What vites and how many do you take?

 If you want to see your labs (and your bones) go right down the toilet, just try taking the BA with ADEK.    I am the poster child for that.  Do NOT, and I'm going to emphasize, do NOT assume that this is enough for us!   Your surgeon is under-recommending the amount of vitamins you need.   

I do not know a single DS"er whose D has stayed up on the BA+ADEK supplements.   If any of you are out there, please chime in.
I'm with NewYork ***** on this one.   If you cannot afford the vitamins, do not get the DS.   I'm saying this with the utmost kindness, but I cannot emphasize this enough.

Thank you, this is what I need to know.  So, you have to take them seperately...Other than vitalady, are there other sources for dry ADEK so I can price shop?

I have to agree.  If you can not afford the supplements required, do not get the DS.  You must take your supplements or you will die!  I've witnessed it happen on this (and other) forums.  Just remember any WLS will require supplementation.  The DS does require the most supplements, but it also has has some of the best long term results.  

I take 43 (supplement) pills a day, plus 3 that are prescription.  I take a bit more calcium citrate and vitamin D3 than the normal DS'er but I have to because I had my thyroid removed recently and my parathyroid was damaged...other than that I pretty much follow VitaLady's plan.  I think I am one of the lower spenders on supplements around here and get away with spending about $70 a month. Imo just over $2 a day is not bad considering I could have spent more than that just on prescriptions pre-op.  I buy my supplements in bulk and from multiple websites to save costs.

~Roxy

You can cut spending by getting your multi, calcium, iron and maybe b12 for very close to free by using coupons @ RiteAid, CVS, Walgreens... They usually run very good deals, that with coupons and money back (each store has its own program) the items will be free. For example I have 20$ in Rite Aid UP+ rewards to spend, i got this because they ran a promo on diapers and when i spend 30$ on diapers there they gave me 10$ back to spend a the store(i did this deal 2 times so i have $20). I could in theory use this to buy some vitamins there like Centrum, Bifera Iron and calcium. Also they often have a deal where Vitamin XYZ is on sale for 10$, you have a 4$ off coupon and there is a 6$ UP+ Reward = free vitamim  (all numbers are estimates)

However i will say that, there are ways to spend less, but you must have the $$$ available to spend more if you NEED IT.

I have the time to coupon, to look for deals- but i also have a   6 month vitamin stockpile that i basically just maintain- i spend an initial 400$ on it, i ordered things from vitalady and puritans pride which ran a good promo (which they often run- you can get B12 from there for VERY CHEAP). 
If for some reason my vitamin cost doubled b/c of my labs, i know that we HAVE money for that and I know that if it tripled we would cut corners elsewhere but for  that we will have money barring any unforseen cir****tances- i.e job loss etc.

so overall with careful planning, deal searching and couponing you can buy in bulk, stock up, use coupons and save a lot but you have to be willing to save nothing and spend whatever it takes if you need to as well.

Changed so that my post and information is not shared on FB without my permission or knowledge.

my D was low b4 surgery so i take more D- so i spend more b/c of that. I spend about 100$ with protein powder....

Hi Hoosier-

I just wanted to add that the ADEK pills (with all the fat-soluble vites in one pill) are usually inappropriate for DSers.
I often need to tweak only one of my fat soluble vitamins at a time, and a combination pill will not allow that. For example,  I take 20,000-50,000 IUs of DRY vitamin D per day to keep my vit D within healthy range, but only need a fraction of the typical DSer dose of Vitamins A & E (I'm not a huge malabsorber in general) so I take a  relatively low dose of E, and NO A at the moment as it was getting sky-high. 

I don't keep very good track of what I spend per month, but  I can tell you that you can not predict how much of a malabsorber you will be and you should be prepared to spend whatever amount of $ neccessary to supplement as needed to maintain healthy levels after surgery.
I get most of my supplements at Vitamin Shoppe. I buy the large sizes and try to stock up if something goes on sale or is BOGO.  

As far as what I personally take everyday:

2 prenatal vitamins, 6 calcium citrate, 1 dry E, lots of dry D, 1 dry K, 1  zinc, 2 vit. c, 4 tbsps liquid iron, 1 b-complex, 4 magnesiums, and 2 probiotics.... not to mention stool softeners, protein supplements (protein powder), iron infusions every 18 months, etc.... And I'm one of the less-malabsorptive DSers... the amount I take of many vitamins would be insufficient for many other DSers. This is why monitoring your blood levels is vital! I am getting labs done every 6 weeks b/c I'm currently pregnant and being extra vigilant, but you should be prepared to have your blood drawn at least 3x's a year for the rest of your life (and more frequently in the immediate post-op period)

Having the DS is very do-able, but you do have to be vigilant and there is no cutting corners. Good luck! 


-V

Changed so that my post and information is not shared on FB without my permission or knowledge.

 I have kept my regimen about the same, but replaced my regular multi with a prenatal. But I am keeping a close eye on my labs and I'm ready to adjust my supplements accordingly.  -V

Compare your prenatal with your normal multi. How does it compare in completeness? 

If it's like many/most prenatals, it's lousy in that regard. You might take it in addition to your multi, but it's no replacement for a multi by a long shot.