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How long does it take for vitamins or supplements to start working?

By December 22, 2008 - 2:38pm
 
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How long does it take for supplements to take effect? For example, I am taking calcium supplements and am wondering how long I will take them for before I see some results? I'm hoping to see healthier, stronger nails.

I don't depend on supplements for over-all health but am wondering if it takes just a couple of weeks to help, or months?

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Anonymous

I am Very vitamin D deficient (I was prescribed to take 5000 IU a day) and I definitely have the MS like symptoms that you all were posting about. How long into taking vitamin d supplements did you start to feel results?

September 22, 2014 - 6:58pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I hope vitamin d3 can help to decrease my sebum production on my face! would it work?

August 2, 2014 - 8:12am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

I just started taking a 5,000/day D3 supplement for the same reason. I have the most oily face and it drives me NUTS! When I was younger, everyone told me once you get to your mid-twenties it goes away -- so imagine my depression at being 31 and still having an oil-slick on my face 10 min after washing (not to mention the 5+ times a day I use toner or wipes to re-cleanse my skin). People say, "Well that's good because you won't get wrinkles!" Yet somehow I would rather enjoy at least some portion of my young adult life oil-free at the price of a few wrinkles later. Anyway... I started just 2 days ago. I've heard people have seen amazing improvement within 2-3 weeks (of course there are also reviews from people that say it did nothing or even made it worse), but I can tell you one thing... just 2 days in I've noticed a HUGE improvement in my mood, sleep cycle, and less muscle fatigue/more energy. I'm suspecting that I was severely deficient in vitamin D as I have a LOT of the symptoms. Makes sense as well considering I'm fair skinned, but rarely ever in the sun. I used to tan in beds regularly and whether or not it's attributed to that, I know I felt FAR more energy and vitality when I did. Perhaps that's not related to reducing my vitamin D intake, but something to consider. Long story short, I too am wondering how long it's going to take before I know for sure if the results are from the supplement (or at least to know whether or not I should have seen results within a certain timeframe).

November 3, 2014 - 10:15pm

Vitamin D defeciency can be pretty serious. My level was low, but not super low. I had many many problems from it. I had convinced myself that I had MS. I was extremely tired, all the time. I was extremely weak. Muscles hurt. I was off balance. Couldn't walk right. Could barely walk up steps. Finally after several months of going to different Docs, one told me it was my Vitamin D. He told me to take 2000iu a day, and that I would be better in about a month. He was right!! I'm all better now. Never thought Vitamin D defenciency could cause so many problems.

October 8, 2012 - 10:03pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Ulala37)

Just seeing this and you are a carbon copy of me!!! I have been scared to death I had ms. I had numbness and tingling sore joints very light but sporadic incontinence at times. My vitamin d was 16!!! I've been told it can mimic ms too. So glad im not the only one experiencing it. I'm on another 8 weeks of the high dose vit d because after finishing the first round the symptoms seemed to reappear..

September 9, 2014 - 9:42am
(reply to Ulala37)

the same thing happened to me and my levels were extremely low, My doctor put me on 50,000iu twice a week but they made me sick so she changed it to 2,000 daily. I can't explain how much better I feel. I had been feeling bad for almost 6 months and was afraid that it was something worst and didn't go to the doctor because of fear until I started to feel depressed. Its been two months now and I don't go one day without my D3 pills

March 6, 2013 - 12:57pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Ulala37)

OMG! I feel the same way. I'm in pain all the time, my body aches, muscles, joints. I don't even leave my house anymore on weekends because I feel tired all the time. My aunt told me she went to the doctor with pretty much the same complaints and blood tests confirmed she was low on Vitamin D. I just got off a natural herbs and supplements website ordering Organic Multi Vita-Min. I'm willing to try it and was just wondering how long it will take before I see it working, and that's how I saw your comment. I'm very hopeful, I can't continue living this way. It is not a good way to live.

November 3, 2012 - 2:43pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I think is candida I had ringing ears chest pains sinusitis pain in muscles,brain fog anxiety, fatigue, all from candida which can be caused by antibiotics, diet high in sugar, i got better on anticandida diet

October 7, 2012 - 11:19am

Anonymous, I don't want to waylay this site or conversation to get too far off subject. I'm not going to comment on any specific vitamin, but a multivitamin and a generally healthy diet aren't ordinarily an adequate treatment for anxiety and depression (which, by the way, are very different from schizophrenia.) And superfoods won't do anything for anxiety and depression, unless they're on your plate or bowl rather than in a pill.
I think you're right on to point out that there is a price to be paid for getting on and off SSRI and anxiety medication. Fortunately, that is not the only way, there are natural ways to address depression, diet certainly an important one, as is counselling and psychotherapy (which is scientifically proven to work.)
Regarding diet, the articles at this page are written for women but they are universally applicable:
http://www.pmscomfort.com/pms-diet/pms-pmdd-balance-diet.aspx
I'd look at them all, they work for women, men, pms, pmdd, depression, and more. I would suggest that you try out our suggestions but that you also try to find some guidance in working your way through this. You're obviously making great strides, but it is way too complicated to sort this all out yourself, based on information you find online.
Best of Health,
Dr. Daniel Heller
www.pmscomfort.com

November 15, 2011 - 11:26pm

Hello all: maybe this will revive this interesting and useful thread. I am a holistic doctor and rely on supplements a great deal in my practice over the past 16 years. Generally, vitamins don't work quickly, as for instance in your example of calcium and nails. For one thing, nails grow slowly anyway. Another consideration is that your nails require much more than just calcium: they are mostly protein, and your body requires many nutrients to properly make keratin, the protein in skin, hair, and nails.
The vitamin D examples are interesting, because Vitamin D can work incredibly quickly. What is amazing about Vitamin D is that it is much more like a hormone than it is like a vitamin. And if your level is below 20, you're better off taking a larger amount than 1000 mg / day. Vitamin D toxicity is almost unheard of, so if you only take it for a month or two, you're unlikely to get even close to a dangerous level.
Another thing about Vitamin D: people with dark skin do not make it very efficiently when they are in the sun. So african-american and south indian and other dark-skinned people, especially those who live in cloudy climates or places with a long winter are much more likely to require Vitamin D supplements.
One of the most useful supplements, magnesium, which is a mineral, can take many months or years to have its effects when taken as a supplement, though I've seen people respond to it quickly.
Dietary supplements and vitamins are useful, despite all the misinformation that has been in the news lately. They certainly don't make food and proper diet any less important. And neither do they work rapidly like drugs do.
Best of Health
Dr. Daniel Heller
www.pmscomfort.com

October 26, 2011 - 3:03pm
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