High-Dose Vitamin D

[SlowMotion]

Has anyone had experience with high dose Vitamin D for treating MS? Dr. Cicero Coimbra, a neurologist and professor at the Federal University in Brazil, has a protocol (Coimbra Protocol) for using high dose Vitamin D safely under a doctor’s supervision to treat MS. There are many stories of success, although I don’t know of any double blind placebo trials on his specific protocol. I am wondering if anyone has experience with this treatment.

[Drillerdou]

My neuro has me take 4000iu /day as well as my dmt. Just my opinion but I don't think it does anything. Especially as a guy who is outside anytime the sun is up and always has been.

[GoatHerder]

I'm taking 50,000iu once a week, as I don't have a colon, and so can't absorb enough D from my diet. I've been on it 4 months now, and was hoping I would notice some improvement in my M.S. Sadly, it has not helped.

[SlowMotion]

Thanks for your reply. I have taken 10,000 IU of D3 for several years and I can’t say I have noticed any difference. I have read several peer reviewed journal articles about levels D3 up to 10,000 IU suggesting some evidence of benefits, but more work is needed. But the Coimbra Protocol uses doses 10-20 times that level (~1000 IU D3 per kg of body weight) to overcome what is described as “Vitamin D resistance”. It does not require any crazy diet, but it has to be done under the supervision of a doctor and requires periodic blood tests due to the risk of hypercalcemia. I’m hoping to find someone in the US who has tried it.

[ActiveMSers]

SlowMo, in general high-dose Vitamin D has not been shown effective in slowing disease progression, and recent research has found it could actually cause more issues than benefit. In fact, Vitamin D supplementation in general doesn't have strong evidence in MS, unless it is clinically low, even though many neuros recommend it. I take 2K daily with food and call it good. My levels are fine.

[Suebee]

Dave is right there isn’t a lot of evidence showing it’s definitely helpful to MSers and supplementation could cause issues, but low levels should be addressed. It’s complicated because the connection to immune function hasn’t been fully worked out. The Mayo Clinic explains it, “evidence points to the direct and indirect regulation of T cell development and function by vitamin D ... At the [Mayo Center] we feel that the preponderance of accumulated data means that we should be focusing on vitamin D supplementation and recommend trying to get patients into the normal range of vitamin D levels unless there are countervailing contraindications. More research is being done and prospective and longitudinal studies may help provide a more comprehensive understanding of any cause and effect relationship of Vitamin D deficiency and immune system functions.” https://my.clevelandclinic.org/depar...s/ms-vitamin-d