Another multivitamin question

Is there anything in this multivitamin that is "bad" for ITP? I've gone out of my way to find one with low vitamin e (because I read this can affect blood clotting) and higher folic acid, vitamin c and b12, which I read could be beneficial. I based this entirely on google searches and I know some of you are much more knowledgable than google so I want to run it past you too. My consultant has already said a vague "yeah" to a multivitamin. Again, I'd be happier if it was looked at by people with ITP who sometimes have more experience & knowledge! Here's the list

Vitamin D (as D3 400 IU) 10 µg 200
Vitamin E (Natural Source) 4 mg α-TE 33
Vitamin C 70 mg 88
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 3 mg 273
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 2 mg 143
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 20 mg NE 125
Vitamin B6 10 mg 714
Folic Acid 400 µg 200
Vitamin B12 6 µg 240
Natural Mixed Carotenoids 2 mg --
Vitamin K 70 µg 93
Iron 17 mg 121
Selenium 30 µg 55
Magnesium 150 mg 40
Zinc 15 mg 150
Iodine 140 µg 93
Pantothenic Acid 6 mg 100
Biotin 150 µg 300
Copper 1000 µg 100


Any thoughts?

Kat:

I don't necessarily think there is anything wrong with multi-vitamins, but I've come to this conclusion over the years. It's much better to just eat healthy and skip the vitamin. If a person has problems absorbing vitamins from food (which some people with autoimmune disorders do), they should have a blood work panel done and identify the problems. Then they should supplement only those vitamins that they are lacking under the supervision of a doctor. If there are no low vitamin levels, supplementation isn't necessary.

I used to take a multi and thought I had to be doing fine because of it. When all of the autoimmune stuff began and doctors started running tests, I found that I was deficient in so many different ways and the multi was doing nothing. My B-12 was low, so the multi wasn't working because I couldn't absorb it through the stomach. I had to use a high dose sublingual. My D was low and again, the multi was doing nothing so I had to take a very high dose prescription D for well over a year. I also struggle with low potassium and magnesium. My ferritin has been low and again, had to supplement with iron to get that level up. These are on-going problems that keep recurring if I don't monitor and maintain the levels. I have to initiate the blood work with the doctors frequently or it falls through the cracks. If I don't, I become symptomatic and that gets frustrating since it just adds to the problems that I already have and it takes a while for me to figure it out and fix it.

Just to give you an example...Vitamin D. The RDA is 400 IU's. I've had to take 100,000 IU's once a week to get my level up. So you can see, the multi has very little D in it and the way I see it, either your D level is fine or it's not. If it's not, you need more than a multi.

Your multi has 70 mg's of vitamin C, but for those who want to try to combat ITP symptoms with vitamin C, you'd need to take about 500 to 1,000 mg's per day. 70 mg's is not doing much for you.

To answer your question though, no, I don't see anything wrong with that particular vitamin although you'd want to watch the E intake if counts are low since it could increase symptoms. Have you had vitamin levels tested recently?

Wow 100,000 of vit d - either that is a lot of little pills or one HUGE horse tranquilliser sized pill!!

I haven't had my vitamins tested. Tbh - I started looking around vitamins because I'm having my indium scan this week. I've made no secret of the fact tht I'd love to have another child. I now figure I don't want to go into remission - either spontaneously or after a treatment such as splenectomy, rituximab etc only to trigger another ITP flare up. So, I would take a multivitamin in pregnancy, I'm going to take it whilst they're scanning me everyday & checking my counts. Its just to test the variables. I'd hate to opt for something as drastic as splenectomy only to find I trigger a relapse myself.

This is probably silly thinking. But, I will feel less anxious if I try it.

My counts are ok at the moment - so I'm also going to test red wine as a variable. Partly this is in jest because I'm seeing family tomorrow and need no excuse for a glass or two, but it makes me smile to pretend I have good reason! Partly though - my counts always go up slightly after a few drinks - does that suggest my liver is occupied with clearing the alcohol as opposed to destroying platelets for a brief time??? Who knows! But, if I get a result from my scan that suggests 100% spleen sequestration, I wouldn't believe it unless I'd had a drink this week.

And despite this thinking - I don't want to go taking a vitamin that has something in it that I clearly shouldn't be taking.

Are these the ravings of an overtired madwoman or does something there make sense???

How do you get your vitamins checked sandi? Does your 'normal' bloodworm cover it? As in, you do this via your haemotologist rather than another doctor?

Katherine

Lol - spot the deliberate mistake!! I tend to have blood work as opposed to bloodworm!

Yes, I'm clearly an overtired madwoman! Driving a 60 mile round trip per day for an indium scan before going to work will do that to a person!

Kat:

I thought that prenatal vitamins were more or less prescription; they have a special mix with a higher dose of folic acid? Maybe that's just here in the U.S.

Usually my Rheumatologist tests my vitamin levels since I see her more than any other doctor, but both my Hemo and Neurologist have ordered tests. It's not included in your normal blood worm....it's additional and you can probably just ask.

The 100,000 IU's wasn't all that big. Sort of a green gel cap. It took over a year of high dose to get to a normal level. I was stubborn apparently.

Good luck with the scanning. Can't wait to hear your results!

Sandi:

We can get prenatal vitamins on prescription here - I think with my daughter I was only offered folic acid though. And only once I was already pregnant. Because I also have pcos - I tend to take the well-marketed, over the counter vitamins for conception/pregnancy. "Sucked in" is probably the phrase I need here

I'm going to pop one and see if anything changes!

The modern (UK) advice for pregnancy is only to take vitamin D and folic acid. When I was pregnant we routinely took iron but that's not done now, it's only given if necessary. Everything else should be had from a good diet.

There's almost an anti-supplement thing generally going on in the UK now. It used to be said that supplements simply did no good but that has changed and many now think that they actually do harm. Be careful.

Thank you ann

I find it so hard not to try & take control of things. Taking a multivitamin is one way I try to control my pcos.

Sadly I also used several herbal supplements when I was trying for my second & I think this may well have triggered my itp in the first place. We had only been trying for a few weeks before I discovered petechiae and was found to have a count of 1. Obviously I can't be sure, but it's a big coincidence.

I won't be taking anything new or herbal ever again. At least for medicinal purposes - I won't be banning basil from my pasta.

I didn't take the multivitamin yesterday, felt too anxious about taking something my dr hadn't prescribed. Maybe I will just go for a folic acid supplement instead.

I should add - when I started this thread I searched through all the multivitamin brands I've ever taken before as opposed to introducing an entirely new one. As I said - very anxious nowadays about entirely new things