What vitamin supplement does your doctor recommend?

[teej1985]

I just had a physical and bloodwork. Vitamin D is 21.2. The doctor told me to take OTC 2000 IU daily

 

[msieweke]

Funny you should mention this. Not to argue, you can consider this a "Point / Counter-Point." Monday I had a semi-annual appointment with my cardio doc. I specifically asked him if taking CoQ10 would be of any benefit. I am on a statin. Also, I cannot take the amount of Beta blockers and ACE inhibitors they'd like me to take because of extremely low BP which sort of over-strains my heart. (26% ejection fraction) He said no, there's no good evidence CoQ10 is of any value for "heart health." I didn't break out the question vis a vis statin effects because I am on a low dose and have no side effects so I wouldn't be taking it for that. He's a young guy so I was a little surprised he wasn't on board with COQ10

Counter-counter-point: Reduced Cardiovascular Mortality 10 Years after Supplementation with Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 for Four Years: Follow-Up Results of a Prospective Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial in Elderly Citizens Summary: nearly 50% reduction in CV deaths, and 18% reduction in all-cause mortality 10 years after ending a 4-year study.

I've always been skeptical of supplements. They've never seemed to make me feel any better or stronger or give my hair a lustrous shine. I am down to taking a few i.u.'s of Vit D but only in the Winter, and I am not concerned with talking any prescribed "mega dosing." Just want something more than nothing.

I've been tracking my supplement intake for >10 years. I have felt a positive change with B12, B-complex, boron, iodine, magnesium, selenium, lithium, carnitine, and taurine. There are others I take because I researched the benefits, though I feel no different taking them.

My doctor doesn't recommend any vitamins because he wasn't trained in nutrition. I wouldn't trust his opinion on that subject.

 

[RAE]

I have been taking 4000 IU of D3 and fish oil along with curcumin and a broccoli seed supplement called Avmacol which has had serious clinical studies done on it.
I was going to add Resveratrol but never did. I am going to research it again.
As I stated earlier my vitamin D3 levels went from 19 to 73.

I will have to look into Avmacol. I know that sulfurophane (found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables) has been studied extensively for its anti-cancer and other health benefits. A nutrition guy that I follow is a big believer in getting plenty of sulfurophane in your diet, and he also recommends a supplement called BrocElite, which I believe is a stabilized extract of broccoli seed sprouts. I haven't purchased it yet, but I am looking into it.

I used to take resveratrol, but I learned through researching it that you would have to take a huge quantity of it daily to make much of a difference. I do still try to eat plenty of purple/dark blue fruits and veggies, most of which contain resveratrol.

 

[Koolau]

Counter-counter-point: Reduced Cardiovascular Mortality 10 Years after Supplementation with Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 for Four Years: Follow-Up Results of a Prospective Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial in Elderly Citizens Summary: nearly 50% reduction in CV deaths, and 18% reduction in all-cause mortality 10 years after ending a 4-year study.



I've been tracking my supplement intake for >10 years. I have felt a positive change with B12, B-complex, boron, iodine, magnesium, selenium, lithium, carnitine, and taurine. There are others I take because I researched the benefits, though I feel no different taking them.

My doctor doesn't recommend any vitamins because he wasn't trained in nutrition. I wouldn't trust his opinion on that subject.

A good friend finally lost his dad at age 94. The old guy must have kept his local Vitamin Shoppe in business. He swore by CoQ10 and selenium and other supplements. Obviously, anecdotal evidence is nearly useless, but IIRC the old guy just didn't wake up one morning. Heck, I'd take supplements if that would be MY fate. YMMV

 

[tango2]

Unless to take a very large amt of any vit, the vast majority will excreate any excess per kidneys. Vince you will have expensive urine. I take a lot of vit but I did a lot of research on internet about them. I eat out a lot and do not eat a lot of veg. Veg are better than vit but I do what I can do.

 

[grasshopper]

I will have to look into Avmacol. I know that sulfurophane (found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables) has been studied extensively for its anti-cancer and other health benefits. A nutrition guy that I follow is a big believer in getting plenty of sulfurophane in your diet, and he also recommends a supplement called BrocElite, which I believe is a stabilized extract of broccoli seed sprouts. I haven't purchased it yet, but I am looking into it.

I used to take resveratrol, but I learned through researching it that you would have to take a huge quantity of it daily to make much of a difference. I do still try to eat plenty of purple/dark blue fruits and veggies, most of which contain resveratrol.

We have been sprouting broccoli seeds for 3 years or more, throw them in our salads and sandwiches.

 

[teej1985]

Unless to take a very large amt of any vit, the vast majority will excreate any excess per kidneys. Vince you will have expensive urine. I take a lot of vit but I did a lot of research on internet about them. I eat out a lot and do not eat a lot of veg. Veg are better than vit but I do what I can do.

Which vitamins do you take?

 

[F.I.R.E User]

Aren’t doctors in business to prescribe medication? They don’t make money recommending vitamins do they? I mean if you stay healthy off vitamins then there is no need for you to see the doc.

 

[mpeirce]

...you will have expensive urine.

I see this sentiment expressed occasionally and don’t get it.

Kirkland 50+ Mature Vitamins cost $15 of 400 tablets. That’s less than 4¢ a day (it’s currently on sale for 3¢ a tablet)

Doesn’t sound expensive to me...

 

[Aerides]

Aren’t doctors in business to prescribe medication? They don’t make money recommending vitamins do they? I mean if you stay healthy off vitamins then there is no need for you to see the doc.

All wrong.

Doctors (good ones) are most certainly not in business to make money off meds. If you think you have one of those few, get a new doc.

Most (good ones) will recommend things to stay healthy, exercise, diet, etc., to keep you OFF meds, and might include vitamins if your bloodwork shows deficiencies. A handful will push specific formulas that they sell, so again, maybe consider a new doc...

And even if you are popping lots of vitamins, there's no way to just assume that maintains your health, and not any substitute for regular check ins.

 

[ERObjd]

I have found that doctors vary greatly in their opinion of the value of vitamin supplements. One doctor told me that unless my diet is absolutely horrible, there is no need for supplements. Others have told me that they recommend a multi vitamin such as Centrum Silver. My wife, who is a two times cancer survivor and heart attack survivor was advised by Sloan Kettering to take Magnesium, Calcium, Multi vitamin, Vit D, and a few others. But again, this is a specialized medical condition catered towards her personal medical history.

when my Vitamin D was tested and was in the teens my doc recommended to take vitamin D 5000 IU per day. so i do and levels were up in mid 80's and i will keep it there.in summer i get considerable D from being out in sun.(i work part time installing windows and gutters)..so i take 2000 IU a day in summer.
doctors in my experiance rarely recommend vitamins though my dad had B12 shots in his final years.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

We're just testing everything, adjusting our diets or taking supplements as needed, repeat testing. I wouldn't take a random supplement without testing. There is no way we could have predicted the results of our nutrition tests. I have issues with tight muscles, which is usually linked to low magnesium, but I was high in magnesium. I'm tan and was even taking vitamin D supplements but still tested low in vitamin D. More magnesium might have made my vitamin D even lower, since they work synergystically.

The gut and nutrition testing has been a real eye opener for us. I'm pretty sure a lot of chronic health issues revolve around gut bacteria and uric acid, vitamin D, vitamin K and the gut acid / alkaline balance.

The nutritionfacts site has a video on different health conditions and the uric acid sweet spot where mortality is the lowest from all causes, where UA is neither too nigh nor too low. I'm pretty sure those diseases all have sweet spots for biomarkers like cholesterol and platelet counts, too. Most forms of cancer are linked to elevated platelet counts, which is recent hot topic biomarker for the disease. It is an emerging science right now but the research is all out there on Pubmed. It just takes a long time for researchers to connect the dots.

 

[Koolau]

Talking to my doc the other day and he asked me why I was taking calcium. I said "just because." He shook his head. I figure a few hundred mg of CA will just be flushed if I don't need it, it's cheap, so what's the problem. Doc offered no reason NOT to take it, so I will continue. YMMV

 

[misanman]

Talking to my doc the other day and he asked me why I was taking calcium. I said "just because." He shook his head. I figure a few hundred mg of CA will just be flushed if I don't need it, it's cheap, so what's the problem. Doc offered no reason NOT to take it, so I will continue. YMMV

Kidney stones?

 

[RetiredHappy]

For a while, there were reports that Calcium supplement increases prostate cancer risk. But Phosphorous may be the culprit.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4266887/

 

[Jerry1]

Talking to my doc the other day and he asked me why I was taking calcium. I said "just because." He shook his head. I figure a few hundred mg of CA will just be flushed if I don't need it, it's cheap, so what's the problem. Doc offered no reason NOT to take it, so I will continue. YMMV

I guess for your own good, don't you want to give yourself a reason TO take it? I take a lot of supplements and work with a holistic doctor. I now why I'm taking every supplement I'm taking.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Aren’t doctors in business to prescribe medication? They don’t make money recommending vitamins do they? I mean if you stay healthy off vitamins then there is no need for you to see the doc.

As a retired pediatrician, I find this post troubling. Doctors don't make any more money prescribing or not prescribing meds. They are not in business "to prescribe medication." We go into medicine to learn how to diagnose and properly treat illness based on current recommendations. Having saved a few lives through diagnostic acumen followed by appropriate treatment, I speak from experience. Would you go to a doctor who tries to treat sepsis with vitamins? I think not.

Taking vitamins, exercising, and eating "right" are no guarantee against cancer, some forms of cardiovascular disease, asthma, infections, thyroid disease, autoimmune disorders, type 1 diabetes, seizure disorders, or myriad other problems for which one sees the doctor. One also cannot avoid taking medication for most of these disorders.

Back to the original question. I take vitamin D, 2000 IU/day, and a Centrum Silver equivalent. My vitamin D level was 50 in the spring. My doctor recommended continuing my self-chosen regimen.

 

[MarieIG]

I guess for your own good, don't you want to give yourself a reason TO take it? I take a lot of supplements and work with a holistic doctor. I now why I'm taking every supplement I'm taking.

One of my goals is to find a good holistic doctor.

 

[Koolau]

Kidney stones?

I'm a compulsive water drinker, so I would doubt it. (Fortunately) never an issue so far. I WILL ask my PCP next time I see him (Nov.) about calcium supplementation. Thanks.