Multivitamin help!

As someone who has had VSG - I hope you're monitoring your PTH values very carefully (and not just trusting your doctor to tell you that it's "fine"). Please also make sure to get a DEXA scan on a regular basis.

Gwen,

I have never done a Dexa- is it one that you get through the bariatric center? I recall they wanted to do a test that I declined due to some of the cancer implications. Now I cannot recall if it was the one that determines your fat percentage or a bone scan. I will ask about it on my upcoming appointment given I have not done such a stellar job with my vitamin supplements.

My PCP ordered the DEXA scan for me. It's a dual emission x-ray that most radiology places can perform. There is a difference between what your doctor will order and what you could get at a consumer facility. The prescription one will give you your bone density information. A consumer one will also give you body fat percentage. The radiation load is teeny, less than a flight across the country.

Thanks Gwen, I will ask about it at the next appointment.

My surgeon says chewable or liquid are best absorbed after vsg and had me start taking them prior. I take Bariatric Advantage multi Advanced EA which has iron, Calcium Citrate 500mg chews 3 x per day at least 2 hours or before the multi/iron, Vit D3 liquid drops, and B12. B12 and D3 can be taken with Calcium Citrate if you wanted. So my regimen is

Morning: Multi, D3, B12

Noon: Calcium Citrate

~4:00pm: Calcium Citrate

Evening: Calcium Citrate

Also, you might want to wait until after your surgery. Your taste for the vitamins and tolerance to them might change. At this point (almost 4 weeks post-op), I can barely tolerate the vitamins and they make me vomit. Since I wasn't tolerating the Flintstones or Celebrate vitamins, my nut said to try Alive chewables. I can tolerate those and then will switch back to the Flintstones or Celebrate ones (since I spent to much money on them). I got some samples from Unjury so I am hoping that those are tolerate too so I have more options.

You want as complete a multivitamin as possible, preferably chewable right after surgery. The issue that Flintstones and other vitamins have is that they are missing a few minerals. While they could be sufficient in a pinch, you are better off just getting Centrum chewables for adults which have a more complete nutrient and mineral profile. Many programs require bariatric only vitamins, however I am not quite convinced these are necessarily any better. Currently, I take Centrum chewable multi x2 (it's one of the only gluten-free ones and I have Celiac), carbonyl iron, calcium citrate (Jarrow Bone-up brand), and Biotech dry vitamin D right now. I have not yet seen science that justifies the bariatric formulas are any more absorbable. If we are far enough from surgery with a VSG, and you do not have reduced acid production, the capsules may work too. Check with your surgeon on that one, however.

The reason that you want calcium citrate, and yes it does matter, is because the body absorbs it far more easily. Because we eat greatly reduced amounts of food, it's absolutely vital for us to supplement our calcium and possibly iron. I've had clients with calcium absorption issues from calcium carbonate, because they decided to ignore their doctors and get Viactiv or what have you instead.

The other issue is that calcium carbonate is not absorbed on an empty stomach. You have to take it with food for absorption. For bariatric patients, often we must take our vitamins on an empty stomach, so people taking calcium carbonate are not using it unless they take it with food.

And no, I am not a doctor, however my bachelors was half in biochemistry, and I work with bariatric patients. Also check the ASMBS standards.

You can list all the facts and experience you want, Donna, but her mind is rigid and she won't listen.

Tic Tacs!!

For folks reading this thread, Donna is spot on.