I just got my Costco coupons in the mail and one of them is for $4 off Nature Made vitamins. One of these is Vitamin D in 300 x 1000iu caplets.
If you get severe winter depression like I do, I highly recommend that you start taking 2000 iu of Vitamin D per day. Take it with Fish Oil. I got the Nature Made brand of Fish Oil and the Kirkland Signature brand of Vitamin D.
I’m not sure if the fish oil is doing anything but I take it anyway. I hear it helps with the depression, too. The vitamin D, though, is something I would totally bank on. I chose this brand of the Vitamin D only because it was cheaper by the dosage at the time.
Prior to this brand, I went through two bottles of LifeExtensions Vitamin D3 60 x 5000 IU capsules
I’m not a doctor. I’m not even a med student. Hell, I’m getting a Bachelor’s degree in the friggin’ Arts. I have no business telling you what’s good for you. The only validation I have for telling you to “get your D on” is that of pure anecdotal evidence. That’s why I won’t tell you to take the 4000-10,000 iu that I normally take. One of my good blogger buddies has told me she started taking 2000iu after hearing me rave so much about it and she, too, has reported noticeable changes.
Some of you might recall my history with winter depression. This time two years ago, I stopped going to all my classes and I didn’t even bother to drop them. Instead, I climbed into bed and just didn’t even bother to come out. Naturally, I failed those classes.
This time last year, I felt even more hopeless. I felt like I was trapped in a falling elevator and that it would continue taking me to worse depths. Every wall around me seemed to be made of something dark, painful and chaotic. At that time, it actually felt like the right thing, the GOOD thing, the best option to take was to remove myself from any equation and that everything would be better for everyone that way. The most comforting thought was knowing I had the option of dying. It was a very dark and scary time. Granted, things had been happening in my life that caused me a lot of trauma but one would never think something as simple as Vitamin D could make any difference. My mom bought me a blue light therapy lamp but it didn’t seem to help much.
Then, early this year, I started taking Vitamin D. I was skeptical about what it would do for me but I took it because my mother had bought it for me with the best of intentions.
It was less than two weeks after taking Vitamin D that I realized something. I was feeling… optimistic. I could not remember the last time I had felt this way. Small chores no longer felt like daunting tasks. I was actually feeling pretty confident about how each day would end. When I stopped taking it, I immediately felt hopeless again. Whether I took the vitamin or not made a huge difference. Then, one day, I decided I was ready to take on the world once more and I went back to school.
Fast forward to today. It’s been dark all day everyday this past week and I’m really feeling the Northwest weather. I won’t lie. I’m definitely feeling depressed.
However, it’s so much more tolerable. Although I often feel as if I’m walking in a fog, I don’t feel like I’m trapped in an impenetrable box anymore. I feel like I can get through anything that comes my way. I am still able to maintain a social life. I can still get work done. I am averaging As in all my classes.
Oh, and, this is my final term. I am graduating. I have been a ten-year undergrad and, at one point, I had long given up on getting a college degree because I thought I’d never win against depression. Yet, without having had to rely on prescriptions, I am at my final term.
So, you can see why I endorse this little thing called Vitamin D with such enthusiasm. If you want to help me make a little commission, you can buy it from here
Anyway, I’m sorry if many of you find this entry to be irrelevant. It seemed like a good time to get into the topic because so many of my peers and loved ones seemed to be brought down by the change of seasons. I hope some of you find the same relief that I found with Vitamin D.
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Thanks for sharing your story. I started taking 1,000iu Vitamin D since you said it made your nails stronger too. I think it’s too soon to tell if it’s working for me.
I thought 1,000iu was a lot but I guess I should take more! I’m always scared of taking too much of anything. I also take Hair, Skin, and Nails vitamins but I only take 1 a day and I think you’re actually supposed to take 2 or 3.
How are you supposed to know how much D to take? Google is not helping! My boyfriend recently had a blood test for a regular checkup and he was low on D. Maybe we should take 5,000iu? Or is 2,000iu the recommended dosage? Why am I asking you all these questions when you already put out the disclaimer that you shouldn’t be giving out any medical advice?
Lucy: Keeping in mind that I don’t speak as an expert, it’s actually very rare and very hard to get vitamin D overdose. You’d have to be taking 10,000+ iu every single day.
Especially for women who are more prone to avoiding the sun during the summer, Vitamin D deficiency is a bigger problem nowadays than overdose. 2000iu is considered pretty standard a dosage, actually. How long have you been taking your Vitamin D? I do hope you experience the changes you seek. Please, keep me updated!
Here is an article that you might start with, written by a naturopath: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-frank-lipman/vitamin-d-what-you-need-t_b_308973.html
Here is the link to the Vitamin D Council’s reports on toxicity: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/vitaminDToxicity.shtml
oooh i remember you wrote about vit d before… that’s so awesome!!! i think i’ll get some too, not only because the weather can down my moo, but also because.. well.. i just dont get enough vitamin d anyway.. thanks for reminding me
<3
This is actually something I’ve never heard about but sounds very probable. Reading your entry, I’m actually going to go to the vitamin store later to purchase some. I have seasonal depression pretty bad and this sounds like one of the healthiest ways to counteract it. Thank you very much for the information.
Oooh thanks for the articles! I just placed an order for 5,000iu softgels, yay!
I really hope this helps you as much as it helped me, guys. Please keep me updated!
Congrats on the final term! You worked hard, and it’s paying off!
Vita D huh?! I knew you were having the sleeping problems, but VIta D is very essential to our bodies! That’s why the Eskimos need to take it!
I remember your posts about this about a year ago, and I totally slacked on getting a light therapy machine (but I guess it wasn’t a loss since it didn’t really work for you?)..but now I think I’ll have to ask my dad to get some Vitamin D for me the next time he goes to Costco!
I’ve been meaning on getting on this whole vitamin D thing for awhile, especially after moving to Seattle last year. Congrats on reaching your final term!
p.s. I’M RUBBING MY STALKER GERMS ALL OVER YOUR BLOGG MMMMMMM >:D
connie: well, that explains this cough i woke up with –;… HEY you should def. invest in some Vit D since you’re in the NW as I am. It’s a known fact that people who live in the Northwest can’t possibly get enough Vitamin D for the year because we cannot get enough sun exposure. The climate just doesn’t allow it!
mayaari: don’t forget your coupon!!
I haven’t visited your blog in long while. I had looked into the light boxes last year when you wrote about your depression. I should get the vitamin D supplements for my thing which is starting to snowball. It’ll be a miracle if I wake up one day and not have to feel THAT way. Thank you for sharing your experiences!