Vitamin C - Helpful or not?

[justinekno]

I'm curious to see what people's experiences are with Vitamin C. It seems like there are different schools of thought on whether or not it is helpful for people with Lyme. I haven't directly asked our LLMD although he hasn't said to stop taking it either. I will plan to ask at our next appt but thought I would ask for experiences.

[NancyD]

Yes, vitamin C helps to boost the immune system, also helps w-detoxification and helps to fight infectious microorganisms. My DD and I both take 5,000 IUs / day.

 

Nancy

 

I'm curious to see what people's experiences are with Vitamin C. It seems like there are different schools of thought on whether or not it is helpful for people with Lyme. I haven't directly asked our LLMD although he hasn't said to stop taking it either. I will plan to ask at our next appt but thought I would ask for experiences.

[justinekno]

Wow that's a lot of vitamin c! Another reason I asked was because it seems like when I give my son vitamin c, his eye tic seems to be more active. Trying to figure out if that's truly the vitamin C or my crazy imagination once again. He is only taking 250mg a day.

 

Yes, vitamin C helps to boost the immune system, also helps w-detoxification and helps to fight infectious microorganisms. My DD and I both take 5,000 IUs / day.

 

Nancy

 

I'm curious to see what people's experiences are with Vitamin C. It seems like there are different schools of thought on whether or not it is helpful for people with Lyme. I haven't directly asked our LLMD although he hasn't said to stop taking it either. I will plan to ask at our next appt but thought I would ask for experiences.

Edited February 4, 2011 by justinekno

[Suzan]

I get sores in my mouth if I take too much vitamin C. I used to have the thought process that you just void the excess that your body does not need but if I take more than 1000 mg a day for a few days the sores appear. I don't know why. I don't supplement vitamin C right now with the girls but I have in the past, as much as 1000 mg 2x a day but that was pre PANDAS and Lyme.

 

Susan

[Fixit]

i had ds10 80lbs up to 9000mg a day..3 of that liposomal

when we first worked up to this things seemed to get bad....unfortunately on the 3rd week ish....ds8 came home with his first case of strep...

so at firtst i thought it was a herx for ds 10...but it could have been exposure....

 

then i dropped down to 4000mg....then pulsed back up to 9000 for a few weeks...and am dropping back to 4000ish and will probably just stay there until further notice(ufn).

 

could be me...but i think it helped.....

now ds8, my new ticcer...was able to tell me acouple of nights ago that he noticed when he took the liposomal.....it made his tics worse....Now it is GROSS and kicks up my gag reflex...so it could be the anxiety of getting it down...or the c is herxing something....i dnot know why but i don't think it is really makeing it worse overall.

 

things are going well here currently..i think we are trending the right way for all 3 ds's

mind you ds3 came home and was doing this weid thing(it lasted an hour)...i started to panick...but he was playing and just being 3...it pains me and will probably kill me that i cannot just accept that some things are them just being kids..

 

ps if you research c...you don;'t want it with cal...it gets stored in your brain and heart(what ever dyou don't use)..you want absorbic...and the liposomaal gets intreacellulare.

[MichaelTampa]

I used to take 200mg per day with breakfast, for many months, including much of my lyme treatment. It's a liquid version, supposedly better absorbed, so don't know what that would equate to in pill form. Just recently, I stopped taking it, my body doesn't want it right now, or any more, or whatever the reason.

 

I don't think it's black and white, yes, good generally for the immune system, but also an antioxidant, and some abx work by being oxidants, so sometimes it can be counterproductive by destroying the abx before they get to do their job.

 

Vitamin D is also supposedly good for immune system, and I've seen my body go through regular cycles of wanting some and wanting me to stay away, despite it measuring as low. You can also read that the vitamin D is something the lyme bugs make use of, and so it's a bit of a tension on what to do.

[Fixit]

I used to take 200mg per day with breakfast, for many months, including much of my lyme treatment. It's a liquid version, supposedly better absorbed, so don't know what that would equate to in pill form. Just recently, I stopped taking it, my body doesn't want it right now, or any more, or whatever the reason.

 

I don't think it's black and white, yes, good generally for the immune system, but also an antioxidant, and some abx work by being oxidants, so sometimes it can be counterproductive by destroying the abx before they get to do their job.

 

Vitamin D is also supposedly good for immune system, and I've seen my body go through regular cycles of wanting some and wanting me to stay away, despite it measuring as low. You can also read that the vitamin D is something the lyme bugs make use of, and so it's a bit of a tension on what to do.

 

 

I completely agree with you!!!

i am trying to listen to my son...he recently said the d is grossing him out...so i may just drop to 1 or 2 times a week. but ds also doen't like things too sweet...and they are the gummies....his d3 came in range but doc wants it higher..his other d is overly high...i don't understand the marshal thing yet...but i thought i noticed an improvement when we first introdcued d as he was sub-low.....

it is hard to know a herx vs reaaction when it is not your own body and the patient is a child....

so i do my best..and try to back off and then reapply and see if i notice a correlation..

 

thanks for the info on c..i forgot the abx/c possible conflict

[matis_mom]

Our LLMD tested ds, since he says many Lyme patients are deficient in vitamin C. It was a urine test, very inexpensive. I guess the optimal level is 100, ds was 20... so we are supplementing It also helps "move things along" the digestive tract, so it's helpful for detox. But of course, you have to be careful, especially if you are already on abxs, not to get diahrrea.

I've seen people promote the "salt and C" protocol, I suppose as long as you don't get loose bowels, it can't hurt, right?