Are you on one of those loading doses of vitamin D that doctors seem to be giving out like candy these days?
I was too. But what I didn't count on was the side effects. Oh, I read the package insert (although how many people would when we're talking about a vitamin here - I don't know.) The package insert was really poorly worded and unclear about the fact that you should not, under any circumstances, mix mega vitamin D doses with extra calcium doses. I was using Calcium Lactate to help with my muscles for the plantar fasciitis that I have. I had been advised to try it at a once a day level and if that worked, to up the dosage to two a day.
Now, my mother passed away in June, so I didn't think much about it when I started to get depressed - I'm grieving. I'm supposed to be depressed. And when it progressed to being barely functional, I thought, well I'm having a hard year (moving, IRS tax audit, my mother's passing) and I deserve a little downtime. And the further I slipped into my depression, the harder it became to reach out and ask for help. The harder it became to think about my situation long enough to realize I had a real problem.
And then I decided to up the dosage on the Calcium Lactate to twice a day. Suddenly I was having fleeting thoughts of suicide. This was a real wakeup call for me. I've had some really bad times in my life (high school comes to mind), but never, no matter how miserable I was, did I ever consider suicide. I immediately (two weeks later in depression land) got a therapist.
Thank God for My Tooth Implant
Now in the meantime, I had scheduled to get a tooth implant done. When it was finished, the doctor gave me a couple of prescriptions. At the same time, it was time to refill my vitamin D mega dose for my third and final month. I read the inserts for each of my prescriptions and while I was at it, I re-read the one for the vitamin D. There, buried in the middle of the description was a list of possible interactions with other drugs followed by a list of possible side effects. Calcium was mentioned as a potential interaction. And there, in black and white, in the middle of things like upset stomach and the like, was "mental and/or emotional shifts". Even in my brain-fuzzed state, I could see that going from being exhausted and sad (a normal grieving response) to being crushingly stuck in depression and marginally suicidal would count as as "mental and/or emotional shift".
I immediately stopped taking the calcium.
And, go figure, the next day, once the calcium had a chance to clear my system, the fog started to lift. I didn't take the next loading dose of the vitamin D, just in case it was the D doing it as well. I've taken a week off of both and I'm feeling back to my old self. Sure, I'm still grieving, but I'm functional again. I'm excited about my new projects, I'm calling people and getting out and being social again. The future's so bright I've gotta wear shades and all that. It's a night and day difference in my experience of the world.
Test It
Now I will go back and take the last four vitamin D doses - after I have a chance to remember what it's like to be me again. And I'll take one and watch my mood like a hawk. I will NOT ever again mix the vitamin D with Calcium. And this is the crux of my message. Don't you do it either. Talk to your doctor about possible side effects. Read the package insert EVERY TIME to take a dose. And PAY ATTENTION to how your body is responding.
This is my public service message for the day. I hope you're enjoying your weekend.
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