Anyone Take Vitamin D?

im going to take it. my doc put me on a once a week dose. it made me feel better!! i thought i had SAD for years, and finally, something to make me feel better!
i would go for it, but if you can find vit d3, i hear that is better yet. :) good luck

My obgyn recommends 2000 iu daily since most people are inside most of the day and now wear many products with sunscreen in them. He swears by it and says everyone should take it for optimal health. I take one pill per day. I haven't noticed much difference in my overall mood or health though. Hope this helps!
A.

Everybody should take 1000 mg of Vitamin D daily. Both my primary care physician and ob/gyn recommend it as they really do think it helps with cancer prevention - neither doctor is particularly "wholistic" either. My ob/gyn actually gives out samples. There has been a lot of media attention to this so you could google it to review.

If my understanding is correct, exposure to the sun is one way of increasing our Vitamin D levels. Those of us in the Midwest really do suffer from a lack of Vit D, especially in the winter months. Definitely take a supplement, especially in the winter, but also do try to get as much time outdoors as possible each day. Luckily the weather is still bearable right now, and hopefully at least for the next few weeks.

In addition to Vit D supplements, you might want to talk to your doctor about light therapy, which is often used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Vitamin D3 is essential to take, especially during the winter months. Even if it is sunny out, the earth is tilted away from the sun in a way that makes the levels of D in our bodies lower than in the summer months. This is one of the reasons why people tend to get sick in the winter more than in the summer. It is amazing how effective D3 is. We take it in liquid form. It is a good idea to get tested first to see where your levels are. Yes, I believe it can aid in seasonal depression issues as well.

Hi B.
Good question! If you really want to know- it's easy to have your blood drawn and checked for your levels.
Generally people in this region would supplement with Vit D and most Docs recommend it.
You can only absorb it during the months of April to October and it's best if a person isn't wearing sunscreen for at least 15-30 min a day in direct sunlight. And with most - even women's makeup contains block.
Likely if you're low- you'd want to take 1000 u twice a day or 2000u once a day if you want to conserve $$
It can affect your mood.
Another thing to look at is your omega 3's. They are tied to overall organ health, and if you didn't supplement following your kids births, it takes up to 3 years to replenish with food sources IF you're eating them and not supplementing. New studies tie it in with postpartum and more.
As a wellness coach-- I recommend both.

About me: 50 yo wellness coach also doing a nationwide online weight challenge for $$, perfusionist, mom with awesome 9 yo fraternal twin girls.

B. J

I take D3, it's for bone, colon and breast health. I'm a sun worshiper and totally miss the sun during winter... Take some D, it cant hurt ya any and it may pull you out of the duldrums. D is generated by sunlight. I feel pretty cheerful so maybe it does have some anti depressing affects.

Talk to your doctor. A blood test can tell if your Vit D is too low and how much of a supplement you may need to take.

In our northern climate, the sun is only strong enough to allow natural production of vitamin D during May-August approximately. The rest of the year we need to eat foods rich in D or take supplements. D3 is more easily used by our bodies. Naturally produced D lasts longer in our systems than a supplemental form so take a supplement everyday. My DH and I take 5000 I.U./day (sold at our local food coop) and it does seem to help my DH with his seasonal depression. We give our son 800 I.U./day. It is a good idea to ask to be tested because many people need much higher dosages.

Your body makes plenty of vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, but if you're not an outdoorsy person, and especially in the winter many people don't get enough vit D. I take 2000 IU's in the summer (I don't spend much time in the sun) and 3000-4000 IU's in the winter. It is important for your immune system as well as many other things, and may help defend against heart disease, certain cancers, etc. A very worth while supplement. I give it to my kids too - Walmart sells gummy vitamin D. My girls are 10 and 13 - I give them 1000 IU's during the winter (none in summer - they're in the sun a lot...)

Here is another good website to research - http://vitamind.mercola.com/

Lots of good info. Yes, vitamin D is very important. They are linking it to so many things. My first experience was when I was pregnant with my 2nd baby and they didn't know why I delivered my 1st 6 weeks early. My new doc checked my vit d levels and mine were low, which is really common living in the midwest. He also said that most women who deliver early, have low levels. I took a supplement my whole pregnancy and still do.

Have you doctor test your vitamin D levels. I did (and unfortunately insurance didn't pay-but that was a few years ago), anyway mine was very low. I take up to 5000ius per day but 1000ius should be sufficient unless you are really low.

I also take it. I was borderline deficient when tested and was surprised since I live in FL and outside all the time! My Dr. stressed it's importance for preventing Osteoporosis, but it does have many benefits of prevention, even PMS. Here's a good link with the info.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-...

yep, it will help with seasonal depression. It has helped me.
S.

When I started taking it, I skipped having SAD that year, so yes, I think you should try it.

It's also just really good for your health. Check out Oprah's website; she had a big article on the benefits of D recently.

I take it in the form of cod liver oil (it's a Norwegian brand, with no traceable amounts of Mercury) and get it with light therapy. It's true that you need to take vit D with calcium in order for it to be absorbed properly. I think cod liver oil has calcium so you can take it alone, but I try to take it with yogurt. Caffeine also interferes with absorption, so don't take iti n the am if you're a coffee drinker like me! It's actually not a vitamin at all, but acts more like a hormone which is what makes the research on Vit D so interesting and promising. The light therapy I use is a Feel Bright Light visor. I can't recommend it highly enough. It saves me from having to otherwise take anti-depressants to cope with my depression.

I take it for fibromyalgia. Have your levels tested, and go from there.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin. Supplements are usually not readily absorbed by the GI tract. The best way to get vitamin D is through sunlight. Vitamin D is also added to some milk, because without enough of it, Calcium can not be absorbed well either. Luckily, Mother Nature has provided an easy was to increase your levels of D. The highest concentration on Vitamin D receptors on the skin are conveniently located on the forearms. Usually up to an hour a day(less for fair skin, longer for medium to dark skin) is suggested-don't forget your sunscreen, and as with starting any fat soluble supplement, consult your family Dr. first.

Updated

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin. Supplements are usually not readily absorbed by the GI tract. The best way to get vitamin D is through sunlight. Vitamin D is also added to some milk, because without enough of it, Calcium can not be absorbed well either. Luckily, Mother Nature has provided an easy was to increase your levels of D. The highest concentration on Vitamin D receptors on the skin are conveniently located on the forearms. Usually up to an hour a day(less for fair skin, longer for medium to dark skin) is suggested-don't forget your sunscreen, and as with starting any fat soluble supplement, consult your family Dr. first.

It's fairly common these days for MDs to test your Vit. D level if you are concerned. I had mine checked several months ago and it was a bit low so I'm taking supplements. If you buy a supplement make sure it's D3 and not D2. ask to have your level checked first to see if you should get the 400mg or 1000mg caps. If it's really low your doc will have you taking big doses once a week to get it up to normal, then scale back to lower daily doses. It's important for you immune system so this is a good time of year to get it checked.

I suggest you go to your doctor and have your Vitamin D level checked.
My immunologist suggested that I have it checked. He said a large majority of people in this region are deficient and do not know it.

I think Vitamin D is added to milk.
I take a calcium-magnesium supplement (from Trader Joe's)
that has Vitamin D added.
There are some special lights, and directions for using them,
for people with seasonal depression related to lack of natural light.
You want to be careful with fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E)
re dangers of taking too much.
This isn't a problem with water-soluble vitamins (B, C)
because your body simply flushes out what it can't use.
Good luck.

Vit d would def help with that. I started uping my dosage in addition to my prenatal last year and really had a better time with sad then normal.

Yes, and I only trust Shaklee for supplements.

Ask your doctor to check you for vitamin deficiency. Depression can be caused by other vitamin deficency also. I was taking Viactiv calcuim chews with vitamin D and vitamin K plus a multi-vitamin. Up until recently that was all I needed but now my vitamin D is low and I am taking 50,000 UNT twice a week. Mine is mostly diet related because I am on a Gluten Free diet because of celiac and most of the foods are not fortified plus I can not eat too much dairy. The sun is one of the best ways to get Vitamin D but not during the winter months here in the midwest and since I spend hours in the sun almost daily during the summer I now know it does not always work. Eat a healthy well balance diet and exercise daily and see if that will help your depression, plus lots of water.

If you're going to take it, use Vitamin D3. The other type is synthetically made and won't help you--you'll just be throwing (or flushing) your money away.

I've been taking Vitamin D3 for over three years now. I take 1,000 mg every day. I buy mine as a liquid drop that I put into my water in the morning. I used to have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and had been using a light box. Now I only use my light box if we have a few days of clouds and no sun in a row. When I've had myself tested, I'm usually 69-89 for concentrations in my blood; a person can have up to 140 (this is how much is given to cancer patients). I haven't had a cold, the flu, or any major infections in over three years either. I give my daughter Vitamin D3 as well. She also hasn't had a cold, flu, or major infection in over three years. It was the best preventive that I've ever taken. I also take buffered Vitamin C every day, which also helps build up my immune system, along with DHA/EPA 720 (a type of omega/fish oil).

I have been taking 1000 i.u. and Caltrate 600 i.u plus D (all over the counter ) for about 5 years now because my Vitamin D score was so low and I was so tired all of the time, my endocrinologist recommended this and it worked and brought my score up to normal. I take the Vit. D once a day and the Caltrate twice a day. Being out in the sunlight helps a lot. I get very depressed when it's rainy and cloudy, but I think that that is a whole different issue, but then again, maybe not. Hope this helps!

Vitamin D is part of my multi vitamin. I notice when I take my vitamins that I don't have the down times/moodiness compared to when I don't take them for a few days. Don't know if because of any particular vitamin within the multi pack or if just because I feel a little sluggish when I skip.

Don't know your age, but I have read that due to most of our diets plus the lack of needed nutritients within our food, that anyone over 30 should be taking a multi vitamin.

check out http://www.YummyLiquidVitamins.com Hubby and I have been taking these and love them! Hope you find something that works for you!!!

i also suffer from this-so this year i talked to my dr.about one of those sunlamp deals-well interestingly enuff-my insurance wont cover it unless its prescibed by a shrink-and thats only after i tried all the antidepressants on the market-lamp costs 300.00-i cant afford that and i guess if you dont use it correctly you can get worse.so i tried the vitamin d-nope didnt work-so now im taking celexa-a 1/4 tablet at bedtime-the dose is 20mg.but im so hypersensitive to drugs that at 1st i took a 1/2 of tablet-slept 12 straight hours-so now i take a 1/4 tablet-its doing the trick-plus it killed my migraines-so im a happy camper...good luck

There are sooo many benefits for taking extra vitamin D. Everyone's needs are different, depending on where you live, your skin color, age, etc. Here is a tool called Vitamin D-ology that helps you determine how much you need:

http://K..myshaklee.com/us/en/welcome.html#/pop_VitaminD_...

Be sure to get D3. Good luck!