New medication for heart disease....

[HysteryDiagnosis]

http://www.jsonline.com/features/health/36572514.html


It could be a couple of years before formal recommendations are established for taking higher doses of vitamin D as a way to help prevent or treat heart disease, but some doctors aren't waiting.

This month, doctors at Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee began giving a mega-dose of 100,000 international units of vitamin D to all patients with chest pains. After that, they are advised to take 2,000 IU a day, said John Whitcomb, an emergency room physician with the hospital.

Other Aurora hospitals are considering doing the same thing, he said.

Given that the current recommendation for adults is 600 IU a day, that's a considerable departure from the norm, although 2,000 IU a day is considered to be safe for adults.

More and more studies are linking vitamin D deficiency, which is common in large segments of the U.S. population, especially in the winter, to increased risk of heart disease and other ailments.

[blue neen]

1. We have been seeing many more prescriptions for Vitamin D at the pharmacy

where I work. It seems that the doctors have really picked up on this...the research must be encouraging.

The problem is that the insurance companies are not paying for it. It is not particularly cheap. Until Big Pharma figures out a way to make a lot of money from Vitamin D, Big Insurance will not cover it. That's life in Corporate America.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Why Is Vitamin D A Prescription Drug?

You're right that it won't become popular until someone makes a buck on it.

[Orrex]

3. Ladies and gentlemen, I present another case of

[blue neen]

4. Vitamin D in high doses like those referred to in the article is a prescription

medication.

It has long been standard medical practice that Vitamin D in high doses can actually be lethal. I think that's why the article says that the patients are being tested to see whether they are actually low in Vitamin D. I don't know exactly at what level a prescription is required, but you have piqued my curiousity, and I will find out!


On edit: I believe the prescription form is Vitamin D-2, not the standard Vitamin D-3.

[supernova]

5. But isn't it D3 that's considered

to be the most beneficial?

[blue neen]

6. That is what I am trying to figure out, too.

I'm going to call my boss today (pharmacist) and find out what the difference is between the two...why is D2 prescription form, other than the high doses?

[Quantess]

12. But absorbtion of vitamin D can be iffy. That is what I have heard and, I hope it is true.

I take A LOT of Calcium pills for my menstrual cycle, to prevent cramps.
Calcium pills seem to come either with vitamin D, or with Magnesium and Zinc. It's hard to find plain Calcium, but then, vitamin D is necessary for Calcium absorbtion anyway. Zinc can also be toxic, so I don't know which Calcium combo is safer.

I end up taking probably double the RDA of vitamin D while taking all the calcium, so I really hope it doesn't all get absorbed.

[AllieB]

7. It is in really large doses. My aunt gets 50,000 IUs once a week from her doctor.

I beleive the larges dosage available in pill form is 2500 IUs (I take 5000 IUs a day myself). I am fair, don't go in the sun, and live in a northern climate (Boston).

[MannyGoldstein]

8. Yikes! I'm Fair, Don't Get Much Sun, And Live In Boston Too!

I'm taking 1,000 IU daily. Just curious, why do you take 5,000 IU?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. My mom is getting 50,000 units a month... kudos to her doc and

two thumbs down to her kidney specialist who told her that she could not take one (1), zero supplements last year. If I could have gotten her on glyconutrients she most likely would not have had to put up with months of marginal kidney function.

[andersonwillace]

10. nice post

nice post

[tiptoe]

11. See "Myths, FAQ, "...Vitamin D: A Real Missing Link..." Prescription=D2 vs D3, Testing, Optimal...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=222&topic_id=49922&mesg_id=49922

 

[HysteryDiagnosis]

13. Something of interest that mentions several of the nutrients

that may play a role in CVD. Good stuff that, and let it be known that there are supplements available that combine several if not all of these into quality products intended to promote one's health status.


1: J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2006 Jan-Feb;21(1):9-16.
Supplemental conditionally essential nutrients in cardiovascular disease therapy.
Kendler BS.

Dept. of Biology, CMSV Campus, Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY 10471, USA. [e-mail]

Conditionally essential nutrients (CENs) are organic compounds that are ordinarily produced by the body in amounts sufficient to meet its physiological requirements. However, in disorders, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), and in other physiologically stressful conditions, their biosynthesis may be inadequate. Under these circumstances, CENs become essential nutrients, comparable to vitamins.

The CENs of primary importance in CVD, based on the quantity and quality of human clinical studies, are l-arginine, l-carnitine, propionyl-l-carnitine, and coenzyme Q10. Controlled studies of these CENs are reviewed in depth.

Taurine is a CEN of secondary importance caused by a limited human database. Other putative CENs include alpha-lipoic acid, betaine, chondroitin sulfate, glutamine, and d-ribose, each of which is mentioned in passing. Collectively, CENs have demonstrated favorable clinical effects in CVDs, including chronic heart failure, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, and in CVD risk factors, such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and lipoprotein(a). Limited research has pointed to possible benefits in CVD therapy accruing from supplementation with several CENs in combination. Additional controlled clinical studies of CENs in CVD are urgently needed.

In view of the efficacy and safety of appropriate supplementation with CENs, it is strongly suggested that healthcare professionals become knowledgeable of these potentially important additions to the CVD therapeutic armamentarium.