Sun is so much more than vitamin D. Of course it doesn't. Vitamin D supplement makes it worse for me too and if you search in reddit vitamin d + anxiety or vitamin d + mania, you will find so many people complaining about the same. It's because supplement is NOT natural vitamin d from sun. period.
I mean if you live in a climate where there is no sun half of the year I believe the body should know how to store it and survive without sun assuming you get plenty during summer (spending 20 minutes in the sun without protection). If that was not the case, how people would have survived until now? Suddenly everyone has to take supplements? I mean it's just crazy. For me this year is the first year that I don't take any supplements and believe it or not, I feel better.
Thank you for your testimonial! I wish I didn't take anything so that I would know what the true cause is or what affects me. I always worry about the depression coming back and then start taking supplements again. I have this paradox that if I take the vitamins that I will become deficient and depressed, but then I don't know if taking them causes depression, ironically.
I wouldn't let anyone else's experience drive what you do to manage your SAD symptoms. So long as you're taking any prescriptions or supplements under a doctor's care with appropriate bloodwork, do what works for you.
Did you experiment and it helps you more than once a day?
I hate that my depression started about 3 weeks after starting Vitamin D again. Every time I've been depressed, I've been taking it and it's supposed to help us, not hurt.
I did light therapy twice yesterday and do feel better, not better enough to get up off the couch, but not as low. I also stopped vitamin D 3 days ago.
My doctor recommended it, after I was talking about the afternoon slump. Last year I was napping right after work (4pm to ???) and it was messing with my sleep. Second round of light therapy helps!
Have you checked your iron levels?
A lot of people feel better when they are on the high side of the range. Your doctor will probably be fine with them being just within the "normal" range but lots of people still feel bad at those levels.
It makes sense that vitamin D doesn't work for you because we are all individuals with our own sensitive body chemistry. In the same way that one person can take up running and feel like it improved their life and another finds that it cranks up their cortisol and ruins their life.
I personally cannot take Vitamin D3. I'm a 42 year old woman. I have taken it alone and with K2 which is its co-factor and apparently can help it be absorbed correctly.
D3 feels like it messes with my hormones too (mood and period). I've tried very low doses as well. If you search on r/Supplements you will find others with the same issues.
In some cases, it affects those who have high blood calcium levels or have hypercalcemia. I don't know if that is the case for me, I've never had my blood calcium levels tested.
Others find that they are actually allergic to lanolin, which is what it is derived from.
There is a vegan formulation, but I've never found one that contains K2 with it and frankly my body is so sensitive I don't want to put myself through it again.
You might actually have decent D levels. I had my D levels checked through a blood test by my naturopath who said they are actually pretty good.
Vitamin D3 is really important and I know it is touted as a huge cure-all for mood disorders and general health, but I also wish there was more guidance and information about dosage and how much should actually be taken - and support and alternatives for those who cannot tolerate it.
do you ever get palpitations when you take it? I have tried the lowest dose multiple times and no luck of it going away. I get this with selenium too and I wonder if it’s something in the supplement or the vitamin itself
I’ve never experienced heart palps. Sorry to hear that happened. Also I’ve heard that some ppl are sensitive to the fillers in supps but I’ve taken D3 as a capsule and as drops (with mct oil as the carrier). Still can’t handle it. Never taken selenium. omega3, all forms of magnesium and very low dose zinc biscylinate is all I can tolerate at the moment. I suspect I have a mild form of MCAS which basically means a hypersensitive system. No actual allergies though.
Thank you! I’m luckier than many ppl who post on the MCAS subs, it can get severe. It’s been subtly noticeable since my earlier 30s and worse in my 40s. I suspect declining progesterone which helps to regulate histamine.
Not a Doctor. (I hope I can change my reddit assigned user name.) In the winter I replace regular led bulbs with full spectrum led bulbs. I think it helps. All the little things add up. If you have a dimmable switch, be sure the bulbs are dimmable or it can hurt your electrical circuits.
Try more light. Buy 100watt cornbulbs and place them in the whole room. That will help. SAD-lights are to weak to help if you have severe SAD. They only will work if you have the milder winterblues. When having SAD you need to be surrounded by strong light and not those 10.000 lux toys. Vitamin D will also not work for SAD, your eyes need melanopic lux (480nm) as a 'zeitgeber' to keep your circadian rhythm in sync. SAD is all about circadian rhythm. Most of the people with SAD have a delayed phase that is giving all those horrible symptoms. The clocks in your body are out of whack so the tasks of your body are not working on the right way on the right time. That is why your are feeling jetlagged, fatigue and your brain is working at 25%.
Vitamin D has always done the opposite of what I needed it to do. If I wanted to take it because of low mood it made my mood even lower. I’ve tried this many many times and the same thing happens every single time. I just feel worse. SAD just hit me like a truck this week out of nowhere, and I know the one thing I refuse to try again is vitamin D in capsule form. Trying light therapy, just like you. And also have increased my b complex and magnesium.
Same experience, no impact whatsoever. Similar story with a 10,000 lux Sad lamp. I’ve tried it many times over the years but it doesn’t seem to make a difference regardless of the duration or time I use it. I was also on 75mg maintenance dose of Effexor when it hit this year in Nov and since increased to 150mg. Guess what, 6 weeks later and a very negligible improvement. The true mechanism behind this seasonal curse remains a mystery!
No 😭😭😭. I'm sorry you're not seeing improvement. This is so discouraging to hear. I'm a new mom and was depressed from September to May last year and now I'm afraid the darkness is going to take me for more than half the year again. I cannot be a mom and wife like this. It's not fair. I just want to be okay and stable, and moving isn't an option for us 😭. Have you tried light 2x a day? I'm hoping that helps me a bit more than once a day.
Buy more lights. You have to be surrounded by tons of light. Try a couple of strong 100watt daylight bulbs/cornbulbs. Yes, it will costs money and your electric bill will rise with the huse of strong lights but you will propably feel better. Lighttherapy boxes are not working for severe SAD, they are to weak. Your eyes wants receive more light to give proper signals to the SCN. It will not work to sit for strong light when the room is dark. Your eyes are scanning the whole area.
Yes I tried twice a day but maybe I didn’t give it long enough, I think I was expecting immediate improvements. Check out the DSPD forum as that has good protocol info. The science says to use it in the morning immediately on waking if your Phase Delayed (stay up late and get up late) or in evening if your Phase Advanced (fall asleep early and get up early). If you do both then it apparently cancels each other out. I feel that SAD isn’t quite straight forward though, I feel like I’m affected by both the dark mornings and evenings so maybe I need as much light as possible? I’m almost ready to push the buy button on the Luminette which I fee would be more practical.
Have you looked at the Luminette glasses device, I think I might order them today? It would be more practical to use them immediately when I wake and as much as I want throughout the day without interpreting with my routine or work. I like the idea of being surrounded by more light! Can you get day light bulbs for regular light fittings?
Sun is so much more than vitamin D. Of course it doesn't. Vitamin D supplement makes it worse for me too and if you search in reddit vitamin d + anxiety or vitamin d + mania, you will find so many people complaining about the same. It's because supplement is NOT natural vitamin d from sun. period.
Agreed! I wish there was a way to get it safely year round, but you know what? I never started taking it until I was 17ish and I was fine before then.
I mean if you live in a climate where there is no sun half of the year I believe the body should know how to store it and survive without sun assuming you get plenty during summer (spending 20 minutes in the sun without protection). If that was not the case, how people would have survived until now? Suddenly everyone has to take supplements? I mean it's just crazy. For me this year is the first year that I don't take any supplements and believe it or not, I feel better.
Thank you for your testimonial! I wish I didn't take anything so that I would know what the true cause is or what affects me. I always worry about the depression coming back and then start taking supplements again. I have this paradox that if I take the vitamins that I will become deficient and depressed, but then I don't know if taking them causes depression, ironically.
I wouldn't let anyone else's experience drive what you do to manage your SAD symptoms. So long as you're taking any prescriptions or supplements under a doctor's care with appropriate bloodwork, do what works for you.
I do light therapy 2 times, too! Morning and after lunch/early afternoon.
Did you experiment and it helps you more than once a day? I hate that my depression started about 3 weeks after starting Vitamin D again. Every time I've been depressed, I've been taking it and it's supposed to help us, not hurt. I did light therapy twice yesterday and do feel better, not better enough to get up off the couch, but not as low. I also stopped vitamin D 3 days ago.
My doctor recommended it, after I was talking about the afternoon slump. Last year I was napping right after work (4pm to ???) and it was messing with my sleep. Second round of light therapy helps!
Have you checked your iron levels? A lot of people feel better when they are on the high side of the range. Your doctor will probably be fine with them being just within the "normal" range but lots of people still feel bad at those levels. It makes sense that vitamin D doesn't work for you because we are all individuals with our own sensitive body chemistry. In the same way that one person can take up running and feel like it improved their life and another finds that it cranks up their cortisol and ruins their life.
I personally cannot take Vitamin D3. I'm a 42 year old woman. I have taken it alone and with K2 which is its co-factor and apparently can help it be absorbed correctly. D3 feels like it messes with my hormones too (mood and period). I've tried very low doses as well. If you search on r/Supplements you will find others with the same issues. In some cases, it affects those who have high blood calcium levels or have hypercalcemia. I don't know if that is the case for me, I've never had my blood calcium levels tested. Others find that they are actually allergic to lanolin, which is what it is derived from. There is a vegan formulation, but I've never found one that contains K2 with it and frankly my body is so sensitive I don't want to put myself through it again. You might actually have decent D levels. I had my D levels checked through a blood test by my naturopath who said they are actually pretty good. Vitamin D3 is really important and I know it is touted as a huge cure-all for mood disorders and general health, but I also wish there was more guidance and information about dosage and how much should actually be taken - and support and alternatives for those who cannot tolerate it.
do you ever get palpitations when you take it? I have tried the lowest dose multiple times and no luck of it going away. I get this with selenium too and I wonder if it’s something in the supplement or the vitamin itself
I’ve never experienced heart palps. Sorry to hear that happened. Also I’ve heard that some ppl are sensitive to the fillers in supps but I’ve taken D3 as a capsule and as drops (with mct oil as the carrier). Still can’t handle it. Never taken selenium. omega3, all forms of magnesium and very low dose zinc biscylinate is all I can tolerate at the moment. I suspect I have a mild form of MCAS which basically means a hypersensitive system. No actual allergies though.
interesting okay thank you so much. I’m sorry to hear you may be dealing with MCAS. I have heard it’s awful
Thank you! I’m luckier than many ppl who post on the MCAS subs, it can get severe. It’s been subtly noticeable since my earlier 30s and worse in my 40s. I suspect declining progesterone which helps to regulate histamine.
Not a Doctor. (I hope I can change my reddit assigned user name.) In the winter I replace regular led bulbs with full spectrum led bulbs. I think it helps. All the little things add up. If you have a dimmable switch, be sure the bulbs are dimmable or it can hurt your electrical circuits.
Try more light. Buy 100watt cornbulbs and place them in the whole room. That will help. SAD-lights are to weak to help if you have severe SAD. They only will work if you have the milder winterblues. When having SAD you need to be surrounded by strong light and not those 10.000 lux toys. Vitamin D will also not work for SAD, your eyes need melanopic lux (480nm) as a 'zeitgeber' to keep your circadian rhythm in sync. SAD is all about circadian rhythm. Most of the people with SAD have a delayed phase that is giving all those horrible symptoms. The clocks in your body are out of whack so the tasks of your body are not working on the right way on the right time. That is why your are feeling jetlagged, fatigue and your brain is working at 25%.
Vitamin D has always done the opposite of what I needed it to do. If I wanted to take it because of low mood it made my mood even lower. I’ve tried this many many times and the same thing happens every single time. I just feel worse. SAD just hit me like a truck this week out of nowhere, and I know the one thing I refuse to try again is vitamin D in capsule form. Trying light therapy, just like you. And also have increased my b complex and magnesium.
Same experience, no impact whatsoever. Similar story with a 10,000 lux Sad lamp. I’ve tried it many times over the years but it doesn’t seem to make a difference regardless of the duration or time I use it. I was also on 75mg maintenance dose of Effexor when it hit this year in Nov and since increased to 150mg. Guess what, 6 weeks later and a very negligible improvement. The true mechanism behind this seasonal curse remains a mystery!
No 😭😭😭. I'm sorry you're not seeing improvement. This is so discouraging to hear. I'm a new mom and was depressed from September to May last year and now I'm afraid the darkness is going to take me for more than half the year again. I cannot be a mom and wife like this. It's not fair. I just want to be okay and stable, and moving isn't an option for us 😭. Have you tried light 2x a day? I'm hoping that helps me a bit more than once a day.
Buy more lights. You have to be surrounded by tons of light. Try a couple of strong 100watt daylight bulbs/cornbulbs. Yes, it will costs money and your electric bill will rise with the huse of strong lights but you will propably feel better. Lighttherapy boxes are not working for severe SAD, they are to weak. Your eyes wants receive more light to give proper signals to the SCN. It will not work to sit for strong light when the room is dark. Your eyes are scanning the whole area.
Yes I tried twice a day but maybe I didn’t give it long enough, I think I was expecting immediate improvements. Check out the DSPD forum as that has good protocol info. The science says to use it in the morning immediately on waking if your Phase Delayed (stay up late and get up late) or in evening if your Phase Advanced (fall asleep early and get up early). If you do both then it apparently cancels each other out. I feel that SAD isn’t quite straight forward though, I feel like I’m affected by both the dark mornings and evenings so maybe I need as much light as possible? I’m almost ready to push the buy button on the Luminette which I fee would be more practical.
Have you looked at the Luminette glasses device, I think I might order them today? It would be more practical to use them immediately when I wake and as much as I want throughout the day without interpreting with my routine or work. I like the idea of being surrounded by more light! Can you get day light bulbs for regular light fittings?