Liquid Multi-Vitamin? Help!

I got back my 2 year lab results and they were perfect... except for one thing. My B6 levels are too high. My only source of B6 is a liquid multi-vitamin I take (Miracle 2000). It gives me 10mg of B6 per day.

I can't find a *robust* replacement liquid multi-vitamin that contains less B6. I've checked The Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods and several local health food stores. I got nada.

I need a liquid multi-vitamin because I'm having trouble swallowing some of the larger pills and multi-vits tend to be large.

Oh, I'm also a hair low in Iron. My doctors suggestion is to increase intake of iron rich food, that's all, but ideally, the new liquid multi-vitamin should contain no less than 6mg of Iron. That's what my current multi-vitamin contains. I imagine I can take an Iron supplement if the new multi contains less than 6mg. The main issue at hand is I need to decrease B6.

Frank, you need a LOT more than 6 mg of iron. Many of us take hundreds per day. Vitalady's chewable Tender Iron is tolerable even for my super picky tastebuds--I truly hate the taste of most chewable vites.  That "tad low" thing probably means you're anemic. How are your other iron indicators? Ferritin, RBC's etc.?

How much "too high" is your B6? Unless they are truly through the ceiling and the roof and headed for the moon, this is unlikely to be an issue. Remember, docs are needlessly paranoid about "toxicity" with micronutrients.

How are your fat soluble vites? A, D, E, K? Vitalady has a good fast dissolving sublingual for A and D. Tiny doses of only 10K IU each, but possibly better absorbed than capsules, and you wouldn't have to swallow anything since that's an issue for you.

How are your protein indicators? Protein, albumin, prealbumin? If these are even in the lower end of normal range, you might be absorbing less of your other nutrients, because protein is a "carrier" (a very minimal term, but it's the general idea) for many micronutrients. Folks who kick up protein intake at those ranges seem to be reporting improvements in some other micronutrient levels.

Frank,

If you care about your health, and I know you do, you should post or email or message your complete labs to one or more of the vets here *****ally know labs.  Never trust one set of eyes on your labs and never trust a surgeon or his NUT or a PCP to be the only judge of your lab results.

Your labs must also be compared to all your previous labs so that you can see TRENDS.  You can't just go by one day in time, you need to look at how your labs have been doing since the first set you had drawn.

And please tell me that you are not only taking just one liquid mutlivitamin.  What else are you taking?

I take a nice chewable mutlivitamin but that is just as the base for my vitamin plan which started as this:

www.gblcreations.com/Resources/Gina/ProgramDRNY_ERNY_BPDDS3- 2010.pdf  and has been tweaked based on my labs.

I use VitaLady's chewable Tender Iron and find it quite palatable.

I also had stopped supplementing my protein because I was eating at least 150 grams of protein a day and my last labs still had "normal" protein markers BUT they were trending down so I have started taking protein supplements again.  What EN said about protien is very true.

I don't know much about labs but I know they are complicated and inter-dependant and CRITICAL to my health.  I am thankful as H.E.L.L. that the vets here are so willing to help me look at my lab spreadsheet every 3 months.  So I know they will help you too if you will let them.

~Becky

beemerbeeper,

Thanks for the supplement info. I'm taking a course of supplements similar to that, but perhaps my regiment could be improved. Your note about tracking levels and monitoring trends is a good one.

Thanks,
 

Elizabeth,

My Ferritin is 54, and Iron 77 which I'm told fall into the "Normal" range. I don't believe I was tested for RBC's. Here's the complete list of what I was checked for; http://www.paclap.com/downloads/annualdslaborders.pdf

I don't have my B6 level handy, but am told it's high and should be lower.

While I have some trouble swallowing large pills, I'm able to take AQUADEK's, so I've got that covered.

Protein is 6.6, Albumin 4.5, I don't believe I was tested for Pre-albumin.

Thanks,

Sort of hijacking here, I apologize.  I am pre-op and use Miracle 2000 now, have for a while.  Do you typically have to take anything else with it?  Trying to get a feel for what I'll need to change moving forward.

Lynnmarie,
Take a look at Becky's post just above on this same thread. She has a link to Vitalady's vitan=min regemin for DS'ers that many of us use as a basis ofr our supplementation.

That is a useless product, overexpensive and overhyped, for anyone, but lots more so for DSers. Yeah, you'll need to take a number of things, and you'll need to use a different multi than that.

So, no recommendations for a well balanced liquid multi-vitamin that has less than 10mg of B6?

Anyone???

Looks like this might be tougher to track down than I thought :(

 http://www.vitacost.com/TRC-Nutritional-Lab-Liquid-Life-Comp lete-Nutrition