Bariatric Vitamins

jamielslater

I have been taking Vitafusion gummies from Costco and have been tolerating them really well. My surgeons office suggested that I really try taking a bariatric vitamin so I received a sample pack from Bariatric Advantage. The taste wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be but within a few minutes of taking them I didn't feel very good. Has anyone else had this problem? My lab work looks good so I'm considering sticking with what I have been doing. I know that if I can't stamd the taste or if thet make me feel yucky I maynot be as good at taking them. Right now I never miss taking them. Any input is greatly appreciated.

clcmfp

I found this online from John's Hopkins, which is a trustworthy source of information: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/johns_hopkins_bayview/_docs/medical_services/bariatrics/nutrition_sleeve_gastrectomy.pdf

According to them, gummy vitamins do not contain all the vitamins and minerals a VSG patient needs. And the hard part is, it can take a long time before your deficiencies show on a blood test. Some things like iron deficiencies are very hard to correct once they show up.

I totally get your aversion to taking something that tastes bad! It has taken me months to get used to my bariatric vitamins. I actually crush them, put them on a spoon and dump it on the back of my tongue and then take a drink of water to wash it down. You hardly taste it that way. I take Opti-source bariatric chewables as recommended by my doctor.

Miss_Hattie

I still prepping for my duodenal switch bariatric surgery. I'm on such a tight budget and am worried about the cost of vitamins. I figure anything with the name bariatric will cost 3 times as much. Hoping I can find some generic type vitamins that will be less costly. Any ideas?

JamesAztec

@Miss_Hattie the cost of vitamins will probably be less than prescriptions. And will DEFINITELY be less than future health care costs. I'm not a big fan of vitamins (I personally think we should get our nutrients through food) but if your doctor recommends than try to figure something out.

Mandy_1982

What brand/type of multivitamin is everyone using post-op?

Any of you NOT using a special bariatric kind?

jamielslater

@clcmfp my biggest concern is not the taste but that they made me feel sick. I have a hard time swallowing pills. I'm not supposed to take iron at this point either so it limits some of the bariatric vitamins I can take. Iron can be toxic if you are not deficient and are taking it. Guess it is all trial and error. Thank you so much for the article.

ruqayyahsmum

Im in the uk. They suggest we take centrum A-Z or any complete A-Z but we are told to take it twice a day instead of the standard once a day

I stock up when they go on 3 for 2

jamielslater

@ruqayyahsmum thank you that is a great idea. Do you take the chewables?

jcavanna2

My surgeon told me that even my Bariatric multi complete vitamin from Celebrate did not give me any or enough calcium citrate. He said I am
better off taking a regular OTC like a centrum vitamin and adding calcium citrate as well. My labs have been perfect and some days I use the women's vitafusion gummies vs my Bariatric vitamins. My eye doc also said my eyes are perfect and she said that is attributed to getting enough nutrients.

Samquentin

I have these, https://www.nascobal.com/hcp/bariactiv-supplements my nutritionist sent the information into them, and for a $25 copay/month, I get all the vitamins and the B12 intranasal auto-shipped. This is most likely the only way i'd remember to take my vitamins.

The OTC option they have listed out is:
Centrum Adult (2 per day) one in morning, one in evening
1500 mg Calcium Citrate-no more than 600mg at one time--example: Citrical Capsules
45-60 mg Farrous Fumarate Iron--Example: FeoSol/Bifera
1000 mcg B12, sublingual-1/day

ruqayyahsmum

Jamieeldred wrote: »

@ruqayyahsmum thank you that is a great idea. Do you take the chewables?

No im 3 years out, i just take mine with water

The first 6 months i took centrum chewables to protect my pouch

Lisidy

I take these Celebrate multivitamins. I have to be really careful to take them with food, otherwise they make me a bit queasy. Not queasy enough to puke, just a bit uncomfortable. I tried a chewable first, but the taste made me want to gag.

jcavanna2

I took the Celebrate Multi Complete and it apparently didn't have calcium citrate so looking into that now.

Lisidy

Yes, good point. I should mention that I have to take calcium chews in addition to my Celebrate vitamins.

garber6th

Occasionally I would get a little queasy after taking vitamins but I just make sure I don't take them on an empty stomach, even a few ounces of a protein drink helps me.

chubby_checkers

I take a Women's One A Day prenatal (because...you know), a B12, and then I take a calcium citrate/D3/magnesium in the evenings. I've never had issues with swallowing pills, so it doesn't really bother me, but I have noticed since my surgery, swallowing the pills is a little more difficult than it used to be. Not enough to switch to chewables, but enough that I noticed it.

AllisonMart

I take chewable Centrum recommended by my surgeon. Seems like the easiest option and cheaper than the bariatric pills. I keep wondering if I should take a bariatric vitamin, but the Centrum seems to be fine and it was on the list of options from my surgeon, and he hasn't steered me wrong yet! I also take liquid calcium twice a day. It's not bad, blueberry flavor and not too chalky. I get both through Amazon. I've also been taking prescription iron for years for another issue, and the pill doesn't seem to cause any stomach problems either.

ruqayyahsmum

I take adcal and ferrous sulphate prescribed by my doctor as i developed anemia along with calcium and vitamin d deficiency (breastfeeding my son stole my vitamins)
The had me on a 2 month course of cholecalciferol to bring my vitamin d up and with me still breastfeeding thats holding me steady

Puppies4Lovies

I have been using vitamin patches from bariatricpal.com because I didn't want to take vitamins by mouth so soon after surgery(4/21). So far they seem to be working great. I take the multi, b12, d3/calcium, iron and sleep aid. I will probably switch to a chewable once my stomach is more tolerant and I am eating solids because the patches are pretty expensive.

jamielslater

Thank you everyone this is really helpful.

ppmintpatty

Interesting discussion! I am three weeks out from my sleeve and we had to attend several group nutrition classes led by Nutritionists. We were advised not to take gummy vitamins as they do not contain minerals. They told us to not waste our money on expensive vitamins, just take a double dose of inexpensive Flintstone's Children Chewable Vitamins, one in the morning and one in the evening. And a 1000 mg sublingual (dissolvable) B12 tablet daily but not at the same time as the Flintstone's. I decided to add a 10,000 mg sublingual Biotin to hopefully help with future hair loss. I love the taste of the two dissolvable tablets, my afternoon "treat". No Calcium Citrate or iron necessary.

Ultima_Morpha

Keep in mind that, depending on the vitamin or mineral, that deficiencies can take a while to show up and can be difficult to correct so watch trends over time. That being said, I think that there are a lot of ways to skin a cat and that there are many different products to meet nutritional needs. Take what will meet your particular nutritional needs and will ensure compliance.

I primarily use Bariatric Advantage multi-vitamins + iron and supplement with some additional vitamins and minerals (B6, B12, Selenium, Zinc Picolinate, Calcium, D3, Floradix Iron).

If anyone has trouble keeping their B12 levels up, look for methylcobalmin form as it is believed to be more readily absorbed; anecdotally, I can support this.

When I'm not on a business trip, I'm quite structured about how I take my vitamins to maximize their absorption. Zinc is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with menopause and adrenal support supplements. First calcium and D3 is taken with breakfast. I actually dissolve my multivitamins and other supplements in my bottles of (vitamin C added) flavored water and drink them between meals. Second and third calcium are taken with lunch and dinner; once I'm out of this bottle of high dose D3, I will break it up into 3 smaller doses too.

When I travel...it all goes to hell in a handbasket...lol.

akindofmagick

I've tried all the bariatric vitamins and simply can't tolerate them. Gagging and nausea. I take two, one-a-day gummy vites per day, plus calcium citrate, B-12, and vitamin D. My blood profile is spot on; docs are happy - but it's taken a small solid year to get it right. I'm two years out from VSG, and eat a very healthy, varied diet, high in vegetables, protein and some fruit.

Mandy_1982

I've found this post helpful. Thanks for posting

I received some chewable bariatric supplement samples yesterday at my pre-op class. A few were calcium chews and one was a bariatric multivitamin chew that has the needed iron and B12 in it. I'm thinking those are going to be pricey, but I'm going to shop around and see where they will be the cheapest. If I only have to have chewable supplements for a short time, the expense with be worth it. I'll likely switch to a cheaper pill form later down the road.

Miss_Hattie

I hope to have my duodenal switch about the middle of June. My first day for my physical and education class is May 30. They said I had to use their brand of OptiSource vitamins at least for the first month and if I can find some cheaper elsewhere with the same dosages, I can do that. I will also have to add B12 1,000 mcg under my tongue. They sent me the specifications and I can't find any as powerful. If you're taking Centrum, Wal-Mart's Equate brand is the same except cheaper. Mine cost just over $35 a month from the hospital. I checked them out on Amazon and they are called the same but specifics on dosages less.

TheresaOrtiz3

I just ordered vitamin patches from PatchMD. They are good for 24 hours and you put a new one on. Hopefully this will be sufficient. I'm struggling with the multivitamins.

clcmfp

@TheresaOrtiz3 Some people seem to do fine with the patches, others develop serious deficiencies with them. Just stay on top of your bloodwork!

mpzeeks

I use Nutrametrix because it's isontonic and I can take all my other vitamins and medicines with it at the same time. It's great!