Multivitamins

[Mommachops71]

so when I went to the first appointment and the surgeon was showing me the best stuff to use I don’t understand and I still don’t understand why do I need to take three pills instead of just taking one so they want me to buy this product but it’s a 30 day supply and you have to take three so I’m looking at it in 10 days I’m gonna have to buy another bottle so instead I just went on Amazon and found the bariatric multivitamin and you take one pill and that lasts you 30 days or you can get the 90 count bottle but the one that I buy it is the first I saw and when the nutritionist looked up, how much of the ingredients were similar with the brand that the surgeon wanted me to take , it was like matching matching so I was like oh my weight loss journey does have a lot to do with my budget so if my budget is like you can still eat healthy and exercise you can walk you can talk you can laugh and communicate with friends and family, but if I’m gonna have to take pills for the rest of my life, I don’t wanna be on now supply mission that only is gonna last for 10 days so that’s like every paycheck I’m have to buy a new pack of pills or something so that’s where I need some help with so as long as it’s in with what the requirements are we’ll see we’ll see I’m gonna stick with the ones I have off of Amazon compared to taking three from the company that my surgeon is trying to push for what do you think I should do?

 

[dianeseattle]

I can't read your post because it's in bold type (which I already mentioned to you privately, not meaning to criticize, just explain my vision problem), but I think if you read the group guidelines it specifically mentions not using bold.

Regardless, I know the thrust of your comment is about vitamins. This is a great discussion to have with a nutritionist, even if it's not the one in your bariatric program. I take 22 pills a day in four doses--two prescriptions and the rest are supplements, vitamins and minerals. I figured this out on my own based on stuff I read on the internet about blood work and how to get a healthy reading. Yes, you do have to take a certain amount of supplements for the rest of your life because they pass through your stomach before they can be fully absorbed. Some can do good in your intestines, but you really want to benefit from the digestive juice of the stomach you don't have anymore.

If you go to my profile, I think I have pictures in my photo albums of my pills. Once a month I get them all out, then sort them into small containers so I have the correct amounts and I don't have to keep taking the tops off bottles a dozen times a day.

You don't have to take a "bariatric" vitamin. That's a marketing ploy.

Just read the labels and pay special attention to the RDA the government requires the product to include. Then match your pills with your RDA and you'll be fine.

It is hard to take capsules because sometimes the plasticky container with the medicine inside doesn't break down enough. Tablets are best, and the very best are chewables and liquids. These are all available, and you can find them locally at your favorite drug or health food store. You really want to make sure your nutrition stays good as you lose weight, and when you reach your goal, you can adjust your supplements to offset the many healthy foods you'll then be able to eat.

Remember, you don't know what's in OTC vitamin supplements and if you read up on it, you'll find horror stories about pill factories overseas who do not follow American standards, which isn't an ego thing, but a very well-thought-out federal standard that helps us all stay healthy. Forget the Bariatric. I could start a mail order business and advertise that I sell bariatric supplements and then just ship out variously colored Tic-Tacs and it's fairly likely I'd get away with it. And try not to listen to your friends and relatives who've all "heard about it" but haven't experienced it themselves. There's nothing worse than a self-proclaimed expert, except a savvy marketing ploy.

 

[Mommachops71]

Thanks for letting me know. I looked at it but didn’t think anything of it my bad

 

[missyinacage]

I take what my doctor told me to take. Which is chewable vitamins 4Xs A day, which cost me $25 A month. I have heard people say they've switched to one a day with no problem. But for me, I trusted my surgeon enough to let him cut off a large portion from a major organ and reroute my intestines. So, I guess Ill take his vitamin suggestion.

Also, you said it's a 30 day supply, not 30 pills. So if you have to take 3 a day, the bottle should come with 90 pills.

Our bodies can only absorb so many nutrients at a time, which is why bariatric patients need them multiple times per day. Most people can get everything they need from food. Its unlikely that you will be able to after surgery. A lifetime of vitamins is one of the prices we pay to be healthier.

 

[Mommachops71]

I have not had the surgery as of yet. The ones that I take off of Amazon is a 30 day supply and you take one a day and a time a bariatric multivitamin when I do have the surgery then I guess I will take what the surgeon has suggested, but for right now due to the nutritionist, seeing that, the one that I take matches with the ingredients, somewhat of what the one that the surgeon was suggested, then that’s what I take for right now but congratulations

 

[CNL04321]

I think they probably have a vitamin rep and they want to sell the vitamins. $$$ thing im sure! I would just take what you want to take, see how your numbers are after the first blood test and then go from there. I am taking ProCare plus iron 1 a day i order from Amazon and my bloodwork has been perfect!

 

[Trukmek]

I take bariatric chewables only because I don't have to try and swallow them whole. I only have to take them twice a day, so take one with breakfast and one with dinner. My iron and calcium are also chewables. When I first had my surgery, trying to take the pills was hard, so the chewables are nicer. I do take capsuls for my D3 and biotine, though. My B12 is under the tongue. I've bought mine online (reputable nutrient companies) many times as they can be cheaper.

 

[FinallyMe]

(Someone on this site recommended it and I am so thankful!) I like the Bariatric Advantage brand chewable mulitvitamin twice a day, they have probiotic chewables, calcium citrate chewables and magnesium citrate supplements and add my prescriptions. I was glad to have them restock me with auto-delivery so I don't have to reshop and try to remember what I ordered last time. I was very happy to find one multi vit that matched ALL of my surgeons guidelines so i didn't have to add any other single vitamins to my routine to make up for something left out of the multi. When I run out my iron supplement I plan to get the multi with iron already in it as well and that will be one less bottle to open. I got a weekly pill sorter with removable daily pods so I can take my days meds with me when I will be out for a while. I do wish my pill sorter had easier to open lids so I may upgrade to a push button open version next time.

 

[dianeseattle]

When I run out my iron supplement I plan to get the multi with iron already in it as well and that will be one less bottle to open

I'm not an expert on this but I remember studying all this stuff 20 years ago and learned that minerals cancel each other out. That's why I take my pills four times a day. I take 3 doses of calcium with other supplments and prescriptions and 1 dose of iron with the rest.

I'd really check on this, especially if you're of childbearing age. I'm 72 so my needs are different. But these supplements are essential after surgery, no matter what your age is.

Earlier I mentioned that a lot of the companies that sell so-called bariatric supplements are con games. You should really check veracity. I remember once I had a sense one of my supplements was really a sugar pill. I actually contacted the manufacturer and told them I was going to have them checked out by the FDA. Sho nuff, they were fake. That company folded like a cheap suit.

It's time-consuming, but so worth it to know you're meeting the RDAs listed by the federal government. It's worth studying, and I found it fascinating.

 

[dianeseattle]

I'm not an expert on this but I remember studying all this stuff 20 years ago and learned that minerals cancel each other out.

Oh, I forgot to say you should take your iron and your calcium two hours apart to avoid that cancellation.

And I'm sure you'll be fine even if you take an "all-in-one," but I'd rather err on the safe side. I'm 72 and have no diseases or even dysfunctions of my organs. Most people think I'm in my 50s or so--some younger. Of course, that's probably because I act so immature <->

 

[FinallyMe]

Oh, I forgot to say you should take your iron and your calcium two hours apart to avoid that cancellation.

And I'm sure you'll be fine even if you take an "all-in-one," but I'd rather err on the safe side. I'm 72 and have no diseases or even dysfunctions of my organs. Most people think I'm in my 50s or so--some younger. Of course, that's probably because I act so immature <->

Yes, I take my iron with my vitamin, but my calcium and magnesium I space out from the iron. I also have a Rx I have space out so I take it in the middle of the night. Its a lot to juggle, but its worth it. I just got my 4 month bloodwork results, and it was all perfect, the nurse was as excited as me to tell me.

 

[TenaR]

so when I went to the first appointment and the surgeon was showing me the best stuff to use I don’t understand and I still don’t understand why do I need to take three pills instead of just taking one so they want me to buy this product but it’s a 30 day supply and you have to take three so I’m looking at it in 10 days I’m gonna have to buy another bottle so instead I just went on Amazon and found the bariatric multivitamin and you take one pill and that lasts you 30 days or you can get the 90 count bottle but the one that I buy it is the first I saw and when the nutritionist looked up, how much of the ingredients were similar with the brand that the surgeon wanted me to take , it was like matching matching so I was like oh my weight loss journey does have a lot to do with my budget so if my budget is like you can still eat healthy and exercise you can walk you can talk you can laugh and communicate with friends and family, but if I’m gonna have to take pills for the rest of my life, I don’t wanna be on now supply mission that only is gonna last for 10 days so that’s like every paycheck I’m have to buy a new pack of pills or something so that’s where I need some help with so as long as it’s in with what the requirements are we’ll see we’ll see I’m gonna stick with the ones I have off of Amazon compared to taking three from the company that my surgeon is trying to push for what do you think I should do?

Hi MC71,
I'm new to this group but having just gone through Gastric Bypass myself, I want to caution you about buying anything too far in advance. My clinical team provided us a bag of multi-vitamins, B12, Unjury powders, Bariatric Advantage shake powder, etc. at a cost of $500 to me. I understand that it was to make sure I was prepared for the first weeks after surgery but it didn't work out for me at all. I was unable to swallow pills at all so that meant I couldn't use theirs. I had to go online and get Bariatric Fusion chews (more money spent). I detested the Unjury chicken soup, the Bariatric Advantage Chocolate and Vanilla protein shakes. Just the thought made me cringe after surgery. So I have spent a lot more money trying to find a protein powder that I could actually get down. Any protein drink/powder is upwards of $25 (more money spent). The thing is, you just don't know what you will be able to tolerate and what you won't. You also can't just "guzzle it down". Buy the very smallest packs of everything and even sample packs if available.

Best of luck to you!
Tena

 

[Trukmek]

so when I went to the first appointment and the surgeon was showing me the best stuff to use I don’t understand and I still don’t understand why do I need to take three pills instead of just taking one so they want me to buy this product but it’s a 30 day supply and you have to take three so I’m looking at it in 10 days I’m gonna have to buy another bottle so instead I just went on Amazon and found the bariatric multivitamin and you take one pill and that lasts you 30 days or you can get the 90 count bottle but the one that I buy it is the first I saw and when the nutritionist looked up, how much of the ingredients were similar with the brand that the surgeon wanted me to take , it was like matching matching so I was like oh my weight loss journey does have a lot to do with my budget so if my budget is like you can still eat healthy and exercise you can walk you can talk you can laugh and communicate with friends and family, but if I’m gonna have to take pills for the rest of my life, I don’t wanna be on now supply mission that only is gonna last for 10 days so that’s like every paycheck I’m have to buy a new pack of pills or something so that’s where I need some help with so as long as it’s in with what the requirements are we’ll see we’ll see I’m gonna stick with the ones I have off of Amazon compared to taking three from the company that my surgeon is trying to push for what do you think I should do?

The reality is that what might be good for one person, won't work for another. My nutritionist told me to take a specific vitamin chew, twice per day, and it would fulfill all of my needs except for B12 and calcium. Two years later I was diagnosed with very high selenium levels. Now I only take one chew per day, hoping I can eat enough nutrients to not be delinquent in anything. It is the only way to get the excess out of my system.

I know that our bodies are only capable of digesting so much calcium at a time, which is why we have to take it two to three times per day (I eat a lot of dairy, so get calcium naturally also).

This is why we get labs...to see how our bodies are accepting nutrients. Hopefully the vitamins are working for your body.