Guest guest Posted June 17, 2001 Report Share Posted June 17, 2001 >Thank you for the response Dr. Rolla. I will take a >200 unit Vitamin D supplement and see if that helps. >The 1-25 di Hydroxy vitamin D test was the one that >they took when they found my levels so low.(5) >Thanks again for your speedy response. Dear ThyCa Members: For those thyroid cancer patients unfortunate to have hypoparathyroidism, requiring medication to avoid spontaneous low calcium levels, self-medication is extraordinarily bad practice. This requires detailed interaction and knowledge of a skilled physician in order to prevent acute and chronic complications. Vitamin D derivatives and analogs are not interchangeable. Each of the Vitamin D metabolites have different pharmacokinetics so that their dosage, time of onset, length of activity, and management of toxicity are totally different. For example, the onset of activity of Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is 30 days while that of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol; Rocaltrol®) is 3 days. There are at least 3 additional different vitamin D preparations with kinetics between these two extremes. Self-underdosing is very common, causing unrelenting hypocalcemia, while over-dosing, causing unrelenting hypercalcemia, can be catastrophic. In addition, the vitamin D component of therapy is ineffective if not accompanied by sufficient and accurately titrated oral calcium preparations. Even some physicians find some cases of hypoparathyroidism very difficult to treat. Certainly this should not be attempted by an inexpert patient without professional guidance. -- **************PLEASE BE ADVISED********************* THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS COMMUNICATION IS INTENDED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. IT IS NOT INTENDED, NOR SHOULD IT BE CONSTRUED, AS SPECIFIC MEDICAL ADVICE OR DIRECTIONS. ANY PERSON VIEWING THIS INFORMATION IS ADVISED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN PHYSICIAN(S) ABOUT ANY MATTER REGARDING THEIR MEDICAL CARE. ************************************************ B. Ain, M.D. Professor of Internal Medicine Director, Thyroid Nodule & Oncology Clinical Service Director, Thyroid Cancer Research Laboratory Division of Endocrinology and Molecular Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, Room MN524 University of Kentucky Medical Center 800 Rose Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40536-0298 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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