Vitamin Deficiencies and Medications

I thought it might be good to give an update as to the supplements and medications I take to keep my lupus under control. I started a plant based diet in July of 2009, and was strictly plant based without any waffling until about a month ago when I was flaring and desperate to figure out if food was causing any issues. When lupus flares, I tend to panic and reach for any reason possible. I doubt I will be doing that in the future as nibbling off a family member's plate led to extreme discomfort and didn't help me at all. I have to be honest: I was relieved. I'd like to continue embracing veganism.

Albert, a pig who had a sad start and is enjoying life at Pigs Peace haven
Photo by Pigs Peace Sanctuary

My family has a pretty healthy diet by popular standards, but they are still very meat and potatoes. My gravitation towards a vegan diet was only comfortable when I was doing it for health reasons. As I started defining what my thoughts and beliefs were on the subject, I could sense they were becoming more and more uncomfortable. I was on a raw vegan diet for a time and then went to an extremely restricted diet over the past several months. I started trying the phase 1 diet in April and then followed that strictly (no fruit, mushrooms, cashews, grains) for several months. I noticed I started developing some odd symptoms - fatigue, my hair stopped growing, I dropped weight suddenly no matter what I was eating, etc. I assumed this was from malnutrition. I started eating more variety and it just made me sicker. I thought I had a candida issue, so I thought perhaps cooked veggies and a little *gasp* meat once a week may get me through this, but that just made things horribly worse. Then I started trying cooked grains and fruit. Anything new was giving me horrible upper g.i. pain, nausea, and diarrhea.

Me starting to get sick. Note skin is not clear, hair is oily, eye rims are red, color is bad.

For comparison - when I first started raw and was feeling well. Good skin tone.

My doctor figured out that my body was basically becoming "allergic" to anything I hadn't had consistent exposure to, and I was also becoming "allergic" to things I ate too often. Coconut is now off the table for some time, which is a serious bummer. I was also developing asthma for the first time in 20 years, and I started developing rashes. I also started reacting to my wedding ring. It felt like the area was burning and I developed a rash. He started me on Ketotifen. Ketotifen is a mast cell stabilizer and also an anti-histamine. I started out with one dose in the evening and gradually worked up to 3 doses per day. After about a week, I noticed vast improvement in digestion, comfort, and I could eat many vegan cooked items. It has continued to help, but I still do best on a high raw diet. Too much cooked can lead to discomfort from gas, but it's a huge improvement. The doctor believes that the flare up was a lupus flare, and not necessarily mastocytosis. We also have not done sufficient testing to determine whether that was the cause.

Yay for cooked food! Vegan, gluten free Maple Pecan Shortbread...Yum

When I thought my symptoms were being caused by malnutrition, I had a vitamin panel done. I was pleasantly surprised how little I was deficient in. I was deficient in B6, Asparagine (an amino acid) and my antioxidant function is not great. In each of these areas I was minimally deficient and the supplement repletion recommendations were so low, I couldn't find supplements in that dosage. I could have probably regained B6 and Asparagine by altering my diet, but I elected to start supplementing for B6 and supplement antioxidant function with vitamin E, N-Acetylcysteine (Glutathione), Selenium, vitamin D3, alpha-lipoic acid, and to continue with B12, vitamin C, digestive enzymes, probiotics, and MSM.

Finding vegan supplements can be a little difficult. Capsules are often made from animal byproducts, and I also usually stick to pharmacy grade that are independently tested. My B12 injections - I'm really not sure about how they are sourced. I recently ran out, so I plan on calling the pharmacy. If they are not vegan, I'll probably look into vegan sources because my levels are so high right now. Vitamin D was also very difficult for me to find because most vegan sources have a lot of food ingredients that I am allergic to (blueberries, cranberries, soy, etc.). I finally hit the jackpot at rawvegansource.com - they have a local store. I don't see it on their website, but if you call in, they can help. Vitamin C was another issue because it's usually sourced from corn. I found NOW brand Tru-C vegan capsules, which I pair with MSM for optimum function.

Vitamin E was another tricky one for me because it's often sourced from soy. I am very allergic to soy! Rawvegansource.com had a rice based formula that I put in my smoothies.

Brown Rice based vitamin E supplement from rawvegansource.com

All in all, it seems like a lot of powders and pills, but I'm hoping the digestive enzymes will help me start to absorb things on my own. Testing for nutritional deficiencies on ANY diet is a good idea. I'm sure I was far more deficient several years ago when I started a whole food, restricted non-plant based diet. Each person responds differently to diet changes. Supposedly, according to my blood type I should not be vegan, but it is completely possible to thrive on a plant-based diet on any blood type. I also thought it would be impossible with an allergy to soy, but it is completely possible! It all depends on what you eat - fats, carbohydrates, and other nutrients should be balanced according to your personal needs, not what works for someone else. I know vegans who thrive on primarily fruit, whereas I do poorly on high fruit and need a solid amount of fats in my diet.

One last thought. Without low dose naltrexone, I would be in a world of hurt. It has helped me avoid prednisone, methotrexate, anti-malarials, and all of the side-effects and organ damage that can come with them. I think it is so important for people to educate themselves and not give up when facing a major health issue. Follow your doctor's advice, but don't be afraid to question them, educate yourself, and suggest alternative treatments for them to consider. I hated prednisone! The side effects were hard on me and my husband (I got REALLY irritable). Now I have better quality of life, even with the bumps I hit along the way.

Well, I've rambled on enough. Time to fix breakfast and spend time with friends and family.