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Ds is Vitamin D deficient is 400IU really enough?


nitascool
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I had my ds10 take a blood test to check for a B12 deficiency. His doctor did a wide screen deficiency blood test. I got his results back today. She didn't find a deficiency in B12 but said that his Vitamin D results were less then 5.

 

She suggested that he take 400I.U. with Vitamin C. That seems like a rather low dose for such a big deficiency. She suggested that the whole family take D and C. I take 5000I.U. every day and have been giving ds one of my Vitamins once a week. I told her this and she basically didn't believe that he is actually taking them... that maybe he is spitting them out when I'm not looking. I know this is not the case.

 

I'm not really sure what to do about this. I picked up some chewable 400IU D3 and 500mg C with Rose Hip for him. I'm thinking that I should at least double the D3. I'm not really sure though. Any suggestions.

 

Oh we live in the NE so there is very little sunlight.

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I'm no expert, but I would say 400 is not enough. My bigger kids take 1000 IU D3, without measured deficiencies. They like these, which they say taste like candy :glare: ;). You might ask on the General board, and do a bunch of googling, but my inclination would be to supplement a severely deficient "older" kiddo starting at least at 2000 IU D3.

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I don't think 400iu is enough but my son tested slightly low even after months of supplementing at 400iu. I'm currently giving him 2000iu a day. We use Carlson drops and there is 2000iu in one drop which make them easy to give. I used to give gummies but they really got expensive.

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Thank you... I cross posted this on the General board. My son is Autistic, for some reason his Dr. has some preconceptions of Autistic children and assumes if one child did it all autistic children will. She doesn't seem to have very much experience with autism supplemental or alternative to Rx's. We are looking for a new Dr. but there are so few drs who are covered by our ins.

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http://www.foodform.com/cart/foodform-vitamin-d-3.html This is what I take, and I take 6 capsules a day, making it 6,000 IU. It's per the advice of my nutritionist. You can also eat raw sunflower seeds for vit. D. Since I started taking this, I have NO problems in the winter.

 

I don't think 5,000 once a week would be enough. It gets peed out if the body doesn't need it, so one day he gets a chunk and the rest he's too low.

 

My daughter also takes the 6,000 IU daily. How much does he weigh? If he weighs as much as an adult, he will probably take that dose (except on calcium where kids take more). BTW, we don't take those 6 capsules all at once. We spread them throughout the day (2 with each meal).

 

I've always been told doctors get extremely little teaching on nutrition in medical school. I would take anything the doctor says with a grain of salt.

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I don't think 5,000 once a week would be enough. It gets peed out if the body doesn't need it, so one day he gets a chunk and the rest he's too low.

[\QUOTE]

 

I'm so confused. I thought I'd read that vitamin D is stored in the body and isn't removed (if not needed) via waste. I was under the impression that was how you reached toxic levels. Did I misread that?

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Hey you're right! I just went and looked it up, and it IS fat soluble! And you know, that makes sense because, duh, your body stores up D from the summer to last you through the winter. So yeah, you're right.

 

I don't know. I've been taking this 6,000 IU for a couple years now per the nutritionist, with the brand specified, and it's awesome, no problems. Before that, I was draggy dragon the whole winter. I must not do enough nakedness during the summer. ;)

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Interesting. My recent Vit D levels were shockingly low. Why is that? I am outside daily, even in winter (although I do not live in the most beneficial hemisphere, I to travel to FL or S CA every winter, and often both; one would think those extra weeks in the sunshine would make a difference?). I eat well; eat fish, gag down a little (raw) milk when I can (I don't like milk), take fish oil etc. I am taking a D supplement. Very confusing.

Edited by LibraryLover
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I'm so confused. I thought I'd read that vitamin D is stored in the body and isn't removed (if not needed) via waste. I was under the impression that was how you reached toxic levels. Did I misread that?

 

This might help make more sense out of things. I am no expert of any kind, I just like reading and researching so I am quoting Temple Grandin, as found in her book "The Way I See It", pg. 199.

 

Vitamins are either water-soluble or fat-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body. The body metabolizes what it needs when taken and excretes the rest through the urine. They need to be replenished on a regular basis. Fat-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, are stored in the liver and fatty tissues in the body, and are eliminated much more slowly. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble. Care should be taken in using these, since they can build up in the system and cause toxic reactions. The body systems of individuals with ASD are often wired differently; their immune systems can be impaired. Parents and doctors should not automatically assume that the recommended dosage on the bottle is appropriate. Trained professionals should be consulted when using any supplement with a child or adult with ASD.
Another thing to keep in mind, for those also supplementing with Cod Liver Oil, is this:

 

Fish liver oil contains the fat-soluble vitamins A and D, and therefore fish liver oil products (such as cod liver oil) may increase the risk of vitamin A or D toxicity.
The above quote can be found here, from the Mayo Clinic website:

 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fish-oil/NS_patient-fishoil/DSECTION=safety

 

I was going to use a survey that was linked in the past, which included various studies done on ADHD, ASD kids etc. after using various ratios of Omega-3 fish oil. Since I started reading Dr. Bock's book "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics", I am realizing that I definitely need to follow a more conservative approach and a more holistic one so I am now considering and researching the GFCF diets, besides supplements. Those of you that have good doctors to depend on have a good source to fall back on when it comes to recommendations on supplements. I don't, so I am using my own judgement for now, until I find a doctor I can depend on ;).

 

I hope you find this useful, in some way :)!

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I read that if you draw a line between Atlanta and Los Angeles, everyone north of that line can't get enough Vit. D from sun light alone. That was in a publication from Center for Science in the Public Interest; they tend to prefer clinical studies over fads.

 

Vit. D does store in your fat, so you don't want to risk overdose. My pediatrician asked me to start giving both my boys (ages 13 and 16) 1,000 IU daily after she tested very low on Vit. D. She decided that if her outdoorsy lifestyle left her family deficient, most or all of her patients would be too. My husband and I have been tested and are deficient. It took about 2 years of 4,000 IU daily to get me into the normal range. We all live in North Carolina, hardly the frozen north.

 

I strongly suspect that 400 IU, even for a child, isn't enough.

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