VITAMINS--SUPPLEMENTS (POLL)

Please share with us the type of daily vitamins/supplements used post- WLS....Thanks for sharing in advance...Another helpful source/tips to pre-ops!!!

Hi Snuggles, I take 3 Flintstones Complete ( right now using a Happy Harry's brand childrens complete that is the same thing...just on sale lol ) 3 Chocolate Mint Viactive 1 Trader Joe's sublingual B-12 I had some confusion over iron initially. Brett told me to take an iron supplament ( 65 mg elemental iron ) daily. I pointed out that 3 Flinstones Complete contained almost that much iron on it's own. He said take it anyway. I chose not to. I discussed this with the nutritionist ( I see Gabrielle ) and she agreed with me that what I was taking was fine. The last thing I needed was constipation issues due to added iron I didn't really need. My blood work came back perfect. There is also a definite line drawn in the sand about what form of calcium to take. I see people all the time insisting that citrate is better than carbonate. I have questioned Dr. Irgau, Brett, my own endocrinologist, my primary doc, my pharmacist and anyone else I can find who is in a potential position to be in the know and it has been agreed that yes, citrate MAY be somewhat more absorbable however it is more expensive, can be difficult to swallow and for every study saying it is better there is an equal study that says it doesn't matter. I decided to go with the carbonate for now. The Viactive chews are easy on my pouch, affordable, taste really good. You can have the best calcium in the world but if you avoid taking it it doesn't do you much good. As for the B-12, my levels were very high according to my last blood work. Trader Joe's sublinguals have worked very well for me. a bottle of 100 tabs 1000 mcg's each is about $6.00 and lasts me 3 months. Works for me! Hope this helps, Linda

Greatings from WV!! :hello: I'll be home tomorrow night, and back to work starting Monday. I take 2 Bugs Bunny sugar free vitamins a day. I should be taking 3 a day, but my bloodwork came back just fine this last time while taking just 2 a day. I take 2 tums a day for calcium. and one B12 sublingual from Trader Joe's. I can't believe how much I am losing!!! I checked the scale today here at my days and it said 256 pounds!! that means that I've lost 54 pounds in 8 weeks!!!!! Ken

Hi! I still take 3 chewable vitamins a day. I take the Equate brand ~Childrens Multivitamin Complete (from Walmart), this one has a bit higher levels of the normal vitamins and minerals from what I've compared to Flintstones and Target brand and also contains 40 mcg of BIOTIN (good for your hair and nails, which is what I was looking for). Also, 3 tums and Vitamin shoppes sublingual B12 1000 mcg. All my bloodwork came back good when I just had my check with Dr. Baag this past week. Even my Protein and hemoglobin which had been low since hemoraging after surgery. Hope this helps! T

Hi Shay, I stopped the chewables after 4 weeks. I hated the fruity sweet taste. Now I take Happy Harry's Brand 1 a day multi-vitamin. 2 Calcium Citrate with D and 1 B-12 from GNC. I will get Trader Joe's B-12 next time since they are cheaper. Of course I take the dreaded Actigall for another month or so. I split the pills up. 1 calcium, 1 Actigall and 1/2 the multi-vitamin in the AM and the rest in the PM. I asked Brett before I started swallowing the pills whole. To tell you the God's honest truth, I hardly took the Actigall when I had to open the capsule. I couldn't handle it mixed in the applesauce or crushed pineapple or anything else for that matter. My blood work was okay last time it was taken. I see Dr. Baag on the 21st, so I'll need to have it done this coming week. We'll see how I'm doing. Hope this helps. ((HUGS)) Elissa

Hi Shay, I buy my B-12 sublingual at Trader Joes (and take two per day). They dissolve under you tongue quickly. I take two of the Centrum One-a-Day every morning also. Centrum makes a chewable so you don't even need to worry about the flinstones post-op. In the evening I take two of the Caltrate 600 Plus chewables. Sometimes I take Nature Way 1000+ coated calcium instead of the chewables. I keep a spare set of vitamins at work in case I forget to take the B-12 and one-a-day with breakfast. I have only used them twice but it is nice to have a back-up because it is one less item stress over during the day. I always err on taking more of the vitamin since there is not any noticeable downside, and that way if you dump, you still have reserve. Rob

Hello All, Vitamins I take are: One A Day Essentials (tiny pill) Puritans Sublingual B12 (3- 100 ct bottles for $8.00) I don't take iron because it tears me up and I eat a lot of cottage cheese and yogurt so I don't take a calcium supplement right now. All my levels were perfect at my last blood test. Post op I also added vitamin C and zinc to prepare my body for surgery. I also still take those in the winter.....they are lozenges. Hope

Hi Shay!!! Thanks for posting this question....and thank you all for responding.. helpful tips for me...Gail Burke

I take 2 Women's One a Day 2 Caltrate 600 1 vitamin B-12 1 Iron pill (65 mg) I get all mine at Wal-mart

Great post. I thank you all and am printing this now.