Question:
Please Please Please help with my vitamins

Hello, I'm 5 weeks post-op RNY and my Dr. told me to take flinstones chew ables right now and in one week start taking prenatial vitamins in a few weeks but didn't say when or anything and now he's on vacation for 3 weeks...what a dr. Anyway what all vitamins should i take now and in the future and how much... i need to know everything everything i need to take please...... Thank you so so much God Bless    — Teranie (posted on August 31, 2008)


August 31, 2008
YOU NEED TO TAKE ALL THIS DAILY 2 FLINTSTONE COMPLETE TRINSICON THIS IS A IRON SUPPLEMENT. 2 A DAY,ZINC 1X A DAY,CALCIUM.YOU NEED 1500 MGS,I HAVE BEEN TAKING THIS DAILY AND IM 6 YRS OUT AND MY BLOODWORK IS GOOD.GOOD LUCK
   — deb44m

August 31, 2008
Reading these boards, I am finding every doctor and nutritionist is different. My doctor has us drink the Bariatrix Protein Powders from Metagenics - also from there we get the multivitamin which is made especially for bariatric patients. It is designed so absorb quickly so that you don't have to crush it or chew it - if we take any other kind we are suppose to get chewables. Also from Metagenics we get the iron pill which you take one a day, and the Calcium/Vit D (Cal. Apatite Forte) which you take 2 a day. Don't take your calcium at the same time you take your multivitamin as the multivitamin can interfere with absorption of the calcium. So - take the multivitamin and iron pill with breakfast and take one calcium at lunch and one at dinner. Also, take one Vit. B12 2000 mcg Lozenge every WEEK - he recommended the Solaray brand from Super Supplements - it dissolves under the tongue. The Metagenics items can be purchased online. Anyway, that is what my doctor recommends - but like I said each doctor is different.
   — Wendy M.

September 1, 2008
My surgeon is also different in what he told me to take... which goes to show you that there's more than one GOOD way to do this! It was recommended that I take 2 multivitamin/day 1 B12/day, 1 iron/day and 1 calcium citrate with vitamin D/day. He did say that the Flinstone chewables were okay for the multivitamins. I'm 6 weeks p/o and I've found a better multivitamin that eliminates the daily B12 & iron = Centruim Silver... (I'm also 51yrs old). So now I just take the calcium and the Centrum and I get all of my daily requirements... and they are both chewable! (I get them both at Wal-Mart). Hope this helps!
   — pattschiele

September 1, 2008
My RNY doctor recommends NOT taking Flintstone vitamins at all! Here's his list of vitamins to look for: Daily multivitamin/Minerals *100% RDI or more for vitamins A E C D and Niacin (B3) *200% RDI or more for major B-Complex vitamins, particularly folic acid and thiamin *100% RDI for minerals like zinc, copper, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, chromium, magnesium and others. -- B-12 (1000mcg injections monthly with Metanx or 1000mcg daily sublingual or use the nasal spray as directed.) --Calcium CITRATE (1500 mg/day for lap bands, 1500-2000mg/day for rny patients) *Iron (15 mg/day for men, 30 mg/day for women) *Protein 20-40 grams/serving *0-4 grams of carbs/serving *0-5 grams total fat/serving That's the "shopping list" they gave us in our nutrition meeting. Hope it helps! I'm going with the sublinguals as much as I can (takes up less pouch space).
   — Jean Ann T.

September 1, 2008
I'm six months out and I've been taking the Flintstones complete chewables, plus a B-6,B12 & Flolic Acid (Trivita), Calcium supplement and my bloodwork was perfect recently. More importantly I have lost 83 pounds, cut my insulin from 60 units to 10 units a night, thrown away my blood pressure medicine and fI feel great! Do what your doctor says! If you can't reach him today keep doing what he/she says until you reach him.
   — SLittle1

September 1, 2008
2X adult chewable vits that include Vit K and Selenium.... 2 X Iron with Vit C as ascorbic acid (DO NOT take ferrous sulfate or iron salts with RNY) I take carbonyl and got rid of anemia on high doses with no side effects or toxicity like Iron salts. Iron is NOT a friendly vit! It is highly toxic...Carbonyl Iron is not toxic and is well absorbed in RNYers and other people who as they get older don't produce as much stomach acid...like us... B-12 500-1000mcg a day Sublingual is the only kind RNYers can take (Shots and sprays included) NO TABLETS! Needs saliva to absorb in mouth! Calcium Citrate 1000-2000 mg 2-4 times a day. MUST take with Vit D3 (and magnesium is helpful in absorption and prevents constipation)... Don't take Calcium carbonate. It needs stomach acid to be absorbed as does Iron salts (ferrous sulfate) and B-12...This is the REASON specific vits are needed for RNYers....I also take a B-100 once a week (mega high doses of all the B Vits) for skin hair nails and overall immune system.... I take a zinc daily too because calcium depletes zinc after a while ( I was near def on zinc) ...But taking zinc on a regular basic depletes copper needed to absorb iron...So I personally take 2 mg copper with my iron (copper is WONDERFUL for skin too and has healing properties!) RNYers also malabsorb fats and oils...Your fat soluble vits are A, E, D and K...These MUST be taken in DRY form to be absorbed...That is why you need Vit D3 with calcium Citrate (It is the DRY form of the Vit D oil) With all that said...It takes a while to deplete your bodies natural vitamin stores ...So your labs might be in the normal range and slowly begin to plummet....If you don't get labs for all these vits at the VERY LEAST yearly, and keep an eye on them...You could be like me and find yourself malnourished 4 years post op and have NO clue why or what happened...Just like that! My B-12 for example went from 1127 to 700's in 4 months...THAT is something I need to watch VERY closely....Vitamin defs are no matter to take lightly...Take the right vits for your surgery...Take them DAILY without fail. Watch your labs...DO NOT wait til you are deficient to up your vits...Be you own health care advocate...KNOW your body if you want to live a long healthy life...Vit defs can cause irreversible damage to your heart and brain and major organs...and can cause early-sudden death. You do not have to take all the vits I mentioned...But KNOW what vits you need to take if you do become deficient or low. Be aware of how vits interact or COUNTERACT each other. Such as calcium and iron...Those two are not friends... I also take a high potency Omega 3 as Krill oil (3 times a regular omega3 ) I am well after learning these things and being malnourished...I will NEVER take my vits for granted ever again....WLS truly does have rules to follow and is not only about WS...but becoming healthy too...A good range of Vits (the suitable ones) are truly important to the RNYer and their her/his long term health
   — .Anita R.

September 2, 2008
Hi! I'm sure you were told that all dr's are different have different thoughts and opions when it comes to vitamins. My dr also had me start out with flinstone chewables and he gave me a prescription for liquid thiamin(gross!). I also had to take B-12 which GNC has cherry sublinguals. I believe I also took chewable iron at some point. There is a website called Bariatricadvantage.com which has lots of vitamins that are chewable. Now that I am 2 1/2 yrs post RNY,I take 2 multi vitamins with iron,1 B-Complex,2 Hair,Skin,&Nail vitamins,as well as 2 b-12 sublinguals at least 3days a week,and then Calcium Citrate,all from GNC. Just food for thought,as I'm sure you have received many great ideas. Hope this helps as well. Good luck! Have a great day!
   — debbiedoo67

September 2, 2008
My nut doesn't recommend a specific brand, she says she's never seen anybody who takes their supplements get sick. You need a good multivit/mineral supplement twice a day, with meals, very important that it have iron. We need to take twice a day because we don't absorb nutrients as well as before. Multivit/mineral with meals, I do breakfast & dinner. Then also 800 to 1000 mg twice a day of calcium citrate, needs to be calcium citrate and not calcium carbonate as we don't absorb carbonate as well. Calcium citrate better on empty stomach and don't take at same time as iron because they use same receptors and can only absorb one, I forget which one gets absorbed. I do calcium mid morn and mid afternoon. I take centrum chewables, am seven months out but have trouble swallowing large pills and the centrum doesnt taste too bad (don't take centrum silver, doesn't have iron). For calcium, I take citracal petites, they're smaller pills and easier to swallow. Oh and you want a calcium that has vitamin D with it so it's absorbed better. I used to take calcium that also had magnesium, which also helps absorption, but all the magnesium was giving me diarrhea, which is rare. And we need extra B12, my doctor gave me a scrip and I inject once a month, just a pin prick, no big deal. Some people do a sublingual B12, just make sure you're doing B12. Good luck!
   — Susan C.

September 24, 2008
I tried several before finding the right one for me. It's liquid, all inclusive in one ounce a day that tastes good!! read about it at www.passion4lifevitamins.com/tarra - It is worth your time, I promise!!
   — Fluffee




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