![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Johnny Baklava on November 18, 2013, at 21:07:39
My doctor prescribed me Calcitriol, which I'm supposed to take for 8 weeks. My Vitamin D level is apparently 17! I've been on it for three days and, perhaps unrelated, I seem to be more depressed than usual. Could this be an initial effect which will, hopefully, go away once my levels begin to "even out"? Anyone else have experiences with calcitriol?
Posted by Tomatheus on November 19, 2013, at 19:32:18
In reply to Calcitriol, posted by Johnny Baklava on November 18, 2013, at 21:07:39
Hi Johnny,
I haven't taken calcitriol myself and don't know for sure whether or not the increased depression that you're noticing now might somehow reverse itself once you've been taking calcitriol for longer. It does seem possible that that might happen, but then again, I don't know what kinds of response patterns people notice when they take calcitriol.
I was curious, though, as to why your doctor has you taking calcitriol for your vitamin D deficiency (as opposed to, say, vitamin D3). And what does your doctor plan to do with you after your eight-week trial with calcitriol ends? Will you then go on to take vitamin D3?
At any rate, I hope that the worsening of your depression that you've noticed will turn out to be temporary and that you'll ultimately be helped by your treatment regimen. Good luck with everything.
T.
Posted by johnnybaklava on November 20, 2013, at 13:57:33
In reply to Re: Calcitriol, posted by Tomatheus on November 19, 2013, at 19:32:18
Thanks for your response, Tomatheus. My doctor apparently had been talking to some peers recently about how Calcitriol is the preferred method of boosting D levels fast, over his usual method, which is the D3 drops. I believe after the eight weeks we're going to test again and see where my levels are at. I think, perhaps, that the Vitamin D is leveling out somewhat. I don't seem to have the same "down" feeling, but maybe feel a little more "on edge"My usual MO is to stop taking stuff as soon as I experience a negative reaction, but I trust my doctor and will stick it out. It seems to be evening out a bit.
Posted by Tomatheus on November 20, 2013, at 14:59:24
In reply to Re: Calcitriol, posted by johnnybaklava on November 20, 2013, at 13:57:33
Johnny,
It's good to hear that your response to the Calcitriol seems to be evening out some. I'm kind of the same way as you usually are about discontinuing supplements after experiencing a negative reaction, but I think it's good that you're sticking it out with this trial. I think that in addition to having trust in your doctor, knowing that your vitamin D level is low and that it's not likely to go up unless you increase your intake of the vitamin somehow can be motivating as far as sticking things out is concerned. When you know that your body needs more of a certain supplement and that your condition is likely to improve in the long run if you keep taking it, there's probably a tendency to feel less put off by negative effects that might only be temporary than if you're just guessing about whether a supplement will help you.
I think it's interesting what you wrote about Calcitriol being the preferred method of boosting vitamin D levels quickly among some of your doctor's peers. It does seem that getting a good response from vitamin D3 can take some time, at least judging from the studies and anecdotal reports that I've read, and it seems to make sense that taking Calcitriol can offer the advantage of a quicker response time over other forms of vitamin D. I hope that it won't be much longer before you notice positive effects from the Calcitriol.
So again, good luck with the Calcitriol, and feel free to post updates on how you're doing as time passes.
T.
Posted by ed_uk2010 on December 22, 2013, at 13:16:21
In reply to Calcitriol, posted by Johnny Baklava on November 18, 2013, at 21:07:39
Calcitriol is used in pts with renal failure. It is not a suitable treatment for simple vitamin D deficiency.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Alternative | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.