A few of the factors that allow people to require more Vitamin D than normal are City dwellers (due to smog), anticonvulsant drugs, Dark skinned people (absorb less from the sun), and insufficient sun light. These are some factors that contribute to defficiency of Vitamin D. It is also difficult to get adequite Vitamin D from foods so usually we get most of it from sunlight. Sunscreen, just like dark skin, prevents us from absorbing most of the suns Vitamin D. Vitamin D gets stored in the body over about 3 months so it takes time to build up levels just as it does to build up stores of it. Because of this, most people have lower levels of Vitamin D after winter, from lack of sunlight.
Visiting a natural practitioner would be highly adivised for further information.
Hope this help a little
I have never read that thyroid disorders cause vitD deficiencies. Where did you hear this? I have researched high and low for information and it is very hard to find. I am not at all saying it isn't true, I just would like more info on it. I have been suffering with a deficiency for nearly a year (well maybe longer thats just how long I have been dx). The doctors just recently put me on thyroid medicine because all of my symptoms were consistent with thyroid disorder and my levels were on the low end of normal. I have been on the meds for a little over a month and feel much better. Don' t know if it has helped the problem with the low D or not though. Thanks for sharing this new info!!
Annie, there is a more detailed Vitamin D discussion on another thread that may be helpful to read. My long post about my journey are amongst the other posts as well,
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/200915
Just copy and paste.
Hope this helps,
Miranda
Low vit D can be a sign of hyperPARAthyroidism. Not your thyroid. Check out info on www.parathyroid.com. It's run by the leading doc in the us on parathyroid problems. This particular disease causes high calcium. That's what makes you vit d go down. You need to have your IONIZED calicium checked and your PARAthyroid (PTH). Check out that website and read it THOROUGHLY because you can actually test normal on either one of those tests and still HAVE hyperPARAthyroidism. It's all explained on the website.
By the way, what are your symptoms???
How hypothyroidism specifically causes Vit D deficiency is because your metabolism is slowed down and your not able to get the nutrients you need from foods and supplements.
Many people who have hypothyroidism have several vitamin/mineral deficiencies.
Iron
Vit B12
Thiamin
Calcium
Magnesium
Vit D
These are the most common ones.
My doc told me I had low vitamin d but that I didn't need a Parathroid test because that would show up in my calcium levels. The calcium was fine so do you think I am ok as far as not getting my PT checked???