I have been having the worse time navigating this new board. No disrespect to anyone that designed it but I just spent 10 min trying to figure how to ask a question again. Anyway, I thought years ago when I first was diagnosed that someone said during the healing process not to take vitamins etc. Is this true. I take a hand full morning and night and they all help with something but I dont want to be irritating things. I know they dont have allergens or anything in them I cant have.
Thanks and again sorry!
Supplements & Vitamins while active
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Supplements & Vitamins while active
Collagenous Colitis, Benign Cramp Fasciculations in lower legs, Thyroid and High Cholesterol
Re: Supplements & Vitamins while active
Here are my views on supplements:
After we have been in remission long enough to be confident that our intestines have done significant healing (bearing in mind that it takes adults from 2 to 5 years for the intestines to completely heal the damage caused by gluten, depending on age) we can often tolerate many supplements, as long as they don't contain any of our major sensitivities.
Be aware that pharmaceutical products (unlike food products) are not required to list inactive ingredients on the label. Only the active ingredients are required by the FDA to be listed, and they must be listed accurately. That said, most manufacturers do list at least the major inactive ingredients. If the inactive ingredients happen to change, however (and they often do), without a binding legal requirement, how accurately do you think manufacturers maintain those labels? So always remember that they are not legally bound to maintain accurate labels, other than the active ingredients.
For most of us, if we follow an exclusion diet, or a diet selected after EnteroLab tests, the journey to remission only takes a few months on the average. True, we are all different, so some of us may reach remission in a week, whereas others may take a year or more, but on the average, we can easily do without any vitamins, minerals, or other supplements (other than what's in our food) while we are recovering. Vitamin D and magnesium can be exceptions, because MC depletes vitamin D and magnesium, so many of us have critically low levels, and we may not be able to heal without supplemental vitamin D and/or magnesium, because our immune system is in charge of healing, and it absolutely has to have adequate levels of vitamin D and magnesium in order to operate normally. Otherwise, unless you are certain that you are critically low of an essential vitamin or mineral (such as vitamin B-12, or potassium, for example) postpone taking such supplements until after you have reached remission. In general, the simpler our recovery diet, the faster we will heal. If we take one or more supplements that happen to cause our immune system to produce antibodies, we may never be able to reach remission. So why take that chance? Despite what promoters of those products claim, there is very little (if anything) to be gained by taking those products for the few weeks or months during our recovery, and there is everything to lose, if our immune system has a problem with them.
Those are my thoughts on the issue. As we all know, though, we're all different, so there may be occasional exceptions that defy the odds, and still succeed, anyway.
Tex
After we have been in remission long enough to be confident that our intestines have done significant healing (bearing in mind that it takes adults from 2 to 5 years for the intestines to completely heal the damage caused by gluten, depending on age) we can often tolerate many supplements, as long as they don't contain any of our major sensitivities.
Be aware that pharmaceutical products (unlike food products) are not required to list inactive ingredients on the label. Only the active ingredients are required by the FDA to be listed, and they must be listed accurately. That said, most manufacturers do list at least the major inactive ingredients. If the inactive ingredients happen to change, however (and they often do), without a binding legal requirement, how accurately do you think manufacturers maintain those labels? So always remember that they are not legally bound to maintain accurate labels, other than the active ingredients.
For most of us, if we follow an exclusion diet, or a diet selected after EnteroLab tests, the journey to remission only takes a few months on the average. True, we are all different, so some of us may reach remission in a week, whereas others may take a year or more, but on the average, we can easily do without any vitamins, minerals, or other supplements (other than what's in our food) while we are recovering. Vitamin D and magnesium can be exceptions, because MC depletes vitamin D and magnesium, so many of us have critically low levels, and we may not be able to heal without supplemental vitamin D and/or magnesium, because our immune system is in charge of healing, and it absolutely has to have adequate levels of vitamin D and magnesium in order to operate normally. Otherwise, unless you are certain that you are critically low of an essential vitamin or mineral (such as vitamin B-12, or potassium, for example) postpone taking such supplements until after you have reached remission. In general, the simpler our recovery diet, the faster we will heal. If we take one or more supplements that happen to cause our immune system to produce antibodies, we may never be able to reach remission. So why take that chance? Despite what promoters of those products claim, there is very little (if anything) to be gained by taking those products for the few weeks or months during our recovery, and there is everything to lose, if our immune system has a problem with them.
Those are my thoughts on the issue. As we all know, though, we're all different, so there may be occasional exceptions that defy the odds, and still succeed, anyway.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Re: Supplements & Vitamins while active
Thank you so much Tex! I am always on the low side with Vit D so I will continue with that and I tend to get leg cramps and twitches (from Benign Facilitations) so I will keep some Magnesium going as well. When this flare up happened again after me going on the Budesonide 2 months ago I just am very confused because there is not much left I can eat that I am not reacting to. Turkey, Shrimp and other fish (except Tuna) is safe. I just cant do venison etc and I have never liked them and Turkey is beginning to make gag because I am so done with it already. I am back on the Budesonide and after being on 9 mg for almost 2 weeks everything has slowed down but when I do go it is still very watery, yellowish and (forgive me) smelly. The first time I went on the Budesonide 6 yrs ago when newly diagnosed I was normal after 1 week of 9mg and went down to 6. In July when this reared its ugly head again (I tried for 3 weeks with strict diet etc) and went back on and it worked after a week and wasnt yellowish etc. Not sure if I ate something that was so cross contaminated that it has really done a number on me. I just did a test for Sibo last week and waiting for results as I did have that 6 years ago and I know if that has kicked up again (even though I mostly eat Low Fodmap) it can wreak havic with the MC. I just feel so defeated right now. :o( I so appreciate this website and all of you!
Collagenous Colitis, Benign Cramp Fasciculations in lower legs, Thyroid and High Cholesterol
Re: Supplements & Vitamins while active
Every time we stop taking budesonide and restart it again, it is less effective. Even published research verifies that.
I could be wrong, but your symptoms sound suspiciously like your diet is cross-contaminated, probably with gluten. The bad odor especially, suggests gluten contamination. You may feel that you have a very restricted diet, but something that you are eating (or one or more of your medications) is almost surely causing your immune system to produce antibodies. If you are eating any commercially produced products, or eating any meals prepared by others, they would be the most likely suspects.
Tex
I could be wrong, but your symptoms sound suspiciously like your diet is cross-contaminated, probably with gluten. The bad odor especially, suggests gluten contamination. You may feel that you have a very restricted diet, but something that you are eating (or one or more of your medications) is almost surely causing your immune system to produce antibodies. If you are eating any commercially produced products, or eating any meals prepared by others, they would be the most likely suspects.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.