IF I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW

[T]

Brandy

Thanks for that info I love my bacon thought it was gone forever have been eating turkey bacon .
Last weekend I tried a sirloin tip roast in the slow cooker (finally beef) and I had no problems it was great.
I can now eat a few peaches but tried plain applesauce and it made me sick don't know why

TERRY

[T]

I switched Drs and saw A NP (nurse practioner) yesterday for stress and my high BP 162 have been on Licinopril for years and works well.
She went over my medical history with me I explained the reasons why I did not want to take the meds my old Dr wanted me to take She checked her meds list and said how about KLONOPIN the worse side effect is constipation and I don't think you are to worried about that right now I grinned and said no. I think I made A good choice she really listened to me what relief.
Almost forgot as I was waiting for my NP I saw A illustration on the wall of the digestive system it was from A drug co.gastrointestional diseases
everything was listed even hemorroids but no MC I just shook my head.

TERRY

[T]

Gluten free for over 30 days and feeling great my energy is back WOW !! Thanks Tex

Terry

[tex]

Great!

You're most welcome.

I hope your recovery continues to go smoothly.

Tex

[fatbuster205]

Hi all,

Maybe all of us should start at "silent" campaign by buying Tex' book and offer it to our doctors, as a gift?


Lilja

Ahead of you there! I bought two - one for my Consultant and the other for my GP!
Anne

[T]

I saw my NP (and her student)on Wed.for A followup on my Clonazepam she asked A few questions and raised my dosage to.50
My NP asked if I had any questions so I asked about the sores that developed in the corners of my mouth (yes Tex I already suspected this was
next to happen) she pulled out her pocket mini computer and looked up the blood work I needed still waiting on results but here is the tests
CBC and Differential
Iron Profile
Vitamin B12
Vitamin D25 Hydroxy

[T]

Tex

Finally recd results from my blood tests everything in fair shape except my Vit D and makes me wonder why it shouldn't be A standard
practice for A GI to to keep check on Vit levels after A person with MC has eliminated so many foods looks like my new NP will take
care of me.By the way my GI is 55 miles away I can see him on every other Tuesday 15 miles away but is booked solid.

Vit D 25 hydroxy, D3 11
Vit D hydroxy, D2 <4
My NP prescribed DRISDOL 50,000 iu 1x per week for 8 weeks
I think I needed blood tests A few months ago.

Terry

[tex]

Hi Terry,

Yes, you desperately need to increase your vitamin D level. Unfortunately, Drisdol (like all prescription vitamin D) is in the form of Ergocalciferol (D2), not cholecalciferol (D3). D2 is far less effective than D3. Especially considering how low your vitamin D level is, you would be much better off if you buy any over-the-counter vitamin D, because all of it is in the form of D3. 50,000 IU per week is roughly 7,000 IU per day, so taking any combination of capsules or tablets that will average around 7,000 per day will provide the same results (but much better results than D2). Frankly, if I were in that situation I would probably double the dose for the first week, and then drop back to the prescribed dose (7,000 IU per day) after that.

Here's a quote from page 46 of my vitamin D book that describes why I'm making this suggestion:

2 alternative forms of vitamin D supplements exist.
Note that the research articles cited here refer to vitamin D3, rather than just plain vitamin D. In fact, 2 forms of vitamin D are commonly available — vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Vitamin D2 is otherwise known as ergocalciferol, and vitamin D3 is known as cholecalciferol. Interestingly, when physicians prescribe vitamin D, the prescriptions almost invariably refer to vitamin D2, but by contrast, virtually all of the over-the-counter vitamin D supplements are in the form of vitamin D3.

Many decades ago, vitamin D2 was thought to be the equivalent of vitamin D3, but that assumption can no longer be justified. Why physicians continue to prescribe vitamin D2 is somewhat of a mystery, since research shows that vitamin D3 supplements are consistently more effective than vitamin D2 supplements. Houghton and Vieth, (2006), summed up the case against vitamin D2 supplements with this statement:7

The case that vitamin D2 should no longer be considered equivalent to vitamin D3 is based on differences in their efficacy at raising serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, diminished binding of vitamin D2 metabolites to vitamin D binding protein in plasma, and a nonphysiologic metabolism and shorter shelf life of vitamin D2. Vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, should not be regarded as a nutrient suitable for supplementation or fortification. (p. 696)

Here is reference 7 from that quote:

7. Houghton, L. A., & Vieth, R. (2006). The case against ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) as a vitamin supplement. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 84(4), 694–697. Retrieved from http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/84/4/694.full

Yes, it's always a very good idea to check our vitamin D level occasionally.

Good luck with the treatment. Your immune system will really appreciate the vitamin D, because that will enable it to do a much better job of suppressing inflammation.

Tex

[T]

Tex

Thanks for the article now what, should I send this article to my new Np I would hate to tick her off but its my disease
my health or should I stay with her treatment

Terry

[tex]

Terry,

If it were me, I would just go buy an over-the-counter bottle of vitamin D, take approximately 7,000 IU per day (or 50,000 IU per week) and pretend that I am following her orders. She'll be happy, and you'll be able to boost your vitamin D level much faster with the D3.

Tex

[T]

I like your advise I think I will buy your book and give it to her that might be A benefit for me if she agrees with it

Terry

[T]

I learned a lesson the hard way.I was takeing Clonazepam disintegrating tablets at .50 was not strong enough so my NP increased me to
1mg I felt druged.My NP switched me to VENLAFAXINE 75mg I took one Sat.(was trying to recover from a bad flare from last week caused by
my anxiety attack) felt it in my face crap their is something in that med I am intolerant to.All day Sunday I was sicker than A dog.
I looked up the ingredients and found the culprit milk sugar.Clonazepam disintegrating is safe for me but in pill form contains lactose.
Recent blood work for magnesium looked good (unreliable I know Tex) sodium low NP not to worried about it (I am its my foods I am not eating)
So I started Epsom salt foot soaks to get my magnesium up and reduce stress.Potassium level was good but I eat 5 bananas A week.
Today my gut feels A lot better

Terry

[tex]

Terry,

Sorry to hear that you had a reaction to the med change. It seems odd that drug manufacturers don't have sense enough to realize that people who take medications for digestive system disorders take them because they are basically sick, and have some sort of digestive system disorder that makes them sensitive to all sorts of junk in their food and/or meds. If we could tolerate that stuff, we wouldn't be sick.

It's good that you're feeling better today. We have to watch our meds closely, because we can't count on our doctors to look out for ingredients that might cause us to react. Your pharmacist can look up all the ingredients in medications (if she/he is not already familiar with them), and pharmacists are usually more familiar with the risks for people who have sensitivities than most physicians.

Tex

[Vanessa]

Oh no! How could I be so dumb.....I am also on that med (0.5 mg) klonopin. Ironically since being diagnosed. I was so anxious about the diagnosis I remember calling the pharmacy to make sure there was no dairy or wheat in the pills. I never revisited the topic after my mind came back. This could totally be what is keeping me from reaching full remission. I have been on this pill nightly for so long now it is scary to think of changing ( especially this class of drugs). So the disintegrating tabs is what I will switch to. I hope they work the same

I can not count the number of times this forum has saved my butt.......

[T]

Vanessa

I am glad my post might help others.
Clonazepam in the pill form contains LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE (milk sugar)
I wonder why our foods are listed with the ingheadients but our drugs are not


Terry