Vitamin D question
So a few weeks ago I went to my Doctor to get labs done and I have been having really bad headaches (which before my surgery I never had headaches I didn't even keep Tylenol in the house, so this has been an adjustment.) Well the nurse called me with my labs and said everything was looking good but my B12 was in the normal range but on the lower end. She said that when I come back in 2 months they will check again and show me how to do the B12 shots. She said my Vitamin D level was very low and they called in a prescription for me. I didn't think to ask the numbers so I don't know if it was super low but here is the prescription they called in for me - One capsule weekly for 8 weeks. Vit D2 1.25 MG (50,000 Unit) Is this low? Could this be the reason for my bad headaches?
We do not absorb D2 well, so it is a waste of money. There is really no need for a prescription at all because you can get Vit D3 pills in very high doses for a very reasonable price. Many of us use the 50,000 unit pills from Vitalady. 50,000 units is a high dose, but because of our bypass, we often NEED a very high dose.
Also, what is the point of just waiting 2 months to check your B12 level if you aren't taking any additional supplements? You are aware that you can take a sublingual B12 instead of giving yourself injections, right? I use the Twinlabs B12 dots. They dissolve very quickly, have a decent flavor, and are dirt cheap... Like $15 for a bottle that lasts almost a year!
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
D2 I'm with you if we don't absorb it well why prescribe it. Sometimes I worry because I think most family physicians aren't to knowledgable about gastric bypass. I have my 6th month appointment with my surgeon next month and definatly have a few questions for him. I'm gonna look into the sublingual b12!!!! I don't want to take a shot if I don't need too. Thanks for your post
You are correct that many physicians (including many bariatric surgeons!) don't understand much about vitamins, let alone vitamins for RNY folks. Two things that you need to be able to ask/tell/remind them about: 1) the D2 comes in gelcaps filed with oil (which makes sense for normal folks because D2 is a fat soluble vitamin), but since we significantly malabsorb fat, we will absorb only a little of it, and 2) D2 has to be converted to D3 by the body, but it is not a one-for-one conversion ; you get much less D3 than the number of units of D2 that you started with. If I remember correctly, you get only like 1/3 as much (but I am not sure about that).
When you combine these issues, it means that if the doctor prescribes 50,000 units of D2 and you absorb less than half of it, and then you get only 1/3 of THAT amount once it is converted to D3, you could end up with only 10,000 units of D3. If you take dry D3, though, you get all 50,000 units.
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Low D probably isn't causing your headaches. Was your iron OK?
As Lora said, the prescription D2 is pretty much useless. You can order 50,000 IU D3 capsules from vitalady.com, which will actually help you. However, if your level is very low, you'll need more than one per week to see a difference.
So are you increasing your B12 now? Why do they want to wait two months to start the shots?
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
