Post-RNY Vitamins - What are you taking and why?

CatchMom11

I'm trying to make a list of vitamins and supplements that I will need and would like to hear from people who have done this. So what are you taking and what is it for?

garber6th

I had VSG, not RNY, but my starting point was my surgeon's advice and recommendations. Three plus years post op, I just take a regular multi vitamin and additional calcium supplements. Also, don't buy too many things in advance, such as vitamins, protein drinks/powders etc. It's highly likely that your tolerances and tastes will change post-surgery, so you don't want to invest too much until you know what will for sure agree with you. Be prepared for a bit of trial and error!!

NicoleL874

VSG here too. I'd suggest contacting your surgeon and not asking brands, but specific levels they recommend. A lot of surgeons have brands they swear by that are pricy. You can find cheaper in the stores.

I second not stocking up on too much. I know I over estimated how much I'd be able to eat/drink and got stuck with a ton of stuff. And things are INSANELY sweet for me now and some things I had to suck it up and consume it as to not waste money.

StevenGarrigus

I definitely wouldn't stock up ahead of time. Like others have already said, you might be surprised how your tastes change. I used to love the Premier Protein Strawberry shakes pre-op. Afterward, I couldn't gag a single one down and let my kids drink them.

The bariatric vitamins can also be super expensive. I buy mine at Walmart. The most expensive is the Centrum chewables at about $10 a bottle. I buy generic Calcium +D and B1 and Vitamelts B12 1500mcg. My levels are good with what I take, though everyone is different and RNY patients (typically) need more as their procedure prevents absorption.

AngieViolet

Opurity multis are great and I take Bariatric advantage chewable iron and bariatric advantage calcium soft chews. The only shakes I drink are premixed premier shakes. I love the caramel and the chocolate. I put a vanilla or caramel one in my coffee every morning and have for a year and a half.

chubby_checkers

AngieViolet wrote: »

The only shakes I drink are premixed premier shakes. I love the caramel and the chocolate. I put a vanilla or caramel one in my coffee every morning and have for a year and a half.

I just started using the caramel ones in my coffee in the morning. My coffee consumption has increased dramatically. It's so tasty!

CatchMom11

Okay, so I'm glad that I asked.

The vitamins that I'm looking into are mainly liquid (multi, b12), chewable (calcium citrate) or softgel (biotin, D, E, etc) as recommended. I haven't had my final pre-op with the surgeon, so I can only assume that's when all of this will be addressed. I was just trying to be proactive, but I guess I will wait until after meeting with him. I wasn't aware that there were actual "bariatric vitamins" though. I was price comparing Amazon Pantry with Walgreens and GNC. Amazon is winning so far.

I don't have much of a sweet tooth now, so I'm not hopeful as to what I'll be like after. So perhaps waiting on the liquid multi vitamin might be a good idea as well.

Any other recommendations are welcome!

StevenGarrigus

The bariatric vitamins are all the right combinations of what is recommended post-op. Some insurance companies cover them, others do not. My insurance is the latter. So I just went with generic where I could and saved myself a tone of money.

And a question for the coffee & tea drinkers on here. Did your doctor recommend NOT drinking caffeine? Mine did as they say it can make you hungry. So I've avoided caffeine like the plague.

chubby_checkers

Mine recommended limiting caffeine intake initially because they wanted me to focus on water. So I switched to herbal tea for my hot drink for awhile, but I'm back to coffee now. I've never had issues with caffeine causing hunger. It's an appetite suppressant for me. Since adding in the protein shake, I usually don't eat until 11am or a little later. This timing works best for me because I'm a definite night-time eater, so leaving my calories for later in the day = better adherence.

NicoleL874

Off caffeine for the first six weeks so the tummy could heal. Gangbusters now. GANGBUSTERS. Love my caffeine. HOWEVER, I never got hunger back. Just head hunger. I mean, I know when I'm hungry from sugar drops, scheduling, hanger, etc. The physical feeling of hunger never came back. So I'd suggest researching if caffeine increases the production of gherlin. Only other thing I could think is too much acid in the tummy can make the tummy rumble like hunger. Maybe too much coffee can do that because it tends to be acidic?

StevenGarrigus

Thanks for the replies!

jcavanna2

I take Celebrate all in one capsules as well as Hair Anew to help with hair loss. So far I like Celebrate - they are way less expensive than Bariatric Eating's Journey vitamins and they are smaller too. They are about $20-25/bottle and unfortunately can't recall if it's a 30 day supply or more than that.

garber6th

StevenGarrigus wrote: »

The bariatric vitamins are all the right combinations of what is recommended post-op. Some insurance companies cover them, others do not. My insurance is the latter. So I just went with generic where I could and saved myself a tone of money.

And a question for the coffee & tea drinkers on here. Did your doctor recommend NOT drinking caffeine? Mine did as they say it can make you hungry. So I've avoided caffeine like the plague.

My surgeon had me quit coffee for SIX MONTHS. Six months and one day post surgery, Starbucks and I got back together and I promised never to break up with coffee again. It doesn't make me hungrier, if anything the opposite because anything I eat or drink fills me up.

StevenGarrigus

@garber6th I guess it's a good thing I've never really liked coffee. LOL. My wife who had the surgery 4.5 years ago never stopped drinking caffeine. She's a Starbucks fan too! She gets them and always tries to get me to try them. Bleh!

As for me, I've always had different reactions to sugar and caffeine. As a child, I only got sugar-free chocolate because I had allergic reactions to sugar. Yeah....Easter and Halloween sucked. Caffeine never gave me a boost or any energy, it just made me tired. Pre-op, I could drink a 44oz Mountain Dew right before bed and drift right off to sleep.

wendyn1998

I take a chewable multivitamin (Complete), a calcium vitamin, Biotin, Iron, Potassium, B-12, and Vitamin D. My doctor said this would be for the rest of my life!!! I literally have to have one of those hourly pill dispenser/sorters to keep track of when I take them all.