Vitamin D stopped

I had the same problem with very low vitD I now buy the 1000 iu from Tesco and take 2 daily. I think they are about £5 but there are 90 tablets in there.

Really, why do people think doctors would write prescriptions for vitamin D if all that was needed was to get out into the sunshine?! I have just been diagnosed with osteoporosis and been prescribed vitaminD+calcium supplements, although I had been taking over-the-counter pills, I am sure the ones I have been prescribed must be different, no GP surgery wants to waste money on prescriptions unnecessarily.

My GP told me that just about everyone whose blood test results she sees are deficient in vitamin D She blames our climate!

i also have very low vit d levels and am on prescribed high dose levels for seven weeks then told to buy over the counter supplements which i do any way despite having been told previously by a doctor that supplements were useless!

I told GP i was taking vit D and Calcium from Tesco , he started typing on his computer , the printer spat and I left with a script for the tablets ! I hadn't asked for it and didn't get it renewed

blondenana
Your locum was correct.High strength Vit D prescribed, by your GP, who in your words ' believes you need it' can like Paracetamol be bought over the counter.

Like Humpty Dumpty, I’ve had a Vit D/Calcium supplement prescribed my GP on the recommendation of my orthopaedic surgeon after hip replacement. The calcium helps the body to retain bone density, important for stability in replacement joints, and can only be absorbed if Vitamin D is present. The level of dosage I’ve been given is not available over the counter.

As far as I know, all types of vitamin D are available to buy OTC or online. However, typically the supplements you can buy on the supermarket health shelves are of one basic type, which isn't suitable for all people. Also I have read that as we get older, our skin doesn't actually produce vitamin d in the sun as efficiently as it does in younger people, and so vit D in the diet or as supplements becomes more important.

FlexibleFriend I get my vits from Amazon too. Various but always Solgar Vit D3 4000IU and recently VM Prime for women. Early signs of my autoimmune issues included extremely low Vit D. Endocrinologist wants me on it through winter, less in high summer. Plus not enough for range to be just inside normal - important to be optimal.

aggie have you checked that the levels of VitD and calcium are as high in the Tesco's tablets?

I've been on Calcium and Vit D supplements for years because of osteoporosis. I have in that time fluctuated between a named brand (Calcichew) and a basic one, both prescribed by my GP and over the counter. supplement bought at my local supermarket. If I'm visiting my GP I ask for a prescription, sometimes I remember to order a repeat and sometimes I just buy some. Osteoporosis is now osteopenia and some of my bones are normal for my age so it's working. I've asked about the difference between the three and haven't really had a satisfactory reply.

I think that if a locum starts changing your medication it may not necessarily be a bad thing, sometimes a fresh look at a problem is a good thing - but it would be wise to make an appointment with your usual GP to check that this is the best course for you.

trisher , great news, I hope to make the same progress! At the orthopaedic hospital I was told my Dexa scan result was -2 which is their borderline for diagnosis, but she told me that GPs often don't start treatment until -2.5, so I'm obviously 'borderline'. Have you also taken bisphosphonates? I'm supposed to start on Monday, and not looking forward to it..

Hubby went for his prescription review a month ago he was taken off all his medications except blood pressure he was taking proton pump inhibitors and was on painkillers( not paracetamol) for his arthritis, he was told to buy ibuprofen. I myself think its a cost cutting exercise, he is in a lot of pain now and it is affecting his ability to work. There actually was an article in the paper the other day about GPs stopping prescribing health supplements and vitamins. i think if you can buy it over the counter you should if you can afford to, obviously some people cant.

Unless you have some ongoing condition that requires high dosage vitamin D I always understood VitD is only required if your level is low and once up to standard is no longer needed other than through diet and sunlight. Locum may have had a point on that but HRT is a other matter. Did she say why she didn't want to prescribe.

I agree in principle Bopeep except for the issue of dosages - I must check my over-the-counter against the prescription supps.

I agree it’s selfish to take Vitamins and Paracetamol on prescription. And HRT should be reviewed regularly you maybe don’t need it . It’s goid to get a second opinion sometimes

You are right to wait to see your own GP.

I have said this before I think... I do get paracetamol on prescription. I have to take more than I could feasibly buy as you are only allowed to buy two packs at a time. Anyone going shop to shop would be remembered and flagged up!! One of my other prescription medications won't work properly without it. I will be on them for life. I don't feel bad in the slightest.

It never even occurred to me to ask for a prescription when doctor told me that all people over 55 should take a daily
Vit D tablet.
They are very cheap & very easy to buy at any pharmacist.
One day -God forbid -I may need prescription drugs & the more money NHS has the better.

It is NOT selfish to get Vit D on prescription (at a higher dose than you can buy over the counter) if you need it - I wasn't Vit D deficient I was depleted and as I have paid tax & NI for 45 years (and am still paying!) I am not going to feel guilty it was prescribed

A lot of folk seem to confuse daylight with sunshine. Even in the winter 15 mins outside in daylight helps with vit D absorption. Best is through diet though. There is a thought that since we in the UK stopped eating herring as a mainstay in our diet Vit D deficiency and MS have increased.

No Gabriela54 you are talking a load of rubbish. I am outside nearly all the time and in SE Asia for 3 or 4 months in the winter so you would think that I would absorb vit D but I don't. Some people like myself, have auto immune problems and therefore for one reason or another don't absorb various vits. I have iron tablets, folic acid and vit D all of which are a higher strength than the ones you can buy. Suggest you think a bit before going into action.

I am on a large number of medications prescribed by the doctor (as a diabetic) as well as taking supplements which I buy. I'm on a low income so I feel no guilt for getting anything on prescription if the doctor thinks it necessary but last time I had a check up I refused to have an additional prescribed medication as there was a risk of having a hypo if my dose was increased. I didn't want to risk that as I need to drive every day. My doctor discusses my medications and lets me decide some of it after making suggestions. I buy vitamin D3 over the counter and it is a vastly smaller dose that that mentioned by the OP which I suspect needs to be prescribed.

I agree that Vit pills should not be on prescription .... my daughter has extremely bad and chronic asthma since the age of 3..... she sometimes has difficulty paying for her prescriptions as on low wage. To be given something unnecessary that a normal diet and life could supply is awful. I sometimes have to step in and pay for her medication , as I know she’s just squandering her wages on food and rent.