vitamin d and testosterone

[ryanrhino449]

I have recently been diagnosed with low vitamin D (14 was the level of last blood check Dr would like to see it up to 40) that has been going on for years, aswell as very low amount of testosterone (114 on last blood check Dr would like to see it up to 400). I was misdiagnosed as endogenous anxiety depression. It has bad enough that at times I was completely bed ridden. I have went through tons of medications and even ect treatments. I have been suffering from terrible pain and have been put on some pretty strong narcotics.  This has went on for 14 years before a Great pain Dr and New Personal MD ran tests and found these issues thus far. My question is, how long will it take for my Vitamin D to return to normal with Megadoses of D3/Calcium and Testerone Treatments? Months? Years? I also found I'm very constipated, I have went through 4 bottles of mag cit. and have been taking miralax twice daily. Usually this works but this time I can't get "broke free" any suggestions?

[Tuckamore]

Hello Ryan,

Welcome to the Pain Mangement Forum. I am so glad that you found a couple of astute physicians that got to the bottom of your issues.

There are no experts or physicians on this site. I take mega doses of Vit D, B12, Calcium and several other vitamins and minerals per the direction of my PCP. I too have severe deficiencies. I will have to take these for life as I have malabsorption syndrome. I lost over 3 feet of my small intestine in a MVA. Therefore my body will never absorb the amount of nutrients that it requires through diet.

I beleive the answer to your question lies in what has produced your deficiencies. Have they determined the cause?  

I am sorry you are fighting constipation. I do not have that problem due to the lose of small intestine. To help prevent constipation know it is important to drink adequate amounts of water, be as active as you can be and eat a diet high in fiber.

I am told that Miralax is the new wonder preparation for bowel issues but it has done nothing for my elderly father. You may want to try a different fiber additive.  Mag citrate is extremely harsh on your system. Continued use of laxatives, especially one so potent can make you laxative dependant. Consult with a gastroenterologist for other options if you haven't done so.

Some ppls bodies just do not produce enough testosterone. You may be one of those and supplements may be a life long requirement. But again consult with your PCP or better yet an endocrinologist.

Please let us know how you are doing. I will look forward to your updates with interest. And as always I wish you the best of luck.

Take Care,
~Tuck~

[jusconcearned]

This is not just for you but for everyone. I had a long conversation with my doctor today and was told that you have to be very careful with laxatives!!!! I was prescribed DOC-Q-LACE 100mg caps 2 times per day about three weeks ago to the shock of my gastrointestinal specialist(pills were  prescribed by my family MD). Apparently these type of laxatives can make your colon dependent on them and not work on it's own, could take months or years or possibly never work on it's own again! This news was very disturbing to me to say the least. I have a lot of the same issue's as you have and am considered narcotic dependent, I was told today that mir a lax is the safest on the market, it is what they use to due cleanses before they due the scopes(510 gram bottle per gallon of water). I was told to start with 2 quarts and if that doesn't break things free to go ahead and due the other 2 quarts the next day and a 3rd dose if necessary. I was also told that you can not take too much and that it also does good things like adding electrolytes and ect. There are also other alternatives such as Relistor which is a shot that you do in the fat of your arm and in my opinion is a miracle drug, it makes you have a movement within 5 minutes and is very very gentle(very light cramping and makes your bowl movement very easy to pass). My family MD would not prescribe it to me because he knew nothing about it and had never heard of it before. In my opinion they need to do the research because it is well worth their patients comfort and well being! Anyways just wanted to let everyone know there are better and more options out there if you find the right doctors and everyone PLEASE be careful with these laxatives I don't know about you guys but I would like my colon to work on it's own without being dependent on a laxative!!!!