Vitamin D and pain

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Mister Mxyzptlk

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A snippet from the AMA email newsletter:

Analysis indicates vitamin D may help reduce chronic pain. The UPI (6/24) reports, "An analysis of 22 clinical studies of patients with varied chronic pain and fatigue syndromes found almost all patients lacked vitamin D," according to new research. The review showed that "when sufficient vitamin D supplementation was provided, the aches, pains, weakness, and related problems in most of the patients either vanished, or were at least helped to a significant extent."

I wonder how many "FMS" patients would be cured by this. I have used vitamin D in a few patients with systemic pain (polymyositis, vasculitis, etc) and seen significant pain reduction. If you ramp them up while checking blood levels you can find yourself titrating very to large - even toxic - doses. It's a much more important vitamin than we ever gave it credit for and seems to have significant effect on the immune system and other systems.

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agreed that Vitamin D deficiency is under-diagnosed -

i have to say that i very rarely see tanned patients with Fibro... they are all usually pasty white... then again they are also on drugs that would increase photo-toxicity, so it becomes a catch-22
 
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If you are not already, and the patients PCP’s are not: Please get levels of 25 (OH) Vitamin D.

For levels below 30: 50,000 units Drisdol weekly x8 weeks then Q 2 weeks x 8 weeks. Recheck.

It is fashionable, can help reduce pain scores, and reduces their overall death risk.



Many docs have different protocols as far as replacement and there is some argument over ergocalciferol vs cholecalciferol.
The above is what I do and not necessarily what others (outside my PCP’s, IM, FP’s in my office) do.

Steve
 
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