Struggling with Vitamins
tgbtg150
Posts: 9
I am 5 weeks out from surgery and have been doing well. I have experienced the frustrations of the liquid and protein battle and thanks to many of the posts in this group have found ideas to get it all in. I currently am having a very difficult time with my bariatric vitamins. I have tried many kinds from very gritty to those that put way to much flavor in them to hide the horrible taste and have found nothing that does not make me gag and spend at least a half hour being nauseous . I know I have to take this for the rest of my life and plan to do so but right now I have a physical reaction every time I take one. Also, what does everyone take for a pain reliever. I worked too long in the yard last week and had typical muscle aches but didn't know what to take. I know I can't have ibuprofen products. My nurse said to take Tylenol type products and crush them - not looking forward to that taste if that is my only option. Do you take the same milligrams of over the counter pain relievers as before your surgery? Any input would be appreciated.
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Replies
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Buy liquid Tylenol (tylenol for kids).
Are you cleared to swallow pills yet? I know I was allowed to take pea-sized pills from the start, and larger pills after 2 weeks. You don't need to take a special bariatric chewable once you're cleared to swallow pills -- just buy good quality vitamins and swallow them with water.
Remember, though -- always follow YOUR surgeon's instructions, as every surgeon has different guidelines.0 -
They also have a liquid Tylenol for adults as well. It is new, bought it at Walgreen's this week. Pharmacist didn't know about it, but asked one of the girls on the floor and she pointed me to it. I had my surgery on 5/22/14 and went back to work on 5/28/14. Needed something to help with the soreness without making me sleepy.0
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I used Tylenol Jr chewables for the first month when I needed something for pain relief. My doc never recommended a "bariatric" supplement, but gave me a list of what I needed to take, the timing and in what amounts. I crushed pills for the first 2 weeks and like you dreaded the taste. The smaller ones, I could swallow from the beginning. I started by breaking the larger ones in half and swallowing and that worked fine for me after the first few weeks. As for the multivitamin, I used gummies up until a few weeks ago when I found a mini "one-a-day" I can swallow whole. Now I just toss in the whole handful in (they are all small) and swallow with a sip of water. Add an iron at noon and a couple of calcium chews throughout the day and I'm good to go! My labs have been perfect so I guess it's working.0
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Thanks! I will have to talk to my dietitian. From what I have been led to believe is that because of the reduced stomach acid after the sleeve I may never be able to take a pill for my multivitamin. Your post gives me hope!0
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I take Trader Joe's chewable high potency vitamins -- one in the morning and one at night. No problem getting them down and almost a year after surgery, my lab work has always been excellent.
For pain killers, I take Tylenol gel caps. I was able to do that at five weeks out without a problem.0 -
On the vitamins, I take Centrum adult chewables with iron. I tolerate them way better than any bariatric vitamins (I throw them up) and they are 10 bucks for 100 (50 day supply at 2 per day which is what my nutritionist recommended for me).
You can do children's liquid tylenol or children's chewables if you can't tolerate swallowing pills yet.0 -
I take the Trader Joe's chewable high potency as well as Caltrate calcium plus D chewables. I also take a hair/skin/nails vitamin. I started off using liquid vitamins but I couldn't deal with the weird taste. For pain I use Tylenol with no problems. In the beginning I used children's liquid Tylenol but now I take the gelcaps.0
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I was told that I needed a chewable vitamin the rest of my life. Our stomachs do not have enough of the acid/enzyme necessary to break down the coating on coated tablets and they just go right through. We really need the B vitamins!!! I've been having trouble with the vitamins, too. I dread taking them!! They taste gross (at least the 3 I've tried) and make me feel sick to my stomach. Be sure to take the vitamin AFTER you've eaten something. That lessens the nausea response a bit.
I have a sleeve and am cleared for Ibuprofen, chopped up at this point. I'm grateful, because Tylenol does not help me with inflammation. Doc said using Ibuprofen is not safe for other procedures.0 -
I mentioned the Ibuprofen, assuming you were having VSG, as this board seems more focused on VSGers... :happy:0
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I also take Extra Strength Tylenol when necessary. For the vitamins I require I use gel caps and Centrum Silver for Women (trying to find a smaller one) and take an additional 5 daily medications I have been on for several years. I have had no problem with swallowing pills from day one as I really had no other choice and did not experience any side effects or discomfort from taking them. One of the reasons could be that I have been on 40mg of prescription Prilosec for decades. The vitamins I am required to take are: Vitamin B, Iron, Centrum and Calcium and have scheduled blood work every few months to make sure that I'm on track.
Karen0 -
This is my quandary. I was told they had to be chewable for the rest of my life. I am meeting people in my support group that I attend through my weight loss center and they have switched over to some vitamins that others have posted about. I am only 6 weeks out but I just can't keep the bariatric ones down. I was told they had to be chewable because after the sleeve there is not enough of the right kind of stomach acid to break down larger pills and capsules.0
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2 vita fusion calcium d gummies, 4 vita fusion adult multivitamin gummies, 1 50,000iu Replesta vit d chewable twice a month, 2 vita fusion fiber gummies , simply right SAMs club cherry chewable 5000 mg biotin. EZ Fe iron cap once a week with a meal. These all do very well for me. I was on a b complex but they said I got too high. I eat a lot of eggs , Greek yogurt and 3 cups of Kroger carbmaster skim milk a day. I love vita fusion gummies. They taste like gummy bears. Many of my powdered no calorie drinks also have vitamins as do my protein bars. I do recommend you keep trying until you find the right mix. One of the ladies in support group now has severe osteoporosis because she gave up on vitamins instead of aggressively finding the ones that would work for her. I gave away lots of vitamins before I discovered the vita fusion. I just have to double the dose. You can get vita fusion at SAMs club0
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I was told no anti-inflamitories for the first few months, so Tylenol was all I could take, not even my daily glucosomine! Boy was my arthritis painful for awhile! I was allowed to swallow some pills within a few days, the gel cap type stuff, but had to wait a few weeks before I could swallow my multi vitamins. Yes, check with your surgeon, but I too don't have any special "bariatric" vitamins I have to take. The only thing added to my diet was an increase in calcium amounts.0
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I was told that I only needed chewables for the first month. I'm glad it's only one month because they are becoming unbearable to chew..they're just yucky..the only one I may stick with (I use the celebrate line of bariatric vitamins) are the b-12 sublingals. I need to find the chewable calcium and I'll go back to my regular multivitamin.0
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Nature made makes these vitamins that just melt in your mouth (VitaMelts). I don't know if they have all the nutrients you would need after the sleeve but I have enjoyed them. They have a multivitamin flavor I haven't tried yet. I take the C and D melts.
http://www.naturemade.com/products/multivitamins/vitamelts-multi0 -
Bariatric Advantage makes a Multi Vitamin capsule that is formulated especially for bariatric patients and is tolerated by both sleeve and bypass patients. The capsule has a rapid dissolving covering that is tolerated by both and does not pose a hazard for getting stuck. They also make a chewable calcium with vitamin d in chewy caramel, choclolate, strawberry, and lemon flavors that taste like candy, also well tolerated by both.0
