busydiabeticmum

Well-Known Member
Messages
441
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all... I just had a complete breakdown... not sure if it is the hormones or stress (probably both)

Any way... I have had complications with previous pregnancies and sick babies resulting from uncontrolled blood glucose levels... this time I have my Bgl under extremely good control. I am not on medication and if I lose control I will have to start insulin! Which is terrifying me, I don't want another sick baby!

Anyway I have a vitamin d deficiency. I am at 33nmol... they put me on vitamins and I immediately saw my Bgl rise in the morning... which as I hadn't changed my diet I knew it was the vitamins! I checked the labels and yes sucrose and LOADS of starch etc!
I immediately stopped the vitamins and cut right back on food to regain control of Bgl.
I spoke with gp who prescribed for me vitamins, but when I went to pharmacy the only option was ones with sugar or ones with pork gelatine!

It seems my options are that I am "damned if I do and damned if I don't!"
If I take the meds that I can take (with sugar) my Bgl will lose control and I will end up on insulin and probably have another sick baby (he is a big boy already) and if I don't take the meds he will be sick in another way!

Thus the breakdown.

I am looking abroad for an alternative, but I can't for the life of me understand why our opinions are so limited in the UK! Why put sugar in vitamins that don't NEED sugar in them... the ones which don't have sugar are either ridiculously expensive or contain animal products! I only have 8 weeks left before induction and just feel like I have completely let him down.

Is there anyone else who has come across this?
 

busydiabeticmum

Well-Known Member
Messages
441
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thank you for that link, but I live in the UK! I did check to see if they ship (which they do) however will take weeks to get here... my consultant wants me on it yesterday.

It is doing my head in that every second my baby could be suffering because of me. Or may end up deformed. It does look ideal, but it goes back to my original point that here in the UK we don't have much choice.
By the time the vitamins got here I would be ready to be popped!
 

Kristin251

Expert
Messages
5,334
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Thank you for that link, but I live in the UK! I did check to see if they ship (which they do) however will take weeks to get here... my consultant wants me on it yesterday.

It is doing my head in that every second my baby could be suffering because of me. Or may end up deformed. It does look ideal, but it goes back to my original point that here in the UK we don't have much choice.
By the time the vitamins got here I would be ready to be popped!
I think Amazon sells them as well

I liked the drops as each drop is 400iu so I could spread it throughout the day. Usually 2000 with bf then a drop or two with lunch.

Check Amazon for those brands.
 

donnellysdogs

Master
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13,233
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People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
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Vitamin d3 liquid is available. Its in olive oil.
I used to have it when I was on cancer tablets as the nhs vitamin and calcium I was prescibed had aspartame in it...

Cant remember where I got it from though. It was pure, nithing else added as I am OTT on only having purest anything...
in end when D3 was tested I was over the 150 marker and for me despite taking nothing for 18 months and avoiding food with it added.. its still 143.. but calcium is balanced in line so ok.
This one is in sunflower seed oil capsule and they do one higher strength. Mine was drops though..
https://www.naturesbest.co.uk/mobile/vitamin-d3-1000iu-p509/?src=govits

Yes, its annoying that so much junk is added to vitamins.. totally agree.

Hope all goes well with final few weeks...
 

busydiabeticmum

Well-Known Member
Messages
441
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks, looks good but the consultant wants me on at least 2000 units a day... I did ask pharmacist for liquid type and apparently they don't give it to pregnant woman!!!


I will take a look on Amazon too, my husband is getting a doctor to prescribe me some from his country and we have friends who can bring it over in a week.

Thanks for all the support everyone.
 

busydiabeticmum

Well-Known Member
Messages
441
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Vitamin d3 liquid is available. Its in olive oil.
I used to have it when I was on cancer tablets as the nhs vitamin and calcium I was prescibed had aspartame in it...

Cant remember where I got it from though. It was pure, nithing else added as I am OTT on only having purest anything...
in end when D3 was tested I was over the 150 marker and for me despite taking nothing for 18 months and avoiding food with it added.. its still 143.. but calcium is balanced in line so ok.
This one is in sunflower seed oil capsule and they do one higher strength. Mine was drops though..
https://www.naturesbest.co.uk/mobile/vitamin-d3-1000iu-p509/?src=govits

Yes, its annoying that so much junk is added to vitamins.. totally agree.

Hope all goes well with final few weeks...
Hi, thanks but it has gelatine in it which I can't have... but thanks for the advice.
 

busydiabeticmum

Well-Known Member
Messages
441
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Lots to look into for the mean time, it may just be we buy the really expensive stuff to tide me over until I get the prescribed stuff.

I feel a lot better now, thanks everyone.
 

SockFiddler

Well-Known Member
Messages
623
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Six million hugs and a potential solution:

http://www.mims.co.uk/fultium-vitamin-d3-capsules-licensed-pregnancy/obstetrics/article/1337630

Capsule content
Maize oil, refined
Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (E321)
Capsule shell
Glycerol (E422) - a sweetener, but not a sugar.
Purified Water
Brilliant Blue W.S (E133)
Gelatin (E441)

I take these and they have no appreciable impact on my BG. Plus they come in a serious megadose (I'm taking 3,200) which the NHS can prescribe, and you only need one a day for 12 weeks before you drop to a much lower maintenance dose. They have been licensed for use during both pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Hope this helps!

Edit: And then I read that you can't have gelatin. If there's anyway you're able to work around that, these are fab. If not, I hope another (affordable) solution comes your way soon x
 
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Kristin251

Expert
Messages
5,334
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Six million hugs and a potential solution:

http://www.mims.co.uk/fultium-vitamin-d3-capsules-licensed-pregnancy/obstetrics/article/1337630

Capsule content
Maize oil, refined
Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (E321)
Capsule shell
Glycerol (E422) - a sweetener, but not a sugar.
Purified Water
Brilliant Blue W.S (E133)
Gelatin (E441)

I take these and they have no appreciable impact on my BG. Plus they come in a serious megadose (I'm taking 3,200) which the NHS can prescribe, and you only need one a day for 12 weeks before you drop to a much lower maintenance dose. They have been licensed for use during both pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Hope this helps!

Edit: And then I read that you can't have gelatin. If there's anyway you're able to work around that, these are fab. If not, I hope another (affordable) solution comes your way soon x
I'm so sorry. But corn ( maize) oil, BHT, and added color is not something I would take. Especially when pregnant. Those are not clean. Shame vitamins need so much scrutiny

Sometimes we get what we pay for.

I'm not dissing your vitamins but I don't ever eat corn oil, BHT or added color.
 
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SockFiddler

Well-Known Member
Messages
623
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I wouldn't cook with any of those things, but these tablet weight half a gram. It's cool - personal choice and all. Just thought it was fair to provide an option that is available on the NHS and, therefore, free to pregnant women.

Sock x
 
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Kristin251

Expert
Messages
5,334
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I wouldn't cook with any of those things, but these tablet weight half a gram. It's cool - personal choice and all. Just thought it was fair to provide an option that is available on the NHS and, therefore, free to pregnant women.

Sock x
No worries !! I just recently found any supps with MCT make me nauseous for hours. Some of us tolerate things better than others. I have no tolerance haha. But not really funny.
 

busydiabeticmum

Well-Known Member
Messages
441
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
TBH, the corn syrup is something which my brother is allergic to and I have found raises my Bgl... it also makes my tummy feel bad.

Gelatine could be derived from animal fat (mainly pork) when they don't say where it is from it is normally a mixture of different animal fats. So not a vegetarian option.

I have had a second blood test done to see if the course of vitamins I took before my Bgl rise did anything for me or was just a waste of time! Need to wait for those results.

I spent a while in the garden yesterday (before it rained) to get some more exposure too! I will spend today in the garden while hubby goes and buys me those vitamins. I am normally pretty strong so I think it shocked him quite a bit (bless him).
Thanks for the response from everyone, I know everyone has a different view on life and what is acceptable, everybody is different and unique... it just seems odd that the nhs would be handing out vitamins like sweets that contain sugar (especially in this time when diabetes is at epidemic proportion) even pregnacare contains sugars. Boots pharmacy vit d contains sugars... it is a real eye opener.
 
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donnellysdogs

Master
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People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
Or giving aspartame in vit d to cancer suffferers?? Just as bad as sugar in my view. Nothing supposedly proved with aspartame but again it depends on what sources are read...

We have to scrutinise everything nowadays.. even water!!-lol
 

azure

Expert
Messages
9,780
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
When are/were you taking the vitamins? That is, what time of day?

I took Vit D pre-pregnancy. I used two different kinds. One was from Heatlthspan and was gelatine-free. The other type was in a capsule and was high dose and worked very well, but this contained gelatine.

I find it surprising that a vitamin tablet raised your BS. I've forgotten how many weeks pregnant you are now, but could it be the increased IR (ie a coincidence that you were taking the tablets at the same time)? Another thought which might or might not apply is that after my Vit D level improved, my control improved too, so perhaps the rise might possibly be connected to the low Vit levels?
 

Kristin251

Expert
Messages
5,334
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
There are many vitamins that raise my bs. Vit C and biotin a lot. Multi vitamins are no exception. Even chromium picolinate
I don't think D does and even if it did I need to take it. That's why I liked the drops so much as I could spread my dose out through the morning.

Just an FYI, take your D before noon as it is the sunshine vitamin and can potentially mess with your sleep.
 

azure

Expert
Messages
9,780
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Vitamin D can improve insulin sensitivity, so a deficiency might cause increased IR (along with pregnancy IR).

What I meant was I find it surprising that a miniscule amount of sugar in a tablet would raise blood glucose levels. I suspect the cause might lie elsewhere :)