Question:
Can someone help me with filling my doset box properly?

I have searched the Vitamin and Mineral section in the Library but could not find a post about this. Please don't suggest I ask my surgeon, he says 1 multivitamin a day is fine, I know it's not. I have purchased a doset box, 4 compartments per day, 7 days a week. I am not sure of the daily dosage for the Calcium. I know that some of these should not be taken together, some should be taken with food, not with antacids, blah blah blah. LOL I am very confused, can someone who knows this stuff well help me out? I had open RNY Aug7/03, HAVE to take the stool softener, I'm down 60 lbs, labs show iron and B-12 are low, B-12 will be by injection at doc's office weekly until labs are improved. I can drink milk and I do use it in my protien shake every day. I am willing to shift my foods and drinks around to accommodate the vitamins but I don't know what to eat when. Arrggghhh! HELP! Centrum Select multi-vitamin...1-1X a day; Ferrous Gluconate 300mg (35mg elemental)... 1-3X a day; Calcium citrate 300mg with 200 IU Vit D...?X a day; Ducosate sodium 100 mg (stool softener)...2-1X a day; Ranitidine 150 mg (Zantac-antacid)...1-2X a day.    — mary ann T. (posted on November 4, 2003)

November 4, 2003
email me privately with your list and I'll see if I can sort them out, ok? [email protected]
   — vitalady

November 4, 2003
I think a lot of docs differ on the vitamin regimens. Here is what mine orders as a minimum: 1 adult multi or 2 children's (chewable) multi per day; 1000 mg calcium; 500 mcg B-12; 500 mg Vit C; 325 mg iron (ferrous sulfate). Here is how I'm handling the regimen right now (I'm 8 wks post-op): Take the 2 children's multis in the AM after breakfast, followed by the B-12 (sublingual which dissolves under the tongue); later in the AM, I take a calcium capsule (500 mg) with a stool softener; after lunch in the PM, I take the other calcium, or after dinner with another stool softener; then at night before bed I take the iron and Vit C. This is working pretty well for me at this point. Of course, I realize that after my first lab work, it may have to be altered to allow for more. The biggest thing to remember is not to take calcium with iron and Vit C. They cancel each other out. So make sure you space them apart several hours. If this is a bad routine, I hope someone more knowledgeable will help me out, but it seems to be working so far. I hope this was helpful to you.
   — Carlita

November 6, 2003
Also keep in mind that you cannot absorb but about 500mg of calcium at a time, so take your calcium tablets at a different time than you multi-viatmins.
   — MsBatt