Vitamin question

my recent blood worked show a low vitamin A count.  Dr advised to suppliment with 8000 mg daily.  Problem is they only come in gel cap form.  Was told that like vit E which is gel also it is ingested and absorbed with fat.  Question is, after RNY I thought we could not take anything in gel form??

I know there are alot of vitamin guru's out there so please a word of advice?

I had my surgery in October. My dr just gave me a script for Vitamin D and they are gel caps. 

My doc says pills Ok after a few months.  I use D vit oil, added to anything - no taste.  I don't need vit A.

Prob does not take too much stomach acid to dissolve the gel and then you have a liquid in your stomach. (Actually, thinking about it, gel may dissolve in water - I seem to remember one that stayed in my mouth too long and it leaked.)

I currently take Vit. D3 gel cap (preop) and the dietician specifically told me it was fine to continue taking this form post op.

There is a difference between gel caps, and soft gels. It's not the outside part that's the issue, it's what is inside.

If the gel cap gas a dry powder inside, you are fine. You want vitamins in dry form.

Soft gels are little dark football shaped things. The inside is not dry, it's oil, with the vitamin suspended in the oil. RNYers malabsorb fats, especially the first couple of years, but some is permanent. Because the vitamin is in oil, you won't absorb it very well.

There are dry versions of vitamins available that are perfect for us. I take dry D3 and K. Dry Vitamin A is available. 

Be careful with Vitamin A. Levels build up easily, and take a long time to drop. You can get toxic levels, worse than with other vitamins. If you look at vitamin labels, especially children's vitamins, you'll see that the percentage of the RDA of Vitamin A is lower than anything else. That's done to keep people from reaching Vitamin A toxicity. I'm not saying don't take it if you need it. Just have your levels checked more frequently.

Thanks Grim for the info! Question though, I was told to take vit A with fat saying it would only be absorbed this way.  Also, you mentioned having my blood work done more frequently, how is this done?  Simply call the docs office and ask them to order more blood work?  I know they have a schedule in the first year and didnt realize they would do this.  

The fat soluble vitamins just aren't absorbed well by us. That advice is really for non-WLSers.

Just ask whoever told you to increase the vitamin A when they will retest it. 3 or 6 months for a recheck is probably a good idea.

The nurse at my surgeons office told me that. Hmmm makes me wonder now.  And thanks again for the info!

they are dry Vit A available. same as dry D3...

an idea

http://www.amazon.com/Vitamin-Shoppe-Non-Oily-10000-capsules /dp/B00013Z1KA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452201284&sr=8-2&keyw ords=dry+vitamin+a+10000+iu

http://www.amazon.com/BioTech-Pharmacal-D3-50-000-Count/dp/B 000A0F2B2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452201313&sr=8-3&keywords= dry+vitamin+a+10000+iu

Thank you, I think I will order these!