Ive been low on copper for 4 yrs and take 2mg everyday for ages. I tried upping the dose to 4mg before but felt a bit sick actually.

My Vit D levels are just below the 30 normal range. I tried taking Vit D but have effects from this. A few days ago I had some really good news from back home and was in a fine mood all day. At 6pm I took a vit d after a meal and at 8pm I was sitting at my computer and for some reason started feeling agitated/ angry. It had to have been that vitamin pill. Its not the first time. I dont like exposing myself out in the sun due to melanoma risks and I dont like the red burnt face look.

I also have zinc deficiency and started taking a brand of zinc around 25mg every second or 3rd day. I took one last night after dinner. Woke up this morning with pain in my chest and dull pain in my jaw. So many the dose is too high. Also I found that a few hours after taking zinc I kind of have brain fog and when eating I accidently bite my lip

Im wondering if I should go cold turkey on all vitamins and see what happens. Im middle aged and my hair seems to be thinning anyways which is normal. Maybe most people are deficient in some things like this but dont know and do nothing and just get on with life. Should I just do the same?

6 months ago at Bumrungrad they found the above deficiencies and sold me some expensive vitamins. They said I probably have malabsorption issues and gave me a digestive enzime which I take everyday.

Dont know if I should bother going to see an Endocryne dr instead? Can anyone recommend a specialist at any hospital in bkk?

thanks

You shouldn't take Zinc after dinner. It should be taken on an empty stomach.

Zinc and copper are in a balancing act with one another so you may want to take copper as well and not just zinc. I think if your plumbing at home is copper you might be getting enough copper from that (watch out for the bright blue residue from worn-out faucets).

For each vitamin/supplement you take, ask AI first whether it should be taken before or after a meal, and possibly - like vitamin D - after a meal containing some fatty food.

On a general note, I always take vitamins every other day rather than every day as recommended on the label, for I suspect taking too much is commoner than having a deficiency. But I may be wrong on this.

You should be able to get your vitamin D levels up with supplements. Take vitamin D3 for a few months which is a very cheap supplement. It's a good idea to match Vitamin D3 with a Vitamin K2 supplement. You MUST take this with a meal containing fat (even if just a little fat) as D and K are fat-soluble vitamins. It's worth noting that when it comes to vitamin D levels, 30 is considered an absolute minimum by many doctors and ideal levels may be more in the range of 60 - 80. Personally, I like mine to be 80 - 100.

Zinc and Copper are a little more complicated. You can Google the foods high in these and try and consume more of said foods. Alternatively, you can supplement either - and both are very cheap in supplement form. However, there is a balance between the two. There are some supplements which contain both Zinc and Copper such as Jarrows Formulas Zinc Balance which is a good one, and inexpensive.

The malabsorption comment from the hospital is prescient. If you're older and / or you have any digestive issues, you might not be absorbing much of the goodness (vitamins, minerals, protein etc.) of what you eat as well as the supplements you take. If that is the case, you need to resolve that. Unfortunately, this can be more difficult than it sounds as there are so many things it could be from low stomach acid to gallbladder / bile issues to stomach issues to bacterial or fungal overgrowth - and many mainstream doctors / gastroenterologists are not familiar with / trained in all of these.

In summary, if it were me, I would take:

• 5000 IU of Vitamin D 3 per day (any major supplement brand ok)

• 100 mcg of Vitamin K2 per day (any major supplement brand ok)

• Jarrows Formulas Zinc Balance one capsule per day

And then I would test my levels in a few months time and adjust accordingly.

I would also take a digestive enzyme with every meal. A good one is NOW Foods Super Enzymes as it contains stomach acid and bile acids and digestive enzymes - and it's not too pricey.

The usual medical hack: Try these pills. If they don't work, come back and see me in 3 weeks and we'll try some others.

You might want to review what you EAT. All out of a tin or a packet or a bottle? Try eating real food - lots of veggies (kale, broccoli, carrots, garlic, ginger, pumpkin, tomatoes ... ) and fish (salmon) and fruit (apples, oranges, blueberries, strawberries ... ) and limited red meat ...

2 thoughts ...

... Why do you think you are deficient in any vitamins & minerals ? Have you had a blood test to verify that you are ?

... Don't get your medical advice from AN members. Yet to see any of these AN nutritionist (aside from me) post a photo of themselves.

When was last time you had your blood work done ? Hematology panel will give you a good idea of any iron, B, C or D, etc deficiencies. Simply googling the type of cell, and how to boost will clue you in, how to raise to a normal level. Blood cell levels seem need those.

Other blood work will tell you your sodium level, and sugar/insulin levels, etc etc. They actually have a vitamin & mineral level blood test, that will point out any deficiencies. Get that done at 3 or 6 month intervals, until you find your sweet spot with food & supplementing.

Without that basic knowledge, you shouldn't be taking any supplements, as can cause an imbalance of something else. Also when taking, and what you're eating will affect the absorption of supplements. Some things don't mix well, and block absorption, others you need for supplements just to be absorbed. Are they fat or water soluble ?

Here's an example of variables that affect vitamin & mineral absorption. I eat about 140gr of scrambled eggs everyday, so 2-3mg of iron. Cooked in cast iron pan, so may absorb another 3mg from the pan. I also take Vit C, which enhances the absorption of iron.

So I make sure my multivitamin doesn't have 100% of RDA of iron, as I eat a lot of foods rich in iron throughout the week; beef, pork, cashews, dark chocolate. Iron is fat soluble, so excess is store. Too much is not good, so I avoid iron only supplements.

Since at my age, I can't donate blood, so no way to rid excess iron, like I use to in USA.

Low Vit D slows absorption of iron, but I get plenty of Vit D in the sun walking the dog everyday. My RBC is normal as are other blood cell level counts, as requiring iron, B, C, D, etc to be in normal range, since recommending those to boost if below normal range.

From Google AI ...

9 hours ago, mstevens said:

In summary, if it were me, I would take:

• 5000 IU of Vitamin D 3 per day (any major supplement brand ok)

• 100 mcg of Vitamin K2 per day (any major supplement brand ok)

• Jarrows Formulas Zinc Balance one capsule per day

Thanks for your comment but maybe you didnt read my post. Im having side effects from taking vit d. 1.5 hours after taking it I had major agitation and anger. Happened several times. After taking zinc I get brain fog and accidently biting my lips when eating. Tested this many times

The real problem is that no doctors are trained in whole-body functional medicine. You get a symptom and get referred...and referred...and referred.

The advice from advancebooking is sound.

Supplements are great from iHerb online.