All in One Bariatric Vitamins
There are several different companies that make all-in-one bariatric vitamins. Most of them say you only need four tablets a day.
Most post ops take vitamins four or five times a day. I have a shoe box full of vitamin bottles and once a week I set up my pill container. You know, those things that have little spaces for pills for each day of the week? Otherwise opening all those pill bottles and getting out my vitamins several time a day would be a huge hassle. And most people would love to be able to only take four pills a day, all out of the same bottle. It would make life a lot easier and it would save money.
So how come most of us aren’t taking those all-in-one deals?
Because they don’t meet our needs. It would be great if they did, but they don’t. Just because they print “bariatric" on the label and say you only need four a day, that just doesn’t make it true. Even though some surgeons sell these in their offices (which makes me cringe), that doesn’t mean they meet our needs.
The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery says we need 200% of the RDA of most things. But most of those brands that say you only have to take four a day, do not give you 200% in just four. With most of those, you’d need EIGHT a day.
The ASMBS also says we need 1500-2000 mg calcium CITRATE a day. It needs to be citrate because we no longer have enough stomach acid to absorb calcium carbonate. But those all-in-one brands usually have calcium carbonate.
We also must take a B12 supplement. We can’t absorb B12 from a chewable multi, or any multi we swallow. We do not have enough intrinsic factor in our pouches. So we have to take a sublingual B12, or the nasal spray, or the shots.
In addition, many of the all-in-one brands contain forms of some vitamins or minerals that we do not absorb well because of our RNY. If you want to take one of these, you can, but if you want to get the nutrients you need, you will need to take a LOT of other vitamins in addition to the EIGHT all-in-one tablets you’d need. Personally, I find a good multi I can take just twice a day more convenient and more affordable.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
It would be wonderful if you could post a more specific list. I compare any two brands, and I see that each one has more of this or that than the other one has. I wish I had a list which specifies, vitamin by vitamin, how much we need of each.
I know every individual has different needs, but such a list would be a great starting point, until our blood work tells us what we need more of.
advTHANKSance!
"Multivitamin-mineral supplement: A high-potency vitamin containing 100% of daily value for at least 2/3 of nutrients" -- amending that to 200% for RNY people.
I am very surprised that it does not specify WHICH nutrients we should have! And even then, they don't care which 2/3 we have? I know very little biology, but it is possible that as long as we get a wide variety of vitamins, the body can fill in for the missing ones?
[NOTICE to those who haven't read that file: After the above about general multivitamins, it DOES single out iron, calcium, and B12 for special attention.]
I guess my surgeon was correct when he told me that I could take any multivitamin, and that it doesn't really matter which. I thought he was being to casual, but maybe not.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
