Feeling Tired All the Time? Vitamin D May Be to Blame

Feeling Tired All the Time? Vitamin D May Be to Blame - Exhaustion. I spent much of 2007 and 2008 feeling tired, run down, vaguely depressed, and achy. I was gaining weight rapidly, even though my diet had not changed. I had a cluster of other symptoms which were all minor on their own. Added together, I definitely wasn't the pillar of health that I had been.

I visited doctor after doctor who did test after test. Thyroid: normal. Female hormones: normal. Iron and hemoglobin: normal. With the usual culprits ruled out, the doctor suggested that I try an antidepressant. I fired him on the spot. Although I felt a bit "low", I really wasn't "depressed" to where I should be on medication for it. Plus, I instinctively knew my problem was not stemming from depression and if I just covered up the symptoms, the problem would only grow worse.

I spent a day calling different doctor's office. I wanted an investigator, one who wouldn't throw medicine at me without finding out what was really wrong. I found a PA in an internal medicine practice who agreed to do this, and I saw her almost immediately.

After a routine physical exam and a discussion of the previous test results, she said, "I think we should check your Vitamin D levels." Those words changed my life.

When the test results came back, they showed that I was severely deficient in Vitamin D. This resulted in fatigue, low energy, body aches, the mild depression, and many of my other symptoms. Not to mention that my bones were slowly growing softer. Had we not discovered it, I would have been a prime candidate for breaking a hip at a very early age.

It turns out that many people are deficient in Vitamin D. We primarily get this important vitamin from three sources: exposure to sunlight, milk and dairy products, and from certain fish, like salmon. The problem is that most Westerners don't spend a lot of time in the sun. We "live" indoors, chained to our computers, televisions, and video games! Even tanning booth devotees are not getting the right form of UV rays to produce Vitamin D. Sunscreen blocks Vitamin D production, too! The American diet doesn't help, either... melted cheese on your nachos doesn't quite qualify as "dairy".

Many people require a supplemental form of Vitamin D. The USRDA is only 400 IU's (international units) - but that's simply not enough for most people. In my case, the PA started me off on 4000 IU's daily. After three months, I was feeling a lot more energetic. A retest by a physician showed that I still have only half the optimal blood levels. I figure that if I feel this good at half, there will be no stopping me when I get the level right! My physician (also an internal medicine specialist) increased my dosage to 50,000 IU's twice a week.

The physician also tested my husband, and guess what? This is not just a women's problem. Both the doctor and the PA told me that these deficiencies are becoming more and more common in men, women, and even children who drink milk or formula.

How can you know if you have a Vitamin D deficiency? Because the symptoms are vague and mimic many other diseases, you should start with a physical exam performed by a doctor who is open to testing you for nutritional deficiencies (some doctors are not). You may need to specifically ask for a test. Hypothyroidism, testosterone levels, fibromyalgia, and anemias should be ruled out - but remember, you can have more than one disease. It's not uncommon, for example, for a person with fibromyalgia to also be Vitamin D deficient. Studies show that many patients with fibromyalgia benefit from supplemental D, showing decreased pain and increased energy.

Symptoms include fatigue, weight gain, mild depression, body aches, sleep irregularities, lowered immune function (catching every little bug that goes around), and, in more advanced cases, falls and bone fractures. Low levels of Vitamin D can contribute to bone loss and may factor in fibromyalgia, diabetes, certain cancers, and auto-immune syndromes like MS and arthritis. It's unclear whether Vitamin D deficiency contributes to Parkinson's disease or is caused by it, but people with Parkinson's should discuss Vitamin D with their doctors.

There are some risk factors for Vitamin D deficiency. These include covering all or nearly all of your skin when you're in the sun (with clothing or sunscreen), solely breast-fed infants, living in a northern climate, having dark skin, and having bowel diseases or malabsorption syndromes. Certain medications, such as those for seizures, can contribute to deficiency. Obesity is also a risk factor, but may be a "which came first" scenario. For many people, weight gain increases as Vitamin D decreases.

There are certain situations in which a person should be cautious about supplemental vitamin D. Hyperparathyroidism, sarcoidosis, TB, lymphoma and other diseases can cause the supplement to stimulate the release of calcium into the blood. People taking digitalis must also be cautious. No one should take a high dose of any vitamin without their doctor's knowledge and consent. If it turns out you are not deficient or you have an underlying health condition, you could make yourself very sick!

If you're tired and feeling out of sorts all the time, have your doctor check you for a Vitamin D deficiency. If it turns out you're deficient, have the doctor check all of your family members as well. Getting enough Vitamin D is important to good health!