Question:
I am almost 2 weeks postop and hate the chewable vitamins.
I absolutely hate the taste of them and almost gag and throw up. I have tried crushing them and putting it in my pudding, etc., but that is gross too.I have tried 3 different brands and they are all pretty much the same. Any suggestions? — Jeannie4 (posted on July 22, 2003)
July 22, 2003
Suck it up!!! Be a woman!!! Chew those vites!!! Ok...sorry :-)
Well...you really don't want to get into swallowing pills just yet,
although I started my non-chewables at 2 months and have never had to break
them up. Since you're only taking them a couple times a day can you just
look at it like nasty tasting meds and plug your nose and swallow? Or try
swallowing them whole with water since they dissolve fairly easily? If you
can't take the vites...I wonder how protein powder will fare with you. I
hope you can strengthen your resolve, tell yourself it's for your health
and just do it. You do NOT want to become malnourished. Good luck and God
Bless!
— Kimberly L.
July 22, 2003
Can you take capsules? They are coated in gelatin and they break down
really easily. The chewable totally gagged me and while I may be a total
wimp I just was not going to get my vitamins in without an alternative. I
take prenatal capsules and give me no bad side effects. Ask your doctor if
it is okay. I started them at about a month out and gagged down the
chewables before that. Good luck!
— Carol S.
July 22, 2003
There is an alternative, liquid vitamins. They are so disgusting after one
teaspoon full you will run to use the chewables. They rank up there with
Phos-Pho in my book. Keep trying until you get what you like. Frankly I
like Flintstones with Iron and I find the other kids brands better than the
adult brands. If you don't take vitamins, you are playing roulette with
your body and health.
— M B.
July 22, 2003
Centrum Adult chewables are good and Isotonix (order from wlscenter.com)
has powder vitamins you mix in water. I ordered the calcium and it's
really good (like a fizzy but not to sweet). I tried the One Source
childrens vitamins from Wal-Mart and they don't taste to good.
— Starrlina
July 22, 2003
I get the Kirkland brand of children's vitamins from Costco. They remind
me of sweet tarts.
— TLLessor
July 22, 2003
Try Natachews... they are pretty good... you can get a script through your
doc! :~)
— Sharon m. B.
July 22, 2003
Jeannie,
Has your surgeon limited you specifically to chewable vitamins? If so, my
response will be of no use, so I apologize... I'm sure someone else will be
able to help. I take Spring Valley brand Prenatal vitamins twice daily...
they have 100% of recommended daily allowances for a daily total of 200%
with two tablets daily.
— Michael S.
July 22, 2003
Sorry to disagree with one respondent on the Bariatric Lifestyle chewables
- I, personally, can barely stand the taste but will probably finish them
then go try the ones that are supposed to taste like Sweet Tarts - yum!
— Postop_nurse
July 22, 2003
well, to add my voice, i HATED the flintstone chewables, and couldn't
stomach the liquid ones. i currently use the gnc chewable adolescent ones.
to be honest, they aren't delicious, BUT, they are tolerable, they are
nutritionally more than sufficient, and gnc discounts their products the
first week of every month.
— tuxedoll
July 22, 2003
I am VERY picky on my vitamins... I hate taking pills. What I found for
the vitamins is "One a Day ESSENTIALS" be sure it says
essentials. These are VERY VERY tiny. I also, use VitronC (small Iron)...
— star .
July 22, 2003
Hi, I use the sugar-free Bugs Bunny chewables. At two weeks, I couldn't
stand the taste of them either, but I really think our taste buds change
after this surgery. I'm now almost 7 months postop...and to me they are
like having a piece of candy...I take two a day. I also take two of the
Viactiv calcium chews a day...the chocolate is like a tootsie roll and the
orange cream is like a chewy dream sicle. YUMMMMM
— MedTrans
July 22, 2003
I got LiL Critters Gummy Vites... they're really GOOD tasting gummy bears
that come in orange, lemon, cherry & strawberry flavors and while
they're children's vitamins, you can eat 4-6 per day and feel like you're
having a treat. They chew well, taste great, give me the vitamins I need
and on top of it all, they're very low in sugar.
— Judy N.
July 22, 2003
I took Natachews for the first month. They weren't great but when I found
out that my husband paid $30 for the bottle, I used them up. Check to see
if your drug plan will pay for them or else they are very pricey. I use
the Flintstones Complete, or any other generic kids complete chewables, and
believe it or not, the generics taste better as well as being cheaper.
— Fixnmyself
July 22, 2003
I couldn't stomach them either! I bought many brands and all of them
tasted gross to me....especially, the Centrum Brands! I told my Surgeon
and he told me to take a Multi Pill and break it up if it were too big to
swallow. I am not much better about my vits! I've been taking the pills
since about 2 or 3 weeks post op and doing just fine!
Best of luck to you....
— teresa M.
July 23, 2003
Hi..
You might try "Bariatric Advantage Nutritional Supplements" My
doctor is having me take them befor my surgery which is Aug 4th. and I
bought them on line at: www.bariatricadvantage.com Good luck and I hope it
helps.
— Jeri L.
July 24, 2003
I first tried the Flintstones chewables ... then the Centrum chewables ...
they both left a very metallic taste in my mouth for hours. I also got
liquid Centrum, but didn't try it as my nutritionist told me to go back to
swallowing what I used to take, Women's One-a-Day, breaking the pills in
half if I needed to.
— Karyn B
July 28, 2003
How did I miss this one. I thought something was wrong with the store
brand children's vits I was taking because of the matalic taste. Thank
goodness for you all. This is one fabulous site. Ask a question and you
will get the answers that apply. I wuv you guys.
To those of you that take non chewable forms of vitamins, do the pills
really provide you with adequate vitamin values? Please let me know so I
can shove my chewables in the garbage. Why be more unconfortable if one
doesn't have to be.
— Rosa F.
July 28, 2003
I take a sprayable vitamin that is absorbed sublingually (under your
tongue). You just squirt a couple of little sprays under your tongue and
you're good to go - the nutrients soak in through the membranes in your
mouth. It tastes a little like pina colada and is really non-offensive.
The studies on them have shown that you actually have a better absorbtion
rate than with vitamins that you process in your stomach. This is
especially important for us WLS people who already have some absorbtion
issues. Feel free to email me if you're interested.
— Tiffany J.
July 28, 2003
One note on gummivites and vitaballs--these do NOT have iron in them so if
you use them you'll have to take a separate iron supplement. Believe me,
you do NOT want to get low on iron. You will feel like crap.
— ctyst
July 28, 2003
You could try what I am doing. I crush my Centrum chewables & Caltrate
chewables and put them in a bit of applesauce. It is a very tasty way to
get them in.
— AmyLynn B.
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