a hormone than a Vitamin, and it affects many areas in the body like a catalyst. Carla/Oregon

rowlands at geneseo.net wrote:  

Rita, 

The test is a 25 OH Vitamin D. If it ranges from 20 to 30 it is an
insufficiency and I just advise 1000 U dly and recheck in 8 weeks. If
it is below 20 it is actually a deficiency and I prescribe
Ergocalciferol 50,000 U once a week for 8 weeks then I recheck levels
in 8 weeks. If it hasnt come up much, it could be an absorbtion
problem like celiac disease and they should be sent to a GI specialist
for workup. I have seen levels as low as 7 and some of my
rheumatologist friends have seen levels at 0. I keep giving the
50,000 U until they come up to 20 then put them on the oral OTC dose. 
I do levels on all pts with osteopenia or osteoporosis and all pts
with myalgia. Hope that helps. BODY { font-family:Arial, Helvetica,
sans-serif;font-size:12px; } 
Vicki Rowlands
On Sat 06/21/08 12:48 PM , David Mittman dmittman at comcast.net sent:
I know some good studies have linked low levels of Vit D to both 
muscle pain and breast cancer. 
It is very hard to overdose on it so you can recommend with less 
worry than most vitamins. 
Don't know good theapeutic doses. 
Dave 
On Jun 21, 2008, at 1:30 PM, Ledbetter wrote: 
> I have many pts diagnosed with low levels Vit D (most are "healthy

> " women" 
> under age 50 with aches/pains/ breast cancer but few chronic 
> disease) -does 
> anyone have protocol for treating, monitoring, and follow up? 
> Rita Ledbetter APN MS CNM 
> Nurse-Midwife of Medical Arts 
> Moline , Ill 61265 
> As long as there are mothers upon the birth stool there will
always be 
> midwives 
> 
> 
> 
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Carla R. Anderson, FNP-C
  Healing Presence Family Practice, PC  
  carla_rayne at yahoo.com
  503 819 9726