BrownEyes401
Vitamin info - thanks to a friend :)
Jun 11, 2010
The ASMBS recommends the following:A multi that has 100% of the RDA of stuff in it. Take two a day.
1500-2000 mg calcium citrate. Make sure it's citrate, not carbonate.
18-27 mg iron, unless your labs show you need more.
B12. You can use a sublingual, 350-500 mcg per day (unless your labs show you need more), a patch once a week, a nasal spray once a week, or shots once a month.
They say a B complex is optional.
Many people also need D3. If you have not had your vitamin D level tested, it's a very good idea to do so.
After RNY, B12 MUST be taken in injection, sublingual, or nasal inhalant form. It requires binding to an enzyme called intrinsic factor (IF) in order to be absorbed. IF is secreted in the part of the stomach that was bypassed. Therefore it is inaccessible to the RNY patient.
DO NOT take calcium and iron within 2 hours of each other. They are both absorbed using the same cellular receptor sites. The receptor sites like calcium better, therefore the calcium will be absorbed and the iron will be excreted in the feces.
DO NOT eat or drink any of the following within 2 hours of taking iron: dairy, eggs, fiber, tea, coffee, red wine, grapes, or spinach. They each contain substances that bind with the iron. The iron will then be excreted in the feces.
DO take the CARBONYL form of iron. It does not have as many GI side effects as does the ferrous sulfate form. Feosol offers a carbonyl iron that is 45 mg pure iron that is available at your local grocery or pharmacy.
DO take vitamin C with iron. It enhances the absorption of iron. If iron upsets your pouch, take it with a meat snack. This will buffer the pouch and and enhance the absorption of the iron.
Calcium should be taken in divided doses NOT to exceed 500-600 mg at a time. The body just cannot absorb more than that at a time, no matter your WLS status.
Calcium CARBONATE is not readily absorbed by ANYONE, no matter their WLS status. As someone who has had WLS, we really should be taking calcium CITRATE. It is better absorbed. I take Citracal Petites.
