Vitamins

I just went to see surgeon for consult, waiting on insurance.  I've been doing a lot of research lately on DS.  I've seen some recommendations on chewable vitamins.  Do the vitamins have to be chewable? Does this help with absorption or can you swallow pill form? Do expensive bariatric vitamins work better than just drug store, Sam's, Costco or vitamins found on Amazon? I know you'd really have c to compare them but are there other advantage to the expensive ones?

I couldn't do the chewables because they hurt my teeth, so the dietitian said to use capsules and cut large tablets in half. I did just fine. I started using Vitalady's vitamins and minerals with my surgeon's approval. I was using his capsules (12 Vita4Life a day + calcium tablets) and we jus****ched my labs trending down. Anyway, we're all very different when it comes to vitamins. I track my labs very closely and tweak my individual vitamins. The big combo multivitamins aren't so great--when you see one lab level get too high or too low there isn't a good way to adjust.

--gina

Thank you, I will look at her site. 

I never did chewables or powders.  Just took the pills.  Most of those expensive vites being pushed by docs are another income stream for them and they aren't enough of what you need.  I will order from anyone who has a good price.  Most of mine come from Puritan, Costco, and Amazon.

No reason at all why vitamins would have to be chewables, and for routine stuff like multi's and calcium citrate you can save a lot of money by purchasing at CostCo and other local sources. However, for the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, and K) you will need to purchase the "dry" form because you won't absorb them if packaged in oil. This is not a bad thing, as our selective malabsorption of fat (and oil is fat) is what helps us with both weight loss and weight loss maintenance. So you can get the dry forms through Vitalady or Bio-tech, or often find them on Amazon. It is a necessary expense, but well worth it.

The DS has the best statistics of any bariatric surgery for percentage excess weight loss, for maintaining that weight loss, and for resolution of almost all comorbidities, but it comes with a life time commitment to taking certain vitamins and minerals to maintain good nutritional health. This can sound overwhelming at first, but in reality it simply becomes a routine part of your daily life, like brushing your teeth. This doesn't mean it isn't important, if fact it's crucial, just that it isn't difficult once you get into the swing of it. You will need to adjust your vitamins occasionally based on your labs, but again, not difficult.

Larra

I never did chewables at all.  The bariatric vitamins are pricey and to answer your question, no more effective than any other brand...in fact...many have gone deficient using them, falling for the claim that you need nothing else.  You will have to mix and match depending on what your blood levels tell you.