Vitamins

I'm four months post op (RNY) and I'm doing great!  110 lbs down and 50 from goal.

I take 4 - Optisource vitamins per day and a B-1.  How long should I plan to take these?  Six motnhs?  A year? Forever?

You're not taking enough vits...and plan to take them forever. You'll start to absorb more calories in 2 years or so, but for some reason we don't absorb more vits.

From what i can see you are missing calcium, extra D, and a sublingual B12 and plan to take iron sometime in the future (although i'd recommend starting now before you become anemic).

Scott

I'm 5 years post, I take:

1 Men's multi
1,000 mcg B12

per day and all of my blood work comes back perfect.  You may need calcium as I take it about once a week but my doc recommends it daily.

You guys that keep telling us we need the sub-lingual knock it off.  We need b-12 but do not need the sublingual unless you have the old fashioned stapleing (which they quit doing in the 90's.  The RNY reconnects the bottom of the stomach so we have the acids we need to digest the B-12 pills.

That said you should follw your Doctors recomendations for vitamins, they all recomend differently.  What you read here is just for reference.

You do not have the acid you need to process b vits, you lose your intrinsic factor when you have the RNY. So your levels may be "ok" but most RNYers need sublingual B12 or shots. Just go on the forums and read a bit.

What you read here is for reference....and for future reference, calcium is one of those supplements that you don't realize you needed until all your bones are mush.

In my years lurking on these forums i have found that many doctors don't even run the right tests, so saying "my blood work is perfect" is completely useless, unless you tell us what blood work has been run. Does your doctor run D levels? PTH levels? Have you had a bone scan preop and then one more recently?

Some of your levels might look normal, but there is a lot more to "normal" then RBC and liver enzyme levels.

Scott

FYI another thing...your levels may be ok for years post op, then all of a sudden drop. It's one of the crazy aspects of post op life.

Thanks Scott and Robert.

I'm trying to better understand the Vitamin thing so I can ask better questions when I see the surgeon next month.

With the 4 Optisource tablets daily,  I'm getting:
1000 mg Calcium (100% RDA)
400 IU Vitamin D (100% RDA)
500 mcg B12 (8332% RDA - that's not a typo!)
30 mg Iron (168% RDA)

Is there anything else that I need to discuss with the Doc regarding supplements?

Sure appreciate it guys!

I take Optisource as well. My surgeon told me to take it from now on. He wants all RNY patients to take a chewable vitamin. He recommends Optisource or Bariatric Advantage chewable.  I also take a sublingual B-12 and an Iron pill. I only started the Iron after testing showed I needed it. My Iron was a little low even before surgery. Other than the Iron my blood tests and bone scan has been fine.

I 'am 12 mos out and take the following

multi-vits
iron
calcium citrate
Vit D
B-12 shot monthly - HOM $10 co-pay is the cheapest B-12 for me  SO FAR  Obama dont touch

Having labs this week - will see how they read and adjust

Pray for Mr. Obama today: "Let his days be few; and let another take his office." Psalm 109:8 Thanks to those *****mind me to pray the scriptures! :)

Vitamins are for life after the RnY

I'm taking 2 calcium,
2 multi vitamins
1 iron
2 b12 one in liquid spray form and 1 in sublingual pill form.

You now have a malnurishment component to your weight loss that will never go away.

Scott

The local doc that supports the weight loss support group in my area said that they are finding that people absorb more of the chewable vitamins than they do standard swallow the pill with water type vitamins.  So he has taken to telling his patients to keep taking chewable vitamins for the duration.  They are seeing better test results from them than standard pills.

Scott