# Has anyone had success with vitamin D?



## AngryTummy (Sep 11, 2014)

I have been suffering with digestive issues since I was a kid but these past 5 years my symptoms have gotten increasingly worse.

I suffer from frequent diarrhea and it is really starting to take a toll on my life. I also get back pain with diarrhea and have had bloody stools with mucus. My doctor believes this is caused my hemorrhoids from constant diarrhea. I just moved to Italy and the food looks and smells so good but I'm terrified to eat anything due to my sensitive stomach and fear of not being able to find a toilette. In the area that I live, there are long stretches of road with no bathroom stops. I have been eating very light (no breakfast or lunch) since I've been here and I know it's not healthy. I just wish there was a magic cure for this horrid disease.

My doctor tested me for celiac disease but it came out negative. After all the blood tests the only areas of concern were my vitamin D levels. My score was a 9 which she said was severely deficient and advised that I take 400 IU 3 times a day for a year.

I am wondering if anyone else with IBS D tested for low vitamin D and if supplements can help with the symptoms. I've also heard that calcium can help? I've been living off of immodium which helps but I would like to be able to actually eat meals....


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

400 IU of D3 three times per day is not huge. But you should be careful when combining high doses of D3 with calcium. You can get hypercalcemia. There is a lot of evidence that if you take both D3 and calcium you should also take vitamin K2. You can take either the MK-4 or MK-7 variants of vitamin K2.That should lessen your chances of getting hypercalcemia. Either way, the best thing is to have your blood tested again in a few months, not a year.

The good news is that your doctor found that your D is very low. Some people who supplement with D see significant digestive improvements. You could be one of them.


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## kat_hy (Mar 25, 2014)

Hello! I also had some blood work done a while back and the only problem in mine was low levels of vitamin d as well. I just started taking some this week (50,000 IU once a week), and I have noticed I am slightly constipated. It's not bad at all, but it's just a big surprise as usually I have diarrhea. I will continue taking them and see if it's a long term effect. I do also suggest you don't mix the vitamin d and calcium as someone above me mentioned. I am also taking probiotics which I think have helped me somewhat in giving me more formed stools, yet this is the first time I have actually had to try to pass a bowel movement (sorry for the details^^). Like I said, so far it's not at all bad and hopefully I will see more improvements as time goes on.

I do have to add, my IBS started after eating bad food but also after I moved from the south to the northeast, where there is significantly less sunlight. I'm interested to see if the vitamin d may have been the problem.


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## AngryTummy (Sep 11, 2014)

Thank you for your responses. My current regiment has been 1 immodium daily, insoluble fiber once a day, and calcium carbonate (tums) with a diet low in oils and fat. It has helped tremendously.

I tried to wean myself off of the immodium. It worked for several days but I woke up this morning with D and have made about 7 trips to the bathroom today. I had to leave work early because of it. I will try to switch from calcium to vit D to see if I find success. This Is all trial and error really.

I would love to be able to live without taking pills or supplements. Sigh....


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