Vitamin Patches- Use Cautiously

Sometimes I wonder if where you place them makes a difference...their only real instruction is a place where you don't have hair, as well as skin oils, use of lotions and things...wonder how they effect absorption.

I wonder this too. I had been wearing them on my upper thighs, but they often rubbed off overnight, so I moved them to my upper arms and shoulders. Maybe that wasn't the best place for them.

If that's the case, the only places I could put one would be the top of my head or the roof of my mouth. 

It's virtually impossible to absorb enough calcium or iron transdermally. 

Note that all these patches are made in the USA where vitamins are not considered drugs and are not monitored by the FDA or any other agency. Some vitamins can be absorbed thru the skin but overall transdermal vitamins are about as effective as the bonerr pills sold on late night TV.

So don't buy those for hubbys stocking stuffer either????

What!?!  They don't work!?!  Ohhhh noooo!

Little Bill,

They work for D and B complex but the absorption varies based on metabolism, weight, body temp and even the location of the patch. Your labs can (and probably will) be normal since you're a man. 

There is no research on the value of these and, again, in the U.S. vitamins are not considered drugs and not monitor for usefulness in any way. 

I live in the rainy NW and I'm prone to "critical" vit D deficiency but even here most people don't need to supplement.

On the other hand my Hct is 47 and Hb is 17.4, so abnormally high, I  have never been anemic and don't supplement iron at all. 

I am 64 years old and not a milk drinker so i do supplement calcium 500mg 3 times a day. Because 500mg is about the most a body can absorb at once. 

Sorry, Aggie, I was making a joke about that other thing you had mentioned. 

No Bill,  those don't work either! 

I've been struggling with Iron. Can't seem to absorb it orally at all. Despite taking 4 iron pills a day I still had Ferritin level of 7. I added the Iron Patches and my most recent blood work came back with a Ferritin level of 29. It's working for me!