do you take vitamins and supplements and what for?

[bizi]

Just curious,
I am taking quite a few myself and wondered if you think this might be too many:

chlorella 3 tabs twice a day, for cellular repair and a super food.
digestive enzymes 3 tabs twice a day, help digest food and make available for absorption...I think.
Flaxseed oil 1000mg, Essential fatty acids
Fish Oil. 1000mg Omega 3 fatty acids (I don't eat salmon)
vit D3 6,000 units because I was deficient
B50 complex for fatigue
zinc 30mg with copper for cellular repair
calcium 600mg twice a day, osteopenia and I don't drink milk
multivit and mineral with iron just in case I am not eating enough of the right foods.

It was recommended that i try taking b12 to combat my early evening fatigue, what do you think about that? I stopped taking the probiotics because I finished taking the tetracyclin. But I think I should start taking them again.
bizi

[waves]

Originally Posted by bizi

wondered if you think this might be too many:

chlorella 3 tabs twice a day, for cellular repair and a super food.
digestive enzymes 3 tabs twice a day, help digest food and make available for absorption...I think.
Flaxseed oil 1000mg, Essential fatty acids
Fish Oil. 1000mg Omega 3 fatty acids (I don't eat salmon)
vit D3 6,000 units because I was deficient
B50 complex for fatigue
zinc 30mg with copper for cellular repair
calcium 600mg twice a day, osteopenia and I don't drink milk
multivit and mineral with iron just in case I am not eating enough of the right foods.

It was recommended that i try taking b12

Bizi i highlighted the things (above) that i think might be distinctly problematic. I have the following concerns:

• 
  Calcium supplementation w/ adequate Vit D status - There is a risk of hypercalcemia when supplementing with calcium along with vitamin D. Your multivit+mineral probably has additional calcium too! When you get labs, have your Calcium status checked along with your vitamin D status. Vitamin D makes it easier to absorb calcium from foods, so supplementation is usually not needed. Furthermore, calcium is better absorbed from vegetarian sources (e.g. broccoli and kale) than from dairy. Excessive calcium tends to cause constipation. It can also cause kidney stones and other problems.
• 
  Calcium and Magnesium balance - Calcium and magnesium intake should always be proportional. Supplementation should also be proportional to each other. The Ca:Mg intake ratio should be 2:1, and they should be taken at separate times during the day. These minerals complement each other in physiological processes Disproportionate supplementation of either one can cause deficiency in the other. Also, calcium should be taken on an empty stomach. http://buymagnesiumcitrate.com/why-s...ith-magnesium/
• 
  "B50 Complex" - Supplements with this labeling are often misleading. Please check the ingredients. Does it have 50% RDA of each? (That would be ok.) However if it listss "50mg" of most things, "50mcg" of others etc... it is grossly unbalanced. The B vitamins should be taken in proportion with one another, and 50 is not a magic number in regard to the specific units. Your multivit most likely contains a full complement of B vitamins anyway! Please also check the %RDA of the B vits contained in your multivit.
• 
  Additional B12 - You should only supplement with B12 if you have a deficiency. Deficiency is rare except in those with strict vegan diets, special populations or gastric problems. If you were deficient it would most likely know from labs, as it would most likely cause anemia or borderline anemia. Since you have unexplained fatigue, I would request B12 status testing. It is important to identify a B12 deficiency before attempting to correct it. Given you are not vegan, investigation of the cause might be warranted. Depending on the cause, deficiency may be require treatment with shots and/or sublingual supplements.
  
• 
  Iron - Taking iron "in case" you are not eating right is a bad idea. Deficiency occurs in some individuals but it is not that common. It would almost certainly produce anemia. And the flip side is that excessive Iron causes fatigue.

~ waves ~

[waves]

Dear Bizi,

Here are the supplements I take, how much, and why:

• Vitamin D - 1500 units daily for now... in the process of testing / titrating. Testing cannot be done often here, so it will be a while probably before I can reach target levels. I am uncomfortable titrating more steeply when i cannot test frequently.

  REASON: Clinical deficiency

• a balanced B complex containing
  • 10 B-group vitamins, at ~100% RDA each except
  • only 40% RDA of B12 which accumulates in the system anyway and I eat meat.
  • 300% RDA of Biotin - dunno why but the amount is within tolerbility so... whatever.

  REASON: Clinical folate deficiency (tested) and denatured food sources. Depakote interferes with folate absorption. Also, due to how my parents (overcook their foods - often boiling them in water), I am almost certainly not getting the full nutritional benefits from foods that normally provide these vitamins.
  

• Selenium + Zinc supplement - with complementary nutrients:
  • Se 75mg
  • Zn 15 mg
  • Vit C 60mg
  • Vit E 30mg
  • Betacarotene 5mg

  REASON: Depakote depletions - VPA is known to to deplete Selenium and vitamin E. It can also cause hairloss - supplementation with Selenium and Zinc prevent that.

• Magnesium citrate - occasionally.

  REASON: any persistent sx that suggest I could use it (tics etc.) in addition to the other stuff.

I should probably also take Carnitine (d/t Depakote depletion) but I am uncomfortable with the idea and, since i am no longer on a really high dose of Depakote I will probably continue not to.

~ waves ~

[Mari]

Hi,

This reminds me that when I last some my mdoc 12 months ago, I asked for blood work to check my calcium status along with other things.

I got a call that everything was normal. I wonder would like to see the paper work for the calcium and other stuff. I am waiting 18 months to see the report for results of my peripheral neuropathy test. The techs who performed the PN test said I absolutely do not have it. Still, I would like to see the report.

Maybe I should make an mdoc appointment soon.

M

[Lara]

Originally Posted by Mari

I got a call that everything was normal. I wonder would like to see the paper work for the calcium and other stuff. I am waiting 18 months to see the report for results of my peripheral neuropathy test. The techs who performed the PN test said I absolutely do not have it. Still, I would like to see the report.

You should be able to get copies of ALL your test results. We can here if we ask.

[Lara]

bizi, how come you're taking the flax 1000mg AND the Omega3 1000mg?

edited to add:

Plus you're taking

B50 complex for fatigue
and
multivit and mineral with iron just in case I am not eating enough of the right foods.

What's in the Multivit/mineral with iron? Similar to the B50?

[mrsD]

I have to comment on the chlorella algae.

I think it would be prudent to not use algae products until this
is cleared up, if ever.

http://brainbank.med.miami.edu/x63.xml

[Lara]

ugh I'm confused. Is that for real?
The article didn't really make sense to me. When was it written? Is it only algae sourced from certain areas that are the problem? Lots of questions.

I've been prescribed and swallowing this green tablet for as long as I can remember.

[mrsD]

This is another one:

http://thedartmouth.com/2011/06/28/news/ALS

I got the information originally from the PD forum.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ighlight=algae

For what it is worth, I have a skin condition that came from using lake water in summer upNorth.... blistering painful inflammatory problems. Some of the residents get it up there too. I contacted a University professor here with questions...I thought it was zebra mussel spawn..but he said it was probably the algae bloom which happens when the water warms.

I now avoid the water up there and I don't get it. I have permanent scarring from the reactions. Only on sun exposed skin. It is called a photosensitive contact dermatitis.

[Lara]

eeek OK Thanks.

I don't swim in it I EAT it. I'm going to have to investigate the source of the Chlorella I take. I wouldn't jump into a pond that had blue-green algae in it. I had put faith into the natural sources of the product I have been taking so long. Ugh. I'm so confused.