Is there any research indicating that light therapy lamps help with vitamin D deficiency?

The body produces Vitamin D from exposure to Ultraviolet rays, the problem is skin cancer.

Instead take D3 capsules or other D supplements.

Or get some sun.

@Dutchess_III if @DrasticDreamer has low Vitamin D with normal exposure to the Sun, a massive dose will only increase the possibility of getting cancer.

Who said anything about a massive dose?

Well, I guess I would get a doctor’s advice, then.

They are discovering that some people have trouble making VitD. They get sun, but their body chemistry misses a beat.
I live where the sun is low or doesn’t come up for a couple months a year. They suggest supplements and food rich in natural VitD. The light therapy is only used to help secadian rythm issues and never prescribed for low VitD. The lamps for SAD (seasonal affected depression disorder) aren’t tanning lamps.

I have not seen good research on this.

I know some tanning salons have UVB beds. I have no idea if there are studies done for their effectiveness for vitamin D. Tanning beds usually work faster than the sun to tan, so I would wonder if the D production happens more slowly?? Then, you might get tan or burnt before you get enough to make sufficient D. Plus, tanning your skin will age your skin, so even if it works, you have to strike a balance, I know you know that.

Supposedly, UVA and UVC are the most carcinogenic from what I’ve read.

Obviously, I would say read up on it. If you decide to try UVB tanning beds or lamps for D, which I’m not pushing in an shape or form, I would do a very specific experiment so you know. Get a blood test, know your level, do the lamp for whatever time recommended per day per week, and check your level a month later.

Have you increased your supplement intake? I don’t remember what amount you were taking, but I remember encouraging you to take a higher dose and test to see if it helped. Plus, at high doses it’s important to have your calcium checked. I assume if I encouraged you to take more you were taking less than 8,000 IU daily (less than 56,000 weekly).

I know nothing about the lamps used for light therapy, but I did figure that the only way that they could work is if they were like tanning beds – which isn’t something I’m willing to risk.

Nothing is working to get my D levels up, so I’m kind of desperate. The L-thyroxine ( meds for my thyroid) run the risk of upping someone’s chances for osteoporosis, and so does being deficient in D. I don’t like the combination.

@JLeslie Yeah, I was only taking 2,000 IU of D, and the only time my numbers moved at all is when my doctor prescribed 50,000 IU – but that didn’t even get me within acceptable range. I just have no idea what to do. It’s summer, so I’m going to try to get some sun every day, but I just have a feeling it won’t work.

Hm. I also just got my TSH levels checked yesterday and I got the results back. It pushed me over the normal range and is now flagged as high. SIGH. Why am I still so tired all the time then? Sorry… I’m really frustrated with my medical crap at the moment.

When your TSH is high you are hypo. It’s the inverse of what people assume. What’s your number?

How long did you try the 50,000IU pill? Did you add more d3 during the week? Take another 10,000?

My TSH is currently slightly above 6.0 (max is supposed to be 4.0) and my D levels are hovering somewhere around 21 (lows aren’t supposed to be more than 30). I think they had me on the 50,000IU for two weeks. I’m definitely going to up my D3 from 2,000 to at least 8,000 because I’m just tired of being so tired. The anxiety sucks, too. I want this fixed. :(

Two weeks isn’t long enough. It usually takes two months to get up above 30. I can’t know how it will be for you as an individual, but I can say I was shocked at how much D I needed. My doctor was not shocked at all, she sees it all the time. Try the 8k. Let us know how it goes. If it doesn’t raise your level try the prescription again. We can’t trust Vitamins OTC to be in accurate dosages. It’s not regulated. I’m not saying the vitamins in the store are all garbage, it’s just something to keep in mind if they aren’t working. That the 2k didn’t work isn’t a sign though, that isn’t enough for most people I know like us. 2k a day my blood test will be down at around 20.

Did your doctor raise your thyroid med dose? Is it the higher dose daily? Or, just one or two pills a week? If it’s daily I encourage you to get a blood test when you start to feel good, before the 6–8 week usual retest. I know it’s easier said than done. You’re “tired” will be significantly relieved once your TSH is down to 3 or less. The tired is more from that than the D, but everything counts.

It takes a while to bring D up. I took the 50k dose once a week and it went from like 20 to 50. I started on D enhanced cod liver oil and it went up to 70. It also knocked my LDL and C-reactive protein down a bit too. That stuff is magic.

@JLeslie Yeah, she just upped my meds from 50 to 75 and the pills are per day. She wants me to retest before the 6–8 week mark like you suggested. She said 4 weeks is more ideal right now. But yeah, the 50 was working, at least for a while – because my TSH was brought down to 2 something, but it didn’t help a lot with my fatigue. I have no idea when it stopped working though (even on the 50 of L-thyroxine, my TSH levels were where they were before I even started meds). So I think D definitely has a lot to do with my lack of energy. I’ll definitely let you know how upping my D makes me feel.

@ARE_you_kidding_me I’ll look more into the cod liver oil. Did it actually maintain your D levels?

@DrasticDreamer Does she test your T4free and T3 also? Just TSH doesn’t always tell the whole story. Also, it sounds like you are taking generic meds, so it’s really important you make sure the pharmacy doesn’t switch manufacturers on you. Each manufacturer can vary a certain percentage on how much hormone actually is in the pill. Or, you could pay for a brand name and then you won’t have to worry about it. I take Unithroid. The most prescribed is Synthroid. I take Unithroid and I now added generic Cytomel.

I’m so glad she will test you in 4 weeks. 50 to 75 is a huge jump in dosage. I don’t know why she didn’t just do the 75 three times a week. Who knows, you might need it. So much trial and error. It’s so frustrating I know.

@ARE_you_kidding_me Can you tell me the brand and dose of the cod liver oil you are taking?

@JLeslie No, just my TSH. I asked her about testing the other and she said she didn’t really think it was necessary. But, if this dose doesn’t end up working out, I’m going to insist on it and/or just ask her to refer me to an endocrinologist. I know it takes quite a bit of tinkering to get doses right with these stupid conditions, but ideally I want someone who specializes in it so I don’t have to put myself through unnecessary hardship.

My diagnosis is still pretty new for me, so I’m still learning and I don’t know a lot about it. I research, but I have to take breaks. I found myself getting really upset about all of it yesterday, simply because I’m so exhausted and it all feels negative. It was really overwhelming. I think she probably upped it to 75 since, when I was first taking 50, my thyroid responded and it brought my TSH down to 2, but then at some point, the meds stopped working at all. Even on the medication, at 50, my TSH levels were where they were before I was medicated. :-/

I can’t pay for non generic right now, I just don’t have the money. I wish I did, though, because then I would just go to a endocrinologist myself, without even asking to be referred.

Here A couple big spoonfulls daily

The learning curve is a difficult time, and even years later you might find yourself trying something new.

She is wrong not to check the other numbers. You need more information since you are symptomatic at TSH 2 and 6. Although, you’ve had a few different things going on, so maybe this time at 2 you will feel better.

Is your iron level normal?

I wouldn’t say your meds aren’t working, I would say your just under medicated. When I was first diagnosed my TSH was 95.6. The first two years my TSH was down to .3 and then up to 20 at times. All from changing one pill dose a week. Long story, but I was either slowly moving up up up, or down down down, depending on just changing that one pill a week. Over months, so that’s why waiting 6 months for a blood test wasn’t enough. I was already way low or way high by that time.

@ARE_you_kidding_me I’m going to talk to my doctor about that and give it a try if she gives me the green light. Thanks for the info on that!

@JLeslie Yeah, my iron is good. I was tested not too long ago for anemia, but my numbers were really good. I know it’s just mostly my thyroid and D levels. I really, really need to get those up. This exhaustion… sigh. It’s bad.

Just ask her to do the test. T3 total and T4 free. It sounds to me like your insurance is paying for the testing? Maybe she will do it just to humor you. She doesn’t have to be an endocrinologist to read the lab results. If your TSH is 2 and your T3 is very low then you aren’t converting well and actually might benefit a lot from a T3 prescription. I was converting and I still benefitted. Most GP’s never prescribe T3 or armour thyroid which contains both t4 and t3.

I don’t see a big problem with generic if you always get the same generic (the manufacturer is on your drug label) but I will say that thyroid meds are usually very cheap if you have insurance if you want to double check what it would cost you. Mine are $15 a month I think. I take Unithroid and I believe the hormone in that drug to be very consistent. I’m not pushing the brand though. I couldn’t take Synthroid, and I really do believe the generic can be just fine if you take the same one consistently.

@JLeslie My TSH was only at 2 in the beginning of my original L-thyroxine dose (50). But at some point, it stopped working entirely. My latest TSH result was 6.020 on 50 of L-thyroxine. But yes, I’ll request both of those, since it’s comprehensive and that’s what I prefer – if only to put my mind at ease. When I go back in about 4 weeks from now to see how the new dose of L-thyroxine (75) is treating me, I’ll ask her to put both of those through for me. I also need to check my D again, so I’ll do that at the same time.

I think I do the same one, but I’ll definitely check to make sure. You’re not even close to being the first person I’ve heard say that, so I do think it could be true. But if they’re that cheap, then yeah, I could definitely pay out of pocket for brand.

Update us in a month with your results. I really hope you feel better soon. I think you will feel a difference by week three with such a large dose increase.

The tricky think is there is no “dose” between 50 and 75. Above 75 the incremental is smaller. 75, 88, 100, and so on.

To get a similar dose increase daily you could take 50 + a 25 cut in half, which would equal 62.5 if your split is perfect. I personally hate splitting pills.

If in a month your TSH is already way down below 2 you’ll know you’re heading towards being overmedicated. I’m so glad she wants to test you in a month, I give her credit for that. If you feel really good in three weeks you might want to know your numbers then.

Thanks for all of the info and I’ll definitely keep you updated.

@ARE_you_kidding_me I just wanted to give you a big old THANK YOU! I took your advice and researched cod liver oil. I found a brand that followed all of the best guidelines and for the first time in years, my vitamin D level has risen above deficiency. For my last blood test, it was only 30.9, but still, that’s better improvement than I’ve ever had taking supplements. I don’t know why my body is responding so well to it and not the D3 pills, but if it hadn’t been for your advice, I never would have known about it. Thank you so much!

Good to hear that it worked for you!

Yay! Are you feeling any better? Were you taking the 50,000 pill too, or just the cod liver oil? I usually feel much better when my number is 35+. I’m sure it’s different for everyone. One time I was up at 70 and it was the best I had felt in years. I shoot for around 50 though.

How were your thyroid numbers?

@JLeslie I still feel pretty tired, but I also haven’t been sleeping well. I wasn’t that satisfied with my TSH number last time, which was 3 something, and 4 is listed as the highest it should be. I would at the very least like it to be around 2. I finally asked my doctor for a referral to an endocrinologist, though. I was being a baby about it and didn’t want to offend her, which is why I waited so long, but she was beyond cool with it when I finally asked her. So, I’m waiting on that. Once I actually get into the endocrinologist, I’m going to ask them to do a full thyroid panel. T4, T3, all of it. And I’m going to mention that my energy still isn’t the best and that I’m finding it impossible to lose the weight I put on.

I’m trying to be very cautiously optimistic since I don’t, in general, seem to get very far with hypo.

Regarding the vitamin D, I stopped taking the pills as soon as I got the oil and I’m currently only taking the oil still. It only took a couple of weeks on the oil before my numbers came up, so it might be even higher now. I really hope so, because I definitely want to see it well above 30. I’m also trying to spend at least 20 minutes a day in the sun.

I might try the oil myself. I’m so glad things seem to be moving in the right direction. I’m optimistic for you. :). Both thyroid and D take weeks and months to figure out and find a good balance. You are not alone. Don’t let a doctor ever make you feel like you are an oddity for having trouble figuring it out and finding an effective drug/vitamin and dose. My thyroid has been years of ups and downs. It’s very common what you are going through.

@JLeslie Just make sure you research cod liver oil before you get it, if you go that route. There are a lot of companies that put way, way too much vitamin A in. It’s best to find a company that also doesn’t simply add the D back in after processing too, since it’s not as effective that way. If you’re interested, this is the stuff I ended up choosing after I researched.

And thank you! I really hope the appointment with the endocrinologist gets me places! :)

@DrasticDreamer Thanks for the info and warning. I have a feeling the prescription D would have raised your D over time too, but it sounds like the cod liver oil was more efficient. I’m curious after what @ARE_you_kidding_me wrote if it would affect other numbers of mine in a positive direction. Eventually, maybe I’ll get around to trying/testing it. I can’t think straight right now I have so much going on. I can’t do one more thing at this point.

http://www.mollersomega3.com/p-21-12-product.aspx this is the brand of choice where I live. Did you look how it compared?

You should not use plain cod liver oil to raise D you have to get the “D enhanced” cod liver oil that I linked. @DrasticDreamer is correct too much vit A is a risk with the standard cod liver oil. I’m not sure why it works so much better than the pill form. I suspect it’s got something to do with it being absorbed better when taken with oil. Glad it helped!

D enhanced meaning that they added more vit D than is naturally occurring in cod liver oil.

A & D vitamins are both oil based vitamins.

I take B12 liquid now and it has worked better than the pills.

@JLeslie Interesting! The cod liver oil is still doing more for my D than the pills ever did. I wonder why liquid works better for some people.

Either it’s absorbed better or the pills didn’t have as much D as what you are taking in the liquid.

Same amount, so it must just be absorbed better for some reason.