Supplements and Covid

[JEANNINE]

I was diagnosed with lymphocytic colitis and have been on budesonide for about 8 weeks at 9 mg per day and haven't been told to start tapering off yet. My diahrrea has gone away, but my stools are very soft (but formed). I wonder if my colon is actually healing or just postponing the return of diahrrea. This is all very new to me. All the time I have been taking the drug I have continued to take my supplements. I have ALWAYS taken supplements and am rarely sick. I am 74 and take no drugs (except now, the budesonide). I hate to stop taking my vits because of covid and the fact that I know I don't get enough of many needed vitamins. It is a long list of supplements, some of which I now take as a prophylactic for covid; and if I were to get covid, there is another list of "supplements" I would take for treatment. Doesn't the book say not to take supplements? Do most of the people dealing with LC not take vits? Are there only certain vits not to take?

[tex]

Hi Jeannine,

You can take your supplements, as long as you're very careful that they don't contain any ingredients that cause your immune system to produce antibodies. I take a lot of supplements myself, because I need a very limited diet, but I am very careful with ingredients, and I've been in remission for over 15 years. While we're initially recovering, our immune system is hypersensitive, and even the slightest traces of the foods that cause our immune system to produce antibodies can cause enough Inflammation to prevent us from ever reaching remission.

As long as you're taking the full dose of budesonide, traces of inflammatory ingredients in supplements probably won't cause you any problems. It's when your gastroenterologist tells you to begin tapering the dose of budesonide, that they may begin to cause problems. The time to start checking the labels is now, not later. And this risk certainly exists for any prescription or over-the-counter medications that you might be taking, also.

Tex

[tex]

I forgot to mention the main reason why supplements are especially risky during our recovery. Unlike food, the FDA does not require pharmaceutical manufacturers to list inactive ingredients on label. They're only required to list the active ingredients, and their amounts. Many manufacturers voluntarily list some or most of the inactive ingredients in their products, but that's not mandatory.

Furthermore, almost a couple of years ago, when the pandemic started, and many ingredients were suddenly in short supply, or unavailable, the FDA issued a declaration stating that all manufacturers could substitute ingredients without making any changes to their labels, as long as the ingredients were only a minor part of the product. As far as I'm aware, that has never been rescinded, so just because a label indicates that the product may be safe, may be misleading, now that the rules have been relaxed. Consequently anyone who has food sensitivities is now buying any processed foods, supplements, medications, or what ever, at their own risk. Caveat emptor.

Tex

[Marcia K]

Hi, Jeannine. I had COVID in 12/20. I continued to take my regular vitamins - D3, C, Magnesium Glycinate & CoQ10. I make sure all are gluten & dairy free - Dr's Best; Pure Encapsulations & Solaray. My case was very mild, I thought I felt like I was getting a cold (I rarely get colds) and had I not been tested at work every week I would not have known that I had the virus. I did not get D as some have reported. My initial symptom was a bit of pain in my stomach, but I attributed that to stress at work because I had that feeling previously. I'm not sure if this is helpful, I hope that it is.