Vitamin supplements
Does anyone take vitamin supplements along with their medication and do they help.
Whether or not taking a multivitamin is beneficial is a subject that has been debated for years. And some can actually skew your labs, so be sure to inform your doctors of any you are taking. The vitamin supplements that I take are those that have been recommended by my primary care physician, my rhuematologists, and endocrinologist. I take a vitamin D during winter months when I'm outside less, and with it I take a K2 and a magnesium supplement, all to ensure proper calcium absorption. Osteopenia seems to be a thing with those suffering Psoriatic Disease, and it's not far from there to get to osteoporosis, which I did have a couple years ago due to Prednisone use. I also take a daily multivitamin as an "insurance policy" in case I'm not getting everything I need from my diet on a daily basis. And I take a a fish oil capsules.
thanks for your reply. I am a bit worried in case they skew my blood results. I’ll pop an email off to my rheumatology nurse practitioner. 
, that's a great idea, to check with your doctor/nurse first. If you're comfortable, let us know what they say. I'd be curious to find out their thoughts on supplements and impact on blood results. Wishing you a gentle day. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
Hey
, this is a great topic for discussion and I'm curious to hear others' input on this. Like Eric, I take vitamin D, although I take it year round due to having unreadably low levels at one point. I have to say, I've not noticed any particular effect of the vitamin D (or any other vitamins) on my PsA symptoms, but we are all different and we have heard from several community members who have noticed a difference with vitamin supplements. I also take folic acid due to being on methotrexate. Another deficiency that seems to come up quite often among the community here is vitamin B12. Your doctor can do blood tests to check your levels of these vitamins to see if you require any supplementation (not everybody does). We have a couple of articles on vitamin deficiencies and PsA: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/vitamins and https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/vitamin-deficiency , and another on the link between vitamin D and PsA: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/clinical/vitamin-d . I hope these are helpful! Are there any particular vitamins/minerals that you're thinking of trying, Diane? As always, we do encourage everyone to check in with their doctor or pharmacist before adding to/adjusting their treatment regimen. Warmly, -Catherine, Community Moderator You won't feel any better taking magnesium, but it is a necessary mineral, along with D3, to aid in the absorption of calcium. And you won't feel any difference in calcium absorption or malabsorption until you suffer a fracture due to osteoporosis. I've been there, done that, and it suck. , you're so welcome! I used to take magnesium - I think if I remember correctly, I found magnesium malate quite helpful for muscle aches, and magnesium glycinate seemed to help me sleep a bit better. They didn't really help enough to justify the cost though (for me). I tried other types and didn't really feel that they did anything. It can be frustrating trying all of these things and not feeling any better. I do use a topical magnesium spray now on my legs and that does seem to help with aches and sleep. I did a quick search of the community and was able to find a Story from who had some success with various vitamins: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/stories/natural-treatment . If you do end up trying anything, please let us know how you get on with it. Do you mind me asking if you're taking any prescribed medication at the moment? Warmly, -Catherine, Community Moderator
I take vitamin c, magnesium, fish oil, turmeric and I also take cucumin which is in turmeric and is really good for your joints please research this as its supposes to be good. I don't think anyone should worry about vitamins changing your blood results as they can't damage your liver.
, thanks so much for joining the conversation here. I have found turmeric helpful in the past too! I thought you might enjoy the following article, where Vickie shares her experiences with turmeric: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/benefits-tumeric Just a note for anyone thinking of trying turmeric - it's important to check in with your pharmacist or doctor prior to starting this (or any supplements, really) as turmeric can interact with some medications and is not suitable for everyone. Do you notice an impact of the vitamin c, magnesium and fish oil on your PsA symptoms at all, Daniel? And do you mind sharing which type of magnesium you take?
Regarding the blood results, I believe that there is at least one vitamin that can skew blood test results - vitamin B7 (or biotin). It's also worth bearing in mind that inappropriate doses of some vitamins can have a negative impact on the body - vitamin A can affect the liver and vitamin D can be toxic at high levels. There may well be others that I'm unaware of. I always try to check in with someone before adding supplements to my regimen, although that's not always possible. Thanks so much again for sharing here, Daniel! It's always good to hear about the different things that the community are finding helpful. Warmest wishes, -Catherine, Community Moderator
I find taking vitamin c helps you to fight off any colds or flu, so I take 1000mg per day if I feel like a cold is comming I'll up the dose. Surely good for the immune system you have to research your vitamins as supermarket ones don't have enough international units so your body won't get the right doses. Here are pictures of the vitamins I take.
As for knowing if its helping my psa I'm not 100% sure as I started them tge same time as my psa meds. But I feel positive have energy and havnt been ill due to any virus.
Hi
, thanks so much for sharing this with Cathy (and the rest of the community here)! -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
