Question:
How soon after surgery can you start taking vitamins?

Some of the vitamins I take now are huge horse pills...... will this be a problem?    — pamela1 (posted on August 5, 2002)

August 5, 2002
My doc has patients start taking 2 Flinstone chewables the day they get out of the hospital. By 6 weeks post op I could swallow regular vitamins, citrical, Vit C -- all horse pills--with no problem at all.
   — phoebe

August 5, 2002
Everyone is different.....I am four weeks post-op and for the first week I used chewables and cut my other pills up in small pieces. Week two I was able to take all my vitamin capsules including my calcium horse capsules with no problems. I still cut my huge pills up because they don't disolve as easy as the vegetable capsules. You need your vitamins for energy so I would start taking them right away.
   — Joanie J.

August 5, 2002
I started taking chewable Flintstone's and Tums for calcium the day I left the hospital. I now know better, and am able to manage the large Calcium Citrate pills (can't seem to find chewables), but 5.5 months post-op, I still take two children's chewable multi-vites a day (currently, Scooby-Doo, sometime Flints, Rugrats... :) ) I tried the Centrum One-a-Day's that I took pre-op for about a week, but man oh man did they do a number on my bowels. I didn't go for a week, and I was sure it was the Centrum's fault. Back to the chewables for me! One doctor told me two a day has enough nutrients for an adult.
   — PaulaM

August 5, 2002
In response to Paula's post, my surgeon told me Flintstones chewables are great for the newer post-ops for the first couple/few months but that for longer term, they do not have enough of the essential nutrients we need. I now take Vista Vitamins which are so convenient.
   — Jennifer A.

August 5, 2002
I tried the chewable vitamins for about a week and got burnt out on them. Then I started cutting my regular multi-vitamin in half - so each piece was no bigger than a M&M.
   — Valerie H.

August 5, 2002
this probably sounds weird, but I really look forward to my vitamins. they are sweet enough that I make them a treat after my meal at breakfast and dinner. centrum orange flavored chewables. yum!
   — Nichole B.