Vitamins and Vitamin A concern

The only vitamin I am on is Zatean-PN Plus and my NP is a post bariatric surgery patient. She told me that the prenatal was all I needed. I was a slacker on taking vitamins after about 10 months out. I know not the best thing to do and all, but all of my levels are normal and she did a full work up and said the prenatal was all I needed. I'm not much of a vitamin guru so I just took her medical advice considering she was an RYN patient also.

Zatean only has about half the vitamins of a regular multi. Personally, I would still add a multi-vite to that. Remember, since you had RNY you are only absorbing half of everything, anyway.

found some links to multi-vitamins with no A

http://198.173.236.238/shop/GCF.aspx (add folic acid)

http://www.ebamultivitamin.com/ebAv_AboutebA.php

Also, if you like the Bariatric Avantage multi-chewable, I believe the Vita-Band version of it has less A.
Hope this helps

Please don't stop taking your vitamins for fear of A.

First off, there is NONONONONONO toxicity possibility, to you, or a baby, with beta-carotene for two reasons:

1) Beta-carotene is not toxic to ANYONE (which is why it is the standard form of vitamin A in kids' vitamins).  It is not, not, not fetal-toxic in any dose.  You could take enough to turn you orange, and you would not hurt your baby.

The above is null and void in an RNY, VSG, or DS patient because:

2) RNY, VSG, and DS patients do not absorb BC to turn into vitamin A at all.  Period.  End of story.  Therefore, there is no toxicity capability associated to it, EVEN IF IT WERE toxic.  BC requires a very high degree of stomach acid, a fatty environment, and the duodenum to absorb.  3 strikes against it.


With that said, a LACK of vitamin A is just as bad as too much.

Take your standard 2 multivites (and yes, you need 2) and if you are truly concerned, ask for a serum retinol draw with your blood work you are getting every 8 weeks.  However, it generally is unnecessary.