Lyme & Vitamin D

[phylbard]

Can Lyme cause extremely low vitamin d levels, bone loss in jaw?

[Marinella82]

I was taking the suplements but my doctor feared it wasn't enough so she put me on Pre-natal vitamins even though I was not pregnant because they were stronger as well as a daily Vitamin D suppliment and it helped with my bruising.  I stoped taking the Pre-natal vitamins though cause they were a little too strong and gave me an upset stomach so my doctor recomended I use a tanning bed.  The tanning bed has helped restore my Vit D levels.  It is definatly related to the Lyme disease if you ask me but I am not a doctor.  

[JackieCalifornia]

At ILADS [dot] org, under Burrascano's Treatment Guidelines:

"OTHER OPTIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
"VITAMIN D
"Surprisingly, most people in America are vitamin D deficient. In the Lyme patient, low vitamin D levels can cause diffuse body aches and cramps that are not responsive to magnesium or calcium supplements. Some also believe that vitamin D is essential for normal immune and hormone function. I strongly urge you to have a fasting blood level drawn. It is recommended that the blood levels be in the upper half or the normal range. If it is not, then 2000 to 4000 units daily are needed for several weeks to make up for the deficit, and then a lower maintenance dose may be necessary, based on results from repeated blood level monitoring. If vitamin D is needed, improvements take 2 to 3 weeks to note, but are well worth the wait."

Burrascano doesn't say there that low Vit D is caused by Lyme, but he appears to support using supplements.

I know of some Lyme patients who are taking Vit D supplements and perhaps can comment here.  If you don't get enough sun, taking Vit D is something to consider, esp. if you've progressed to bone loss.  

No one here is medically trained that I know of (I'm certainly not), so don't rely on my comments to determine your medical treatments -- but I do wish you the best.