WHAT DO YOU TAKE FOR VITAMINS ??

I'm new to this messageboard. I'm post-op about 8 months and have lost 160 lbs. I'm wondering what you are taking for vitamins at this stage in your life. This are so many different types and I want to make sure I don't get low on anything. Thanks for your help and advice. I love reading the posts here.

Hi Brenda! I love this board, too - glad you found us! I've stuck with a pretty basic vitamin regime - Morning and Evening: 1 chewable Flintstones, twice a week 1 sublingual Vitamin B-12 and 1500mg of Calcium daily. For ME that has worked well and so far my labs are good. As is often pointed out here we are really the test run for this surgery - this huge (yeah, no pun intended) group of us who are post-op will teach the medical community a lot. The importance of keeping our end of the bargain cannot be overstated - we will always have to monitor ourselves and stay vigilant about labs and many other markers of our health. Please stay with your program and follow what works for YOU. Congratulations on your success! Your WLS pal, Bette

hi and congratulations of the great weight loss you've had. you are doing great. The GRADS board is for people one year or more out so I am not sure if our routines would be the same as yours. However, there are a lot of people about as far out post op as you are on the main board and I bet they have more answers than we do for an eight month post op. I do know that vitamins are for life . But my needs have changed as I've gotten farther out.

I am cuurently taking one source vitamins from walmart for my multi, 2 daily. I am planning to a switch to optisource ( made for bariatric patients available at walgreens) after these run out. I also take Iron, I was anemic and am not any more, but the amount I take keeps me stable on my blood count. I take the iron with C and do not take at the same time as my calcium. The amount of iron one needs is very individual, you need to discuss with your Dr. if you need to take additinal iron, the amount and kind. I also take citracal plus,(1500 mg elemental calcium. calcium citrate is more absorbable) with vit D and magnesium. Dry E 400 units a day. I also use a liquid b-complex from GNC.

I take my surgeon's vitamin. He formulated it especially for post-Weight loss patients. They aren't expensive either! $16 for 90 tablets. I also take B12, iron, biotin, and calcium. Still the same as the day after surgery. My labs have been good thus far. I'll be two years out in December. Still would like to lose 6 lbs. Working on it!

At my one year appointment, my surgeon strongly suggested that I start taking a vitamin formulated specifically for bariatric patients. There were several on his list. I opted for Vista Vitamins Wellness Formula Capsules. I order it online from their Web site. I can't take their chewable variety because I can't stand the taste. I take a packet of four pills in the morning and another in the evening. I feel pretty good taking them, and am hoping my blood work is good at my next appointment. I also take B-12 and extra calcium. Congrats on your weight loss --- it's awesome! Welcome to this board, it's great as well. Joni

I take GNC Solotron chewables when I forget to take my shot, um, my swig, of my liquid Tropical Oasis Mutlivitamin mineral. I also take soft capsules of calcium citrate and my doc has prescribed Trinsicon for the iron and B deficiency. I don't take hard pills because I know they don't stay in the tiny tummy long enough to dissolve and reap the benefit of them, and they just make for some mighty rich [and expensive] pooooooooo.

Hello Brenda - Below is the stuff Im taking on a daily basis and have pretty much for the last 3 years. Ive had 6 labs done since my RNY surgery and I chart the results on a flow chart I created on MicroSoft. I didn't want to leave it up to my doctor(s) to notice any slight variences or declines. My husband is in the military and we move around, hence the revolving door of PCP's in my life. So far, my labs have all came back in great shape: * 2 Prenatal Multi Vitamin w/iron (script from the doc) * B-12 Injections mo. 1000 mg - I give them to myself (script) * B-12 Sublingual - every other day (recently added this) * 1 Trinsicon Iron capsule (script) * Ester-C taken WITH my Iron - 1000 mg * Calcium Citrate (w/Magnesium and D) - 2000 mg * Zinc - 100 mg - 1 daily (personal choice) * B-Complex - 1 daily (personal choice) - Lei

At 8 months post op you should have been on vitamins from the beginning. What does your surgeon want you on? I take two flintstones complete chewables and my sublingual B-12 in the morning, and calcium is mid afternoon and evening. Calcium can't be taken with the vitamins. Things have to be taken at the right time and so many hours apart. Check with your doctor as to what he wants you on, and how often.

I take the Optisource vitamins made especially for bariatric patients. My surgeon had a long list of vitamins I too****il recently but he wanted us to always crush all vitamins & I just couldn't handle the taste so I took them the normal way. Then I started having stomach pain & was afraid it was caused by one getting stuck. That is when I decided to start taking Optisource. It's chewable & very good tasting. Not at all chalky & at $25 for 120 not too expensive. I take 4 a day. My surgeon has been recommending it to his patients for several months now so I guess they are good. The only part that bothers me is they contain calcium carbonate instead of citrate. I get my blood work done next month so I'll know if they are good enough. Dixie