Vitamin supplements

I am curious to know what others are taking for their vitamin supplements. I feel like I am popping pills all day long and I want to find something easy, quick, and tasty ...something I only have to take once a day or twice a day, small pills and not two twice each day the size of horse pills. What is everyone taking for: Iron Calcium Hair Loss B12 Thanks, Kristi

Hi Kristi, On my doc's recommendation, I'm taking 2 flintsones complete (with iron) a day. When I finish the enormous bottle I bought at Sam's () I plan on switching to chewable Centrums because I can't stand the children's anymore. My doc said this was okay. I'm currently taking liquid calcium from bariatriceating.com twice a day but to be honest, it tastes like I got it free with an order so figured I'd try it. When it's gone, I'm going to order some of the chewable calcium from the Vitaman Shoppe (there was a bunch of talk about it a few threads down). I also take 1000mcg of Biotin everday. I don't know if it stops the hair loss, I've been experiencing some and started the Biotin a couple months before WLS, but it's sure made a big difference in the hair I have. As far as B-12 goes, I buy a liquid sublingual B-complex from Walmart, Spring Valley or something like that, and take it daily on the weekdays. Technically, I only need to take it weekly, but it's just easier to remember this way. HTH! Becky 287/225/140ish (Ding Dong the Stall is Dead!)

Beck, It's the vitamin pest, here. Were you the one that takes the liquid B that has tons of B12 in it? Kathy

Kristi, Biotin is for hair loss and works wonderful. I take 2 a day and you can chew these. They do not taste bad at all. They are inexpensive and I get them at GNC. On the regular vitamins I take childrens sugar free chewables. Seems to be working great. -- Louann

Hi Kristi! I take: Target brand chewable kids vitamin - 4 a day Trader Joes chocolate chew calcium.....OH MY GOSH, they taste like tootsie rolls! I have everyone in my office eating them. I take 2-4 a day, depending on my craving! I dont take anything for hair loss. Its inevitible when you have rapid weight loss, no matter what you take! Whatever works....thats cool! Just eat lots of protein......which is a given here! Trader Joes B-12, little pink pill you put under your tongue.....I have been taking that once a day since post op. I have learned that whatever you can tolerate is what your doc will approve.......just keep taking them! Toodles! Carrie

Kristi, I'm not taking iron because I have an iron overload in my liver. I am taking "Caltrate 600" chewable for calcium and Flintstone chewables for vitamins. I asked about hair loss and my doctor didn't have any recommendations there. Jean

Jean, You should replace the Caltrate with calcium citrate. People that have RNYs have little or no stomach acids post-op and Caltrate is calcium carbonate which needs stomach acid to be absorbed. Calcium citrate is the form of calcium that does not require stomach acids. I can find a link to a study by NIH on calcium that states this. Many doctors inform their patients that they need citrate and not carbonate but not all of them. Also, do you take B12? You should be taking extra B12. The amount in multi-vitamins is not enough. B12 deficiencies can cause nerve damage. A 1,000 mcg sublingual (under tongue) B12 is really small and you only really need one every other day (I take it daily) and it is relatively inexpensive too. Kathy

Kristi, I take 2 children's chewables a day as a multi-vitamin (Kirkland from Costco). I take 1,000 mcg of B12 sublingually (under tongue). I take 4 calcium citrate chewable wafers (Twinlab) - 2 in the morning, 2 later in the day separate from my iron. I take 2 Vitron C tablets for iron and I also take 2 Vit C chewables (Kirkland from Costco) along with them since Vit C helps iron absorption. I take a liquid B-complex from Twinlabs - tastes like vitamins but I wa**** down and it's gone. I also take 1,000 of biotin which hasn't helped my hair at all. But from past weight losses...I've expected my hair to thin and sure enough - it just started a few weeks ago. I'm almost 3 month post-op but started losing weight 3 months prior to my surgery so I've been losing weight for 6 months. Since I've lost hair before...I know it is no biggie and that it'll fix itself in time. Kathy

I enjoy VIACTIV chocolate chews. HOWEVER, many people have reminded me that 1) We should take CALCIUM CITRATE rather than CALCIUM CARBONATE 2) The VIACTIV multi vitamin doesn't contain any minerals and such. I take so many pills, I simply refuse to take another. The chocolate is nice, doesn't bother me a bit, and I'm will to take a dose of corn syrup with my vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, Biotin, Folic Acid, Niacin, Thiamin, Riboflavin, plus Calcium. I also take, in pill form: Alpha Lipoic Acid 250-500 mg per day ****10 125 mg per day Acetyl L Carnitine 500 mg 3 times per day on empty stomach L-Carnitine 500 mg 3 times per day DMAE 75 mg 2 times per day L-Tyrosine 500 mg 2 times per day Plus a CLA supplement in powdered form that contains "mixed isomers" 1,000 mg 3 or 4 times a day I attempt: Gmma Linoleic Acid 1000 mg per day Omega 3 containing DHA and EPA 150 mg 3 times per day Omega 6 750 mg 2 times per day I should take Chromium Polynicotinate of about 2000 mcg, but I am sick of vitamins and can hardly get the Omegas and GLA in anyway.

Wow, you guys really take a lot of stuff!!! I only take 1 flinstones (generic) chewable whenever I remember... every few days or so. I HAVE some of the B-12 sublingual, but have never taken it (I'm afraid it'll be gross)... that's it. I also HAVE some of the Viactiv calcium, but never have remembered to take one post-op. So should I just plug along the way I'm doing... or should I start drugging up like the rest of you??? Shannon in WI 275/214/130