Hello everyone –

I am in my second cycle this year. 

Batch’s Vitamin D3 regimen successfully stopped my first cycle when I was near 90 ng/mL of 25(OH)D serum concentration. Then due to unrelated tummy issues I had to stop cold turkey the regimen.

On June 4th, the beast came back in a second cycle, and tests showed that I was near 40 ng/mL, and so I restarted the Batch Vitamin D3 regimen reloading at 50,000 IU/day.  A later test on June 12 showed that I was at 65 ng/mL. According to my calculations in one week I was absorbing 70% of the vitamin D3 that I was taking, which is consistent to the levels of absorption during my first cycle.

At this point, my neurologist insisted that I started taking verapamil. He insisted that Vitamin D3 regimen was “soft science” and that my first cycle had ended not because of vitamin D3, but because it was just time for it to end.  Then I panicked and started on 240 mg/day of verapamil, but continued loading 50,000 UI of Vitamin D3.

Two weeks later, on June 25th, I had another vitamin D3 test. I was baffled to learn that my serum concentration was still 68 ng/mL, almost the same level than 2 weeks before! The only thing that had changed was verapamil and that I stopped taking calcium. Nothing else changed! According to my calculations I had been absorbing only 1% of the vitamin D3 that I have been taking! Before verapamil, it was 70% absorption rate.

Now, I have seen notes from Batch that mentioned that calcium from the regimen could interfere with verapamil effectiveness.

Batch advises to separate 8-12 hours the doses of verapamil and the regimen. However, I couldn’t do that as verapamil must be taken 3 times per day to ensure 24hrs pain free. Then I just decided not to take calcium, and take the rest of the regimen together with verapamil.

Nonetheless, the question here is not calcium blocking verapamil effectiveness, but verapamil blocking the absorption of vitamin D3 or the creation of 25(OH)D serum. I researched but found little evidence.

Has anyone of you encounter calcium channel blockers as verapamil obstructing the gastrointestinal absorption of vitamin D3 or the process to convert it into 25(OH)D serum?

At this point I decided to taper verapamil and get rid of if from my system and reload to 90 ng/mL of 25(OH)D again. So I will keep you informed.

I asked Batch but he was not aware of any interaction, but if anyone has experienced verapamil or any other calcium channel blocker affecting the regimen I really want to know.

Thanks,
Rick

Peter, Thierry - at what levels you guys keep your 25 (OH)D serum levels to stay pain free?