Chewable Vitamins....what do you use?

It's me again guys......yep......under two weeks to go and now I am starting to feel the nerves kicking in!!!!  I have been trying to prepare myself and get ready for my new life.  So another question I need an answer to.......Chewable Vitamins......I am going through the Beaumont Weight Control Center and they are recommending the Bariatric Advantage brand.  They gave a sample of the Multi Vitamin at the seminar I was required to attend and I almost lost my lunch after eating it.  It was so gritty and really hard to handle......my mouth is salvating right now thinking about it and not in a good way.....if you know what I mean.....so I need to know what all of you do for your vitamins after surgery.......suggestions please........thank you!

Julie

P.S.  I asked about Flintstones Chewables and was told "well....ok" but I could tell they were not really thrilled at the idea.........

I had the sleeve and my surgeon says the Flinstones Chewables w/ iron are just fine.  In fact, I bought the Meijer brand.  They said as long as it was a chewable with iron they were ok with it.  At my 6 week check up my labs were great.  If the Flinstones work for you - and even reluctantly,  they said yes, so go for it!  They'll draw labs at check ups and adjust what is needed - if anything.

Good Luck!

Hi Julie:

I tried the BA vitamins too and didn't think they were very good.  They do have a higher level of the vitamins we malabsorb most, but I honestly don't think they are all that much better than normal vitamins -- at least not worth twice the price in my opinion. 

I did some extensive research on multi-vitamins before my surgery and created a spreadsheet comparing about a dozen of them side-by-side.  I have the spreadsheet posted on my blog here.  I decided on Centrum Adult Chewables and have been taking 2 per day since my surgery.  They are manufactured according to USP standards and have been tested independently by Consumer Reports with outstanding results every time.  I trust Centrum and have peace of mind taking them.

Also, I recently wrote a post about Preparing for Surgery that you might find helpful. 

Good luck,
Pam

Hey Pam,
Just curious....have you ever compared the Flintstones to adult vitamins?  I always wondered how taking 2 kids vites can compare to taking the two adult ones that I currently take.

Hmmmm......

Brenda

The nutrient balance of Flintstones Complete and Centrum Adult are nearly identical per pill.  However I am still leary of the recommendation for a morbidly obese person to be taking a vitamin designed for a 50 pound toddler.  :: shrug :: 

I also am not sure about the actual quality of ingredients used in a child's vitamin compared to an adult vitamin.  Are they the same?  Is there a difference in quality? Do they have the same effectiveness?  absorbability? I don't know. 

There's a lady over on the Main Forum (Andrea) who is about 4 years out and took Flintstones for the first two years after surgery.  Her labs suddenly tanked and now she's trying to make up for lost time and is on a pretty extensive regimen of individual vitamin supplements in large doses.  There's another lady, Charlie, who is having problems with her iron.  She's 5 or 6 years out and has always crushed her iron tablets before taking them.... except in the past year she got lazy and just started popping the pill whole.  Now all of a sudden her iron levels have hit bottom and she's enduring weekly iron infusions to get her levels back up.

Just some thoughts...
Pam

Julie,

At the time of my surgery, I was taking a prescribed pre-natal vitamin.  My PCP switched my prescription to a chewable form after my surgery.  At some point in the first year, my labs showed my iron in the "low normal" range and I was intsructed to begin taking two vitamins a day.  Since then, my labs have been fine.  Not sure if this is an option for you, but it's what works for me.  Tina

I am taking a multivitamin that is made for bariatric patients.  It is called Celebrate.  And it is chewable.  I think they are really good.  You might want to check them out.  www.celebratevitamins.com They have a whole line of vitamins for bariatric patients.

We were told that Flintstones was a great choice...

KId vitamins in an emergency.
Otherwise use a chelated vitamin like Country Life Adult Multi.
My labs are always normal except for iron one time.

Ahmed

I am using the Centrum Silver chewables beause my homcysteine levels are low and these have the B vitamins I need for heart protection.  But I also have a bottle of generic brand chewable kids vitamins on my desk for days when I forget to take one at home.