Friday, October 10, 2008

Vitamin D for Depression

I typically place depressed patients on a starting dose of 2000 IU’s of vitamin D, check their calcium and vitamin D levels and then decide if the dose should go up or down from there. I have seen great response to vitamin D especially in those that are low. Most people that live in the northern lattitudes like Seattle will be low on vitamin D.

Out of the hundreds of patients I have checked, I have only found one person in Seattle that had a normal vitamin D level. Repleting deficiency is imperative, as this vitamin that is now considered a “pro-hormone” may have more of a role in the physiology of the body than we are currently aware. Overdosing on vitamin D can result in a life threatening case of hypercalcemia as vitamin D and calcium absorption are interrelated.

Do NOT take more than 1000 IU of vitamin D without being monitored by your doctor. Although the active form of vitamin D in the body is 1, 25 cholecalciferol the best test for vitamin D levels is 25-D-OH, ask your doctor to do a basic metabolic panel and check your vitamin D, pre-treatment, a month out, 3 months out and so forth. If you are deficient in vitamin D and start a 2000 IU daily dose it will take about 1 week to raise your vitamin D levels 1 point.

So if your level is 16 and you need to get to 60, it will take about 44 weeks to get you back to the normal range. You are better off doing this gradually in my opinion as we do not want to cause atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) by hypercalcemia from taking large doses of vitamin D at once. Other naturopaths may be willing to dose you up really high, but I am completely against it, until we have more research supporting the safety of this fat soluble vitamin that stores in the body. Be sure to use vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) in an emulsion form, because vitamin D2 is just crap, and not worth your time taking.

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DISCLAIMER:

This website is intended for educational purposes only. Read our full disclaimer. Always work with your physician for proper care and supervision. I strictly advise AGAINST combining herbs or natural therapies (aside from vitamins, minerals, or fish oil) with any form of anti-depressants. Although it is occasionally done, most naturopathic physicians, MD’s, and psychiatrists agree that until we have research demonstrating efficacy and safety herbs and natural anti-depressants with similar mechanisms to prescription drugs should not be simultaneously used. Also, although these medicines are “natural” they are still medicines. Please do not choose to discontinue your natural medicines without the advice of your physician, someone should be overseeing your care. Depression is complicated to sort out. Please do not try to do it alone. Someone needs to be documenting your mood fluctuations as well as when you start and stop specific therapies. Never make any changes to your health without first consulting with your physician. Have your physician check for drug interactions, and always be cautious when combining natural medicines and drugs for depression as the life threatening condition "Serotonin Syndrome" may occur. Work directly with a physician in regards to your bi-polar or depression.