Small vitamins
Hello - I am 3 weeks post-op and my surgeon had prescribed Ferricon (I think that is what they were called) capsules for my iron and B12. They are rather large and I have been have having trouble taking them. I just talked to the nurse and she said the alternative is this:
325 mg of iron - 1 time per day
500-1000 mcg of B12 - 1 time per day
600 mg Calcium Citrate w/ 400 mg of Vitamin D - 2 times per day
I am looking for smaller pills of these, as I would rather take 3-4 small pills than 1 large pill. Any suggestions?
325 mg of iron - 1 time per day
500-1000 mcg of B12 - 1 time per day
600 mg Calcium Citrate w/ 400 mg of Vitamin D - 2 times per day
I am looking for smaller pills of these, as I would rather take 3-4 small pills than 1 large pill. Any suggestions?
“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces, while regret weighs tons.? - Jim Rohn
"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." - Bill Cosby
(17 lbs lost pre-op)
You can get b12 that melts under your tongue, and I get an iron shot once a week I also get a b12 shot once a month it is so much easier and my calcium citrate with vitamin d is a liquid you take 15 mls 3 times a day and it tastes ok , hope some of this helps good luck
Cheryl Allan
HW...355......SW....322...CW 281
For B12, you need a sublingual, that melts under your tongue, so it doesn't really matter how big it is. An alternative is B12 shots once a week.
For calcium, you need 1500-2000 mg a day, so more than she told you. If you don't want big pills, try Upcal D. It's a powder you mix in a drink or something like yogurt, and it has no taste.
For iron, if she told you to take 325 mg, I'm guessing she means ferrous sulfate. We absorb carbonyl iron better. It comes in small pills.
For vitamin D, how much you need depends on your vitamin D level. What was your D level last time you had labs done? 400 mg D twice a day is not very much at all. I would bet you'd need more.
For calcium, you need 1500-2000 mg a day, so more than she told you. If you don't want big pills, try Upcal D. It's a powder you mix in a drink or something like yogurt, and it has no taste.
For iron, if she told you to take 325 mg, I'm guessing she means ferrous sulfate. We absorb carbonyl iron better. It comes in small pills.
For vitamin D, how much you need depends on your vitamin D level. What was your D level last time you had labs done? 400 mg D twice a day is not very much at all. I would bet you'd need more.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Thank you for all of the replies!
Calcium - I just went to Walgreen's and bought the Citracal Petites - I already took one and I can handle those! :) They only have 400 mg of calcium though so I may need to look at something different, or check out the Upcal D. Maybe I will take 2 of the pills twice a day - that would get me to 1600 mg a day.
Iron - the pharmacist said that she would prefer me to stay on what the have prescribed for the iron and B12 - they are Ferotrin Capsules - she said there would be nothing comparable over the counter for the iron. All of the iron pills I saw there were 45-50 mg of iron, so that doesn't get me anywhere near 325 mg. Kelly, I am not sure the difference between iron and ferrous sulfate. So should I be looking for carbonyl iron pills instead of just regular iron? Would I just get them at, as someone else mentioned, The Vitamin Shoppe or someplace similar?
Vitamin D - my level was very low - like 16 (that was up from 8!). I agree that the amount she told me to take seems low.
I am looking forward to getting this all sorted out because I have NO energy and believe that vitamin deficiencies is causing much of it. Thanks again for all of the responses.
Calcium - I just went to Walgreen's and bought the Citracal Petites - I already took one and I can handle those! :) They only have 400 mg of calcium though so I may need to look at something different, or check out the Upcal D. Maybe I will take 2 of the pills twice a day - that would get me to 1600 mg a day.
Iron - the pharmacist said that she would prefer me to stay on what the have prescribed for the iron and B12 - they are Ferotrin Capsules - she said there would be nothing comparable over the counter for the iron. All of the iron pills I saw there were 45-50 mg of iron, so that doesn't get me anywhere near 325 mg. Kelly, I am not sure the difference between iron and ferrous sulfate. So should I be looking for carbonyl iron pills instead of just regular iron? Would I just get them at, as someone else mentioned, The Vitamin Shoppe or someplace similar?
Vitamin D - my level was very low - like 16 (that was up from 8!). I agree that the amount she told me to take seems low.
I am looking forward to getting this all sorted out because I have NO energy and believe that vitamin deficiencies is causing much of it. Thanks again for all of the responses.
“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces, while regret weighs tons.? - Jim Rohn
"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." - Bill Cosby
(17 lbs lost pre-op)
The citracal petites are only 200 mg per pill, so you need to take 8 a day to get 1600 mg daily. The iron should NOT be taken with the Calcium because the calcium will block absorption of the iron.
You MUST take sublingual B12....any B12 that you swallow is a waste of money. You won't metabolize it, and beign low in B12 can cause permanent damage.
If your Vitamin D was 16, you need to be taking 50,000 iu DRY D3 .... you can't get those in a prescription, but you ccan order them from Vitalady
If you've been feeling lousy, get some good B12 (sublingually) and Dry D3
The 325 mg of Ferrous Sulfate is because only so many miligrams is elemental iron.... but I'm really lousy at the iron thing (taking and understanding) so that is why the recommendation is the other type.
You MUST take sublingual B12....any B12 that you swallow is a waste of money. You won't metabolize it, and beign low in B12 can cause permanent damage.
If your Vitamin D was 16, you need to be taking 50,000 iu DRY D3 .... you can't get those in a prescription, but you ccan order them from Vitalady
If you've been feeling lousy, get some good B12 (sublingually) and Dry D3
The 325 mg of Ferrous Sulfate is because only so many miligrams is elemental iron.... but I'm really lousy at the iron thing (taking and understanding) so that is why the recommendation is the other type.
~Lady Lithia~ 200 lbs lost!
March 9, 2011 - Coccygectomy!
I chased my dreams, and my dreams, they caught me!
Hi Lithia - I just looked at the bottle, and see that the serving size is two pills to get to the 400 mg - yikes - that's not going to do much for me! Thank you for pointing that out. OK - so I think I am good on what to get for everything other than iron. I am hoping Kelly can shed some more light on that part of it for me. Thank you! :)
“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces, while regret weighs tons.? - Jim Rohn
"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." - Bill Cosby
(17 lbs lost pre-op)
Yeah, it's just 200 mg per pill. Order Upcal D. You'll like it.
For D3, you need 50, 000IUD3. As low as you are, you need a big, big dose. You need your D level at least 80.
For iron, I'd go with Sundown Perfect iron. It's carbonyl. Absorbed better than ferrous sulfate and won't constipate you.
If you wanna try some Upcal D and Sundown Perfect Iron before you invest in a package yourself, if you PM me your address, I'll send you a few pills and a few packs of upcal D to try.
For D3, you need 50, 000IUD3. As low as you are, you need a big, big dose. You need your D level at least 80.
For iron, I'd go with Sundown Perfect iron. It's carbonyl. Absorbed better than ferrous sulfate and won't constipate you.
If you wanna try some Upcal D and Sundown Perfect Iron before you invest in a package yourself, if you PM me your address, I'll send you a few pills and a few packs of upcal D to try.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
You can do a combo of powder (I use Bariatric Advantage Crystals) and pills.
325 mg of ferrous iron (iron salts) = 65mg. Neither pharmacists nor MD's really grasp the elemental iron concept, which scares the daylights out of me! But since you absorb 0% of ferrous-anything, the mg cross over is moot.
I take Tender Iron (carbonyl) and one capsule = 60mg elemental + vit C
B12 MUST be under your tongue. The B12 contained in your iron is useless to you. The iron is ok, and I think that one has about 110mg elemental iron, probably ferrous fumarate. your choice. It was the same as nothing for us.
325 mg of ferrous iron (iron salts) = 65mg. Neither pharmacists nor MD's really grasp the elemental iron concept, which scares the daylights out of me! But since you absorb 0% of ferrous-anything, the mg cross over is moot.
I take Tender Iron (carbonyl) and one capsule = 60mg elemental + vit C
B12 MUST be under your tongue. The B12 contained in your iron is useless to you. The iron is ok, and I think that one has about 110mg elemental iron, probably ferrous fumarate. your choice. It was the same as nothing for us.
Michelle
RNY, distal, 10/5/94
P.S. My year + long absence has NOTHING to do with my WLS, or my type of WLS. See my profile.
I use Sundown perfect iron I take 2, for 100mg of carbonyl iron and 1 500mg Vit C (from the grocery store)
I get a lot of my stuff from The Vitamin Shoppe.. They have a liquid calcium, but I use gel caps from there. (Solaray Calcium Citrate with vit D3) They aren't that small but go down easy and can be opened and mixed with food or drink. I take 2000mg a day.
I use a liqiud B-12 with folic acid from there it has a dropper and goes under the tongue they also have B-12 in spray form.
I get a lot of my stuff from The Vitamin Shoppe.. They have a liquid calcium, but I use gel caps from there. (Solaray Calcium Citrate with vit D3) They aren't that small but go down easy and can be opened and mixed with food or drink. I take 2000mg a day.
I use a liqiud B-12 with folic acid from there it has a dropper and goes under the tongue they also have B-12 in spray form.
Most Active
Recent Topics