About a year ago, I had my first panic attack. Within weeks I had massive terrorising panic attacks each day which stopped me from living a normal life. Daily tasks such as going to the shops, dropping my daughter off to school, driving on freeways/highways and other daily chores became (literally) impossible due to the overwhelming terror I felt each time I did them.
So, I stopped.
Literally.
I stopped going to the shops, I stopped dropping my daughter to school (I arranged for a friend to do this), I stopped travelling ANYWHERE and I basically stayed at home. Trapped by my own fear, this invisible, suffocating ‘monster’ had taken over my life and I was now living in fear within my own world. I was being held prisoner within my own body and (although I didn’t know it at the time), I also held the key to free myself. The only problem was that I didn’t know HOW and/or WHERE to locate this key?
I spent months and months (and THOUSANDS of dollars) trying so many different therapies (hypnosis, NLP, CBT, naturopath, homeopath, acupuncture, energy healing etc), and although I did receive light relief from some of them, many of them didn’t even make a difference. My anxiety attacks always returned, full of vengeance and making me feel even more depressed that I would never find a solution.
I have always been fearful of synthetic drugs so the thought of taking medication from the doctor was something I didn’t want to do but I knew I had to do something. I tried Bach flowers (rescue remedy) and some herbal tablets for stress and anxiety. I didn’t really get any relief so, completely desperate, I went to the doctor. She suggested a blood test to check for abnormalities.
My Vitamin D level was 18, which is considered very low. The optimal figure that I should be is ATLEAST 50ng/mL and I was way below this. She explained to me that low Vitamin D can cause anxiety and panic attacks so she was insistent that I get my levels up as soon as possible. I had never heard of this but I was desperate enough to try anything that would help.
I noticed a difference within a couple of weeks and a significant improvement within a month. The daily anxiety I felt was gone and my agoraphobia felt much better. An important component to getting over agoraphobia is ‘exposure therapy’ but I was too afraid to even implement this as I found my high anxiety levels too overwhelming to deal with. Within a month of introducing Vitamin D I started to take short trips outside. Soon, the short trips turned into longer journeys until it got to the point that I wasn’t afraid to be away from my home anymore.
The Role of Vitamin D in Our Body
Vitamin D benefits the body in various ways. The most important role of Vitamin D is that it helps in the absorption of calcium, it strengthens the immune system and it helps to make the muscle system strong. Vitamin D has a significant impact on your mental health as well. Thus, a deficiency of Vitamin D can affect the development of the brain as well the brain function. Vitamin D activates those genes that help to release the neurotransmitters. The deficiency of Vitamin D is one of the causes of anxiety and depression.
The Link Between Vitamin D & Anxiety/Agoraphobia
Experiencing various levels of anxiety is normally linked to stressful events within our lives but when your anxiety becomes a daily challenge and/or escalates to the point where it dominates your life, it’s important that you have your Vitamin D level checked. It is more than likely that your level will be quite low and this can cause intense sadness and fear. A high percentage of people experiencing Agoraphobia are found to have very low Vitamin D levels and so this further compound the correlation between Vitamin D and anxiety even more.
The following are the key symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency related anxiety:
- Fear, sadness and loneliness are some of the key symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency.
- Insomnia or weight changes may be a result of Vitamin D deficiency.
- Sweating, increased heartbeat and hypertension can occur when you suffer from Vitamin D related anxiety.
Symptoms of Low Vitamin D
If you think you may be low in Vitamin D it is important to get a blood test as soon as possible. Some signs you’re not getting enough vitamin D are:
- Depression or anxiety
- Bone softening (low bone density) or fractures
- Fatigue and generalized weakness
- Muscle cramps and weakness
- Joint pain (most noticeable in the back and knees)
- Blood sugar issues
- Low immunity
- Low calcium levels in the blood
- Mood changes and irritability
- Weight gain
How much Vitamin D do you need?
This seems to be an area of contention as opinions vary. Unfortunately, many doctors do not understand the importance of having your level at ATLEAST 50 as many will say that 24 or higher is fine but fortunately I had a progressive doctor who understood that this wasn’t enough to correct the many issues going on in my body. The scale that you should work by is:
| Severe Deficiency | <10ng/mL |
| Mild to Moderate | 10-49ng/mL |
| Optimal | 50-80ng/mL |
| Possible Toxicity | >80ng/mL |
Increasing your levels as quickly as possible is imperative to healing your health and sorting out your anxiety as quickly as possible. A good guide to correcting your Vitamin D levels are:
- Mild Deficiency – 50,000 IU per WEEK for 4 to 12 weeks.
- Severe Deficiency – 50,000 IU per DAY for a month or even two months (but get a blood test done each month to check your levels).
* It’s important to remember to take the supporting supplements with Vitamin D:
Vitamin A, Vitamin K & Magnesium – these eliminate side effects (see below)
Vitamin D Side Effects – and how to avoid them
Some people who are low in Vitamin D experience some ‘side effects’ when first taking this Vitamin. Some of these side effects are:
- Constipation
- Nervous energy, Insomnia and Hyperactivity
- Dizziness
- Anxiety
- Heart Palpitations
- Muscle Cramps
This is most likely a result of multiple nutritional deficiencies. Vitamins do not work in isolation so it is highly likely that if you are deficient in one, then you are more than likely deficient in others.
Vitamin D ‘uses up’ Magnesium when its converted into its active form within the body. It also ensures that your blood levels of calcium are high enough to meet your body’s demands. However, vitamin D does not fully control where the calcium in your body ends up. That’s where vitamin K steps in. Vitamin K regulates calcium within your body. Vitamin A works with Vitamin D to enhance its functions with non-bone related issues.
It is very important to take Vitamin A, Vitamin K and Magnesium when you start taking Vitamin D as these three vitamins will resolve any side affects you experience.
There is little risk of a Vitamin D overdose as long as you are getting your Vitamin D Level checked every few months of treatment and then at least every year thereafter. There has NEVER been a documented case of Vitamin D Overdose on 10,000 IU’s per day or less, in an adult, even when taken for several years!
My Dosage Protocol
As my Vitamin level was quite low (18ng), the doctor gave me the following protocol to raise my levels up fairly quickly:
- Vitamin D – 10,000 IU a day
- Vitamin K – 2000mg a day
- Vitamin A – 10,000 IU a day
- Magnesium – 700mg a day
* Magnesium – if you are new to taking magnesium, it’s important to start with a small dosage and work your way up. Taking too much, too quickly will result in a ‘laxative’ effects.
Exciting (unexpected) Bonuses from taking Vitamin D
An exciting ‘bonus’ from taking Vitamin D was that I lost weight without even trying!?! Apparently, lack of Vitamin D can hinder weight loss (who knew) and once I started to increase this vitamin within my body, the weight started to drop off. I previously really struggled to lose weight (even on a healthy diet) and I couldn’t work out why? I know ‘why’ now!!
Another added ‘bonus’ is that my skin is so soft now! Again, another pleasant surprise I didn’t expect.
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