Looking for people who have taken Dr. Stewart's DS Vitamins. (Only post if you are or had...

Hi was interested in looking for personal information from DSers who are/have taken Dr. Stewart's DS Vitamins.  I'm not interested in your opinions why I shouldn't be taking them and to push other brands.   If you changed to something else I would like to know why and after how long you were out post op.  If you changed because of what others posted and it scared you, please be honest and post that. New DSers are always looking and some are too afraid to ask.

Not to come off rude, but "negative nancy's" tend to bombard when we are seeking info. We are in this same DS journey.

Thank you.

I am not a "negative Nancy" nor was Dr Stewart my surgeon so I never used the vitamins he sold.  But I have had my DS for 7 years and have been participating in online forums for 10 or so years.  

The one thing pretty much all DS veterans can agree on is that the vitamins sold by surgeons' offices are insufficient for the needs of any DS patient.  They are either in the wrong formulation (wrong type or in insufficient amounts) and/or there are huge gaps in the list of vites.  They are often combined as in the ADEKs which makes adjusting your dosages impossible.  Any DSer following one of those regimens is headed for defiencies.

please look at the list of vitamins from Vitalady to see what to properly supplement with.  You don't have to buy her brand or from her.  But she has the best basic starting list of vitamins to keep you healthy.  Get your labs done regularly and adjust dosages up or down depending on your lab results.  After a couple of years the list of vitamins will then be completely customized to you based on your own lab results.

well, it did come off as very rude. 

And your point being?  I was seeking information and hate rude people to bombard the posting with rude comments like you posted.  We are in this journey together and is completely unnecessary for drama.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/4634699/Dr-Stewarts-Vitamin-Regimine/


If the formula ha not changed, taking just his multis would likely cause you to become deficient. You may not want to hear that from a vet...but yep...there you go.

The post was about taking his DS Vitamins as a multi and then adding to.  I would never just take 1 vitamin with having DS surgery.

 

If you've got the money to throw away on something that we get by on with a double-dose of Centrum equivalent, then go right ahead.  My surgeon had a special vitamin that she had me add Calcium to get all that I needed.  My levels tanked the first six months.  My experience is not unique, which is why other than the negative nancy's, all you're getting is crickets.  The vitalady list is the best we've seen.  I don't know of anyone that went deficient starting on it right out of surgery.  Your labs determine what you need or dont need from there.

Sorry, didn't have time before to post this.  This is the Vitalady Schedule.  You may or may not already have it, but here it is.  A few things have sort of informally been "updated". 

Many people now take Jarrow Bone Up (contains calcium hydroxyapatite) as their calcium source in place of Calcium Citrate.  Some people simply absorb this form better - nobody absorbs calcium carbonate better.  If you opt for the Bone Up, use the kind with the stated dose of 3 per day and double it.

If you have difficulty with Iron or just difficulty getting it in, many have switched to Proferrin, which is heme iron.  It is much easier on the tummy, absorbs better and does not have to be taken away from other things.  The equivalent of Vitaday's dosage of her iron would be about 3 Proferrin per day.  Snap them in half before taking to aid in absorption.

Many people continue to take Vitalady's recommendation of Magnesium Citrate, but many others have made the switch to Magnesium Glycinate to help with absorption.  You will need to read the bottle to compare the elemental amount of Magnesium in your brand to know how much to take relative to Vitalady's recommendation of 280mg.  One good brand is NutriElite which has 200mg in one capsule.  Depending on your labs and any other issues, you could go up to two or down to one.  I suggest upping to 2 capsules until your labs or other indicators show otherwise.

Keep a close watch on your B vitamins when your labs are run, particularly B6.  B6 seems to run high in a lot of DSers.  If you see that some of your B vitamins are out of range on the high side (except B12 which is fine very high) you may want to cut back your B complex to one every few days.  If only B6 is a problem, a company called Desert Harvest makes a B complex without B6.

I would also recommend (and I really thought it was on the schedule but perhaps I just remember her saying it) adding Vitamin K-2.  Unlike K-1 which aids in clotting, K-2 plays an important part in bone health and osteoporosis prevention by aiding in depositing calcium into bone.  If you use Bone Up, you do not need to supplement additional K-2.  If you are taking Calcium Citrate, you should add 1dose of 50mcg K-2 as MK7 per day.

All of these can be ordered from Amazon, but many can be purchased from Vitalady herself or elsewhere.  For Vitamin D in the 50,000IU dosage, you need to order from Vitalady, Amazon or BioTech.  Ditto for Vitamin A in 25,000IU dosage.

Vitalady Basic Vitamin & Mineral Schedule for DRNY, ERNY, BPD & DS Patients
Updated   1/10/2010
*** DAILY SCHEDULE ***
Morning	1	Vitamin C 1,000mg	Evening	2	Vitamin A 25,000IU = 50,000IU
	5	Tender Iron 60mg or 2 Polysaccharide = 300mg (elemental) (see note 1)		1	Vitamin E 400IU
	1	Copper 2mg		2	Calcium 300mg = 600mg (elemental)
				1	Multi Vitamin/Mineral (see note 4)
				1	Vitamin D3 50,000IU
Mid-Day	1	Vitamin A 25,000IU		1	Zinc 50mg or 2 each 23mg
	1	Vitamin B-12 5,000mcg		1	Vitamin B-9 Folic Acid 1,200mcg
	2	Calcium 300mg = 600mg (elemental)	Bed Time	2	Calcium 300mg = 600mg (elemental)
	1	B Complex (see note 2) (see note 3)		1	Vitamin A 25,000IU
	1	Vitamin E 400IU		2	Magnesium Citrate 140mg=280mg (elem)
	1	Multi Vitamin/Mineral (see note 4)		1	Vitamin C 1,000mg
	1	Zinc 50mg or 2 each 23mg		1	Vitamin K-1 1,000mcg (see note 5)
With this plan you will be supplementing with the following daily vitamin and mineral dosages: Vitamin A 100,000IU; Vitamin B-12 5,000mcg; Vitamin C 2,000mg; Vitamin D3 50,000IU; Vitamin E 800IU; Vitamin K-1 1,000mcg; 1 B-50 Complex; 2 Complete Multi-Vitamin/Mineral; Calcium Citrate 1800mg (elemental); Copper 2mg; Iron 300mg (elemental); Magnesium Citrate 280mg (elemental); Zinc 100mg; Vitamin B-9 Folic Acid 1,200mcg
*** NOTES ***
Note 1	IRON is to be taken with Vitamin C, together but separated for at least 1 hour from caffeine, dairy, egg, whole grain, other vitamins, and medications.
Note 2	B Complex is to be a B Complex 50 or higher.
Note 3	Regarding Vitalady Tender B Complex 50: Some customers have mentioned a tingling, rashy sensation or redness in their extremities and face. This is a common reaction to the niacin (niacin flush) which may be present for a short time. While doses as small as 75mg don't usually cause any reaction, some people are more sensitive. The sensation is short lived and harmless.
Note 4	Multi-Vitamin/Mineral composition should be similar to Centrum®.
Note 5	We suggest starting with 1000mcg K-1, please check with your doctor if you taking any blood thinners or have any risks associated with Vitamin K .

Thank you.  I am thinking of using Dr. Stewart's DS vitamins as a multi then building from there.  I would never just use one vitamin being a DSer.

I have noticed that some posters here are very critical of Bariatric Advantage vitamins.  They are a bit costly but they are what my surgeon recommended and they have worked well for me.  It is also a simple regimen, easy to keep up with.  I trust my Dr implicitly, the group is terrific and supports us all the way.  My blood work has been perfect and I feel great.  I ignore the criticism and do what works for me.  That's what you should do also.