PLEEZ HELP......NEED VITAMIN HELP!!!!

I had the RNY LAP on 8-31-05. I've advanced to pureed food and I have started the vitamins. Well, I take 2 chewable tabs twice daily of the multivitamin from GNC and 2 chewable calcium citrate from vitamin world. Iron in between and b12 every other day (1000mcg). Anyway, the multivits are nasty and so big!!!!!!! The calcium isn't so bad, but PUHLEEEEZ reply with any suggestions on vitamin supplements!!! I would really appreciate it. thanks

I use the GNC also but most peeps use the Flintstones! Rosemary

I also had surgery 8/26 and take Bariatric Advantage (specifically designed for bariatric patients) To order call 1-800-898-6888 or log onto www.bariatricadvantage.com. Their calcium citrate comes in chocolate and cinnamon flavored lozenges. You suck on them like a candy. They have a chewable passion fruit iron. The only chewable iron I could find. I also take it with an ounce of sugar free tang to mask the flavor. Better than liquid iron. They also have a chewable multivitamin. I made the mistake of ordering tropical (yuck). My friends say that the Orange flavor is good. Hope this helps!

i like flintstones, too!

Here is a link to Walgreens....and the vitamins I take. The are Optisource chewable vitamins. They are formulated specifically for post bariatric patients. You chew 1 - 4 times a day. They taste very good and have all the vitamins we need. You can buy these at Walgreens stores also. My doctor recommends them. Best wishes to you! http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=301120&navAction=jump&navCount=1&id=prod403359

Hi! I take the Optisource as well, but buy it at Target. The bottle says to contact Walgreens, but out of 4 in my town, only 1 carries it as a special order. At both stores you have to go to the pharmacy counter and ask for it. Oh, the reason I get mine at Target is because they're $2 cheaper than Walgreens. Go figure. Anyway... besides the 4 of those a day that are chewed my doctor wants additional calcium and I use the chewable Caltrate 600. Just be sure to separate all 5 pills as your body can only absorb 500 mg at any given time. Happy Chewing. Dawn

You may want to check out www.vitalady.com, she had WLS years ago and she really knows what needs to be taken to meet our nutrional needs. Hope this helps.

Hi, I take 2 flinstones a day and 4 of the viactive carmel chews, they taste awsome and definately cure any sweet tooth u might be experiencing.

Hey, I think we all get differint info from our docs on what to take, so I'll add my 2 cents. You need 2 multivitamins per day and they need to be liquid or chewable so they will pass through your pouch. Your body absorbs only about half of that dose so you need to divide them up for a better chance of absorbing them. Your calcium is the same way. Your body can absorb only about 500-600 mg at a time, so they need to be divided. Also, the iron in your multivitamin and your calcium compete for absorbtion. So, you dont want to take them at the same time. One more thing about calcium, my nurse read an article that viactiv chewables were not well absorbed by the bariatric population. Chewable caltrate is what they recommended. Since B12 is absorbed in the antrum of your stomach (your old retired stomach that is sitting out there not getting any food) you must take b12 for the rest of your life. You can take the sublingual every day--you will be taking massive amounts because it is poorly absorbed, or you can give yourself a shot every 2-4 weeks. It takes a long time to get a b12 deficiency, but once you do, it's very hard to build back up. You cant really get too much b12, so taking it more often wont hurt. That's not the case with iron. You could get too much of that so stay with the rda for iron. I take my b12 by injection every 2 weeks, every morning I start off with my milk and my calcium. At 10:00 I take my multivitamin, at 2:00 pm I take my 2nd calcium, and at bedtime with milk I take my last multi-vitamin. Always take them with food. They can upset your stomach otherwise. Good luck, Debra

I use Centrum chewables twice a day. They're not too bad. They are orange flavored. I take two Calcium Citrate which are very huge, but fruity flavored, and one B-12 subligual once a day.