Different form of B-1?

Last month my neurologist started me on 500 mg daily of vitamin B-1 (Thiamin) in doses of 250 mg every morning and night to help with my migraines.  So far, so good (except for that nasty smell!) but I keep looking at the pills I'm taking and wondering if they will absorb post-surgery or just sit in my pouch.  So, I've been looking for some other form of B-1, like liquid, sublingual tabs or powder. So far, I've seen sublinguals that I would need to take 20 doses of a day to get the right amount, liquids the same, and powder that doesn't tell you how much of the vitamin is in a dose.   Anyone have any suggestions?  

Take that pill and put in a glass of water and set it on your counter.  Check it in about 30 minutes and again at 1 hour.  The tablet should be dissolved when you stir the glass. This gives you an idea of what that little pill can do in your stomach. You can also do the same thing but add a capful of vinegar (it is a weak acid, but can approximate the acid in your stomach). If it dissolves, then feel comfortable that the pill is digesting just fine.  B1 is very readily absorbed by your body.  If the pill works - why switch to a more expensive, alternate form of the same nutrient?

Danielle, thank you for that tip.  I'm now post-surgery and as far as I can tell, physically I'm not having any trouble digesting the pill.  I've even adjusted to the nasty taste!  I'm not familiar enough with how B vitamins absorb, but I had heard that in an RNY, the part of your intestine which absorbs B vitamins is bypassed, which is why you would want to use vitamins that absorbe other ways, such as orally.  Perhaps that only applies to B12? Or maybe I've misunderstood something along the way. I'm not sure how I would be able to tell if the B1 is absorbing properly at this point, but I will talk to my nutritionist when I see him Friday and ask.  So long as it is absorbing, I've now adapted to how I'm taking it at this point..  Thanks for the information.

The B's can be pretty confusing. B12 is different than all of the other B vitamins.  In only shares the "B" in the name because it was once thought to be a similar compound - it's not.  B12 requires stomach acid and another chemical called "intrinsic factor" in order to be converted to it's usable form.  B12 is absorbed in the distal ileum.  Most people with WLS still have the ileum intact, just the mechanism for converting the vitamin is altered.  The end result is that B12 is usually supplemented. None of the other B vitamins require conversion before absorption. 

B1 is also injectable and recommended

Danielle, Are you saying the pill should be dissolved in 1 hour or 30 minutes to be useful in a RNY person?  I had heard it needs to dissolve in 5 minutes, so I switched calcium pills until I found one that did dissolve in 5 minutes. Marie

Are you dissolving it in water or vinegar? It should go a little faster in vinegar - it is a weak acid but is used in this instance to illustrate the effect of stomach acid on pills.  Different pills will break down at different rates.  I think it is wise of you to consider that in your choice of pills. As far as the timing, I say 30 minutes, but most tablets will dissolve in 5-10 minutes if they are going to at all.  5 minutes is pretty fast.  The idea is you want the pill broken down before it gets to the area where it will be absorbed.  Since absorption is altered with the type of surgery that you have, you are wise to consider the stomach's effects of the pill and give it the best chance possible for absorption. The original question was for B1, but you are right in knowing that all of your supplements need to follow the rule of dissolving quickly.  It is for this reason that so many people recommend chewable vitamins and supplements.  A pill that dissolves quickly can be a better choice for some people - i.e. those who don't like the taste of chewables, can't afford more expensive forms of vitamins, etc. My choice of 30 minutes comes from a person who develops supplements for a living.  I didn't make it up - I'm sure there are others out there that believe that quicker is better. Danielle Halewijn RD eNutritioncare.com