omg-what do you mean I'm not normal?

Wonderob

I will probably get laughed out of here.. but I take Flinstones vitamins. Yes, I am full grown.. and whatnot.. but I love them and they do just fine in my opinion. I did compare quite a few and got stomach aches from women's vitamins... So I was a Flinstone kid in the 80's (10 million strong..and growing LOL) and I am now a Flinstone adult :flowerforyou:

Yabba dabba do

Omsy828

it's because it slows down bowel movements, thus causing water retention, etc.

chosengiver

If you decide to take an iron tab, you don't necessarily need to take a multi, esp if your other numbers are ok.
Why take something you are just going to urinate out??
Iron tabs can be harsh to the GI tract.
Common side effects are nausea, vomiting, and constipation.
To reduce the side effects, you can choose a better brand (I would recommend NOW non-constipating)
and take it with a meal.
Also, if there is still an issue, you can add a colon cleanser cap once a day, if needed.
You can also choose a brand that is slowly released--called Slow FE.
I've used it before, but it wasn't beneficial for me.
I use the NOW brand and am planning to have my labs rechecked next month.
I've been taking it, the colon cleanser, and 2 NOW Fish Oil (Omega 3) for about 6 weeks in an effort to raise my levels.

lbcbeachbum77

I will probably get laughed out of here.. but I take Flinstones vitamins. Yes, I am full grown.. and whatnot.. but I love them and they do just fine in my opinion. I did compare quite a few and got stomach aches from women's vitamins... So I was a Flinstone kid in the 80's (10 million strong..and growing LOL) and I am now a Flinstone adult :flowerforyou:

You and me both! Proud of it - they're delicious!

Chewable are the only kind I can use, and Flintstones are my faves. Women's Viactiv Chocolate Chews are pretty good too. Everything else that I have tried that is not chewable just comes back up :sick: On another note, recently the FDA tightened restrictions on children's vitamins with iron, because of the high number of accidental iron related overdoses in kids. Therefore, many types have no iron which means you have to specifically look for the ones that do.

thisisjl

I also have an issue with becoming anemic frequently because I tend to not eat a lot of meat. I was in recently and my level was 9.6 so doc put me back on iron supplements and of course I'm trying to watch my diet as well and including more iron rich foods there are tons of foods high in iron. If you plan on taking a supplement (iron) rather than a multi vit. give it a week or two to see if the constipation issue arises you can add in prunes, appricots, or even a gental laxative if really necessary I find that after about 2 weeks of taking the supplements the constipation does go away and my body starts functioning properly again.

Moniqua1

it's because it slows down bowel movements, thus causing water retention, etc.

Ahhh, I eat alot of fiber, I guess I've never noticed that effect. I wouldn't really say that those things are ACTUAL weight gain, but no fun nonetheless

amy1612

Take an Iron supplement with Vit C, NOT a multivitamin, as some of the other vitamins slow down absorption of iron.

And eat steak!! With green veg, and more steak!

Jaxta65

I will probably get laughed out of here.. but I take Flinstones vitamins. Yes, I am full grown.. and whatnot.. but I love them and they do just fine in my opinion. I did compare quite a few and got stomach aches from women's vitamins... So I was a Flinstone kid in the 80's (10 million strong..and growing LOL) and I am now a Flinstone adult :flowerforyou:

Oh that just brought back a memory for me. I'm from England, but spent some time in the States as a child and remember my aunt giving me flint stones vitamins (pronounced differently in Br Eng) I had no idea why I needed a tablet everyday, I wasn't sick! But hey tasted nice....

dougt333

Doctor told me I am iron deficient and fall between moderate and severe anemia. Told me I should start taking a multi-vitamin and increase my consumption of iron rich foods.

While im dissapointed that my blood work proved I'm not as "normal" as I believed. It did offer an explanation as to why I've been feeling less than perfect.

So, my question to all you mfp friends: what vitamins do you recommend? Are there ones to avoid?

I heard once that if your multi-vitamin will not dissolve overnight in a glass of vinegar, then it's not going to dissolve in your stomach, thus leaving it worthless. But I don't have the funds to disprove/confirm this.

It's true most multivitamins don't dissolve. What you want is a whole food supplement. I take Nutrilite. It disolves in a glass of water and quickly.

thebigcb

Good tip! Thanks, vomiting is never fun.

I'd do what your doctor told you first to be honest

xXmimiXx

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0019M7OCA/ref=asc_df_B0019M7OCA8814473?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B0019M7OCA

Hi Spatone is a liquid iron supplement which you take in a bit of orange juice. It's far more easily absorped into the body. Some multivitamin tablets, the iron barely gets into your body.

I'd definitely take the spatone sachets my aunt has severe iron defficiency and this is the only thing that really helps her levels - even though she can eat bags and bags of spinach!!!

sz8soon

Thank you all for your suggestions!