Vitamin compliance - brands, timing, etc.

I know what vitamins it is suggested I take after my VSG. I am 7 months post op and have them but I struggle with compliance. Some have suggested setting a timer on my phone. Would other members be willing to share what they take and when as far as throughout their day? Between getting my fluids in every day (I think of hydration as being a primary goal), then meals, and then vitamins and the not eating within a time-frame from drinking fluids, and not taking calcium citrate within 2 hours of my iron with C, not to mention the multi vitamin that always leaves me feeling a bit nauseated (and I wish I knew why)

... I just feel overwhelmed.

I hated the crunchy pills they gave me and then they wanted me to digest three horse pills (tasteless though). Instead I consulted with my dietician and she told me that as long as I get the nutrients, I'm ok. So I bought some pills and took them back to the office and she told me that they didn't have the Iron that I needed. So at Sams Club, they have these Iron supplements at 65 mg each. After that, I'm in compliance AND I don't mind having to take both the regular pills that I bought AND the Iron supplements that I take. For some reason, I like the way I'm taking my vitamins and I don't skip days anymore from the disgusting former pills I had to take. More complex (taking two different packages vs just one) but nowhere as disgusting as before.

I found a (non bariatric) iron with C that is 65 mg too. I am going to take it for the duration of the bottle (2 months) and see how it impacts my iron levels. I don't mind the calcium citrate with D but the bottle says 2 tabs are 1 serving and I am wondering how much my body can absorb at 1 time. It sure would be nice to take them both at once rather than trying to fit them both in at separate times and I wish I could find a multi that didn't make me feel ill

You can absorb about 500mg at a time, then wait two hours. Repeat three times daily. As you noted, 2 hours between iron with vitamin C. And, 2 hours for coffee and tea from iron as well.

The 65 mg iron are usually ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, or other things with ferrous in the ingredient. They all can be nauseating and cause constipation. Carbonyl iron and heme iron don't cause stomach upset or constipation.

That was very thorough. I just checked my iron and it is carbonyl iron. I should check out its bioavailability.

I take my pills at the same time that I brush my teeth. That helps a lot. I have two big weeklong pill holders, so I just pop out my dose and go on my merry way. I keep my calcium at work and have it during lunch.

Morning:

• 1 multi (Centrum 50+)
• 2 iron (NatureMade ferrous sulfate 65mg)
• 1 vitamin C (NatureMade)
• 1 stool softener

Lunch:

• 2 Calcium Citrate + D (Walgreen's brand)

Bedtime:

• 1 multi
• 2 iron
• 1 Vitamin B12 (Walgreen's generic)
• 2 fiber pills (Metamucil)

The normally stated absorption for calcium is around 600 mg per dose, which is why most calcium products are quoted as somewhere between 500 and 650 mg per "serving". Calcium is pretty low density, which is why it is usually split between two pills per dose (a single pill really would be a "horse pill".) Vitamins can sometimes be nauseating, so if they are, try to take them with, or just before, a meal so that something else is in your stomach with it.

On timing of things, most everything I take, supplements and meds, fits into a breakfast and dinner pill batches, and even early on I only had an second calcium dose at lunchtime, so it wasn't a big deal to remember - I target 1500-2000 mg per day but get most of it from food; iron is once a day at breakfast (was two a day for a while when rebuilding my ferritin levels after a bleed, but that was just a temporary thing.) The multivite is down to 2-3 per week and that may be more than needed now, but even early on it was just one a day at breakfast.

Many programs over-prescribe supplements, often using the same protocols as they do for the RNY, which is overkill for the VSG, but in general, over-supplementing is better than not enough and things can be cut back as diet improves and labs indicate, though some will continue with fairly deficient diets and need to supplement more in the long term.

I don't use bariatric vitamins. I set up my vitamins every two weeks in a pill container that has a "pod" for each day and each "pod" has four slots.

1: calcium (2 pills), multivite, prescription med
2: calcium (2 pills), multivite
3: calcium (2 pills), vitamin D
4: iron, zinc, vitamin C

I take the pod with me in my purse. I do the first at breakfast, just swallow them before I eat with some liquid. Second at lunch in the same manner. Third at dinner, and the fourth before bed. This splits them all out by 2 hours and gets me everything I need.

I have a similar med or vitamin dispenser. Fabulous idea for me to dig it out lol. I appreciate everyone's feedback, sharing information about absorption, timing etc too

The key to my success has been a pill planner. It's a small one with two compartments per day. I take a multi, iron, vit C, b-12, and biotin in the AM all at once after breakfast. Then calcium citrate and d3 in the evening. Keep it simple and get a pill box, helps you to prepare for the week, and you don't have to sort threw a million bottles daily.