Question:
What's the deal with Flintstone's vitamins?
My doc says that 2x/day are the vitamin requirement for RNY Post-Op... yet I've read forum posts that indicate this is *not* a good idea. Any elucidation would be helpful! Thanks! — Ananta (posted on March 5, 2009)
March 5, 2009
my dr put me on those too. Actually my levels have been good so far - rny
may 08
— bikermama
March 5, 2009
I was on them for the first 6 months until I could swallow a regular sized
vitamin. My levels were always good. Every surgeon is different. Do what
your surgeon says to do.
— jammerz
March 5, 2009
I absolutely trust my surgeon (one of the best in the nation) and he had me
do the same thing for the first couple months until I could handle
full-sized WLS-specific multi-vitamins. It wasn't meant to be permanent
because you won't get everything you need from them.
— suezahn4me
March 5, 2009
The flintstone vitamins are the most complete childrens chewable vitamin
and work very well. After while you can swallow larger pills and do adult
vitamins. These have micro nutritants that the children vitamins do not.
Some doctors really hate the Flintstone vitamins others say they are great.
I used them for the first six months and my numbers were fine. They taste
good too.
— trible
March 5, 2009
Hi... Trust your doc... you have to realize that if you are a RNY patient,
you are not absorbing all that you are taking in. So, he/she is having you
take it twice a day so that what you do absorb is staying at a more
constant level in your blood stream... good luck...
— Kari_K
March 5, 2009
My surgeon recommendeds a chewable or liquid adult vitamin for at least the
first 6 months after surgery. I had issues with vitamin D on chewables and
pills. I did some research, and found the liquid vitamins bypass digestion
and malabsorption, and begin working in your body in 3-4 minutes. I found
the NHR EPIC ULTRA liquid vitamins and my D levels increased from 8 to 33
in 2 months (normal limits on D are 30-100). These NHR vitamins would be
excellent for kids too. Most children hate swallowing pills. But due to the
stevia in NHR, the taste is that of a somewhat sweet apple cider. When's
the last time your kids refused sweets? Now kids can take their vitamins
without objections. More on the NHR vitamins on my blogs and profile story.
DAVE
— Dave Chambers
March 5, 2009
been doing flintstone for a year now doing great
— oldpepsilady
March 5, 2009
I'm 3 months out, and to be honest, I can't stand the flintstone vitamins.
I hated them as a kid and that hasn't changed. My doc suggested the
viactive multivitamin chews. They come in a chocolate flavor and are
pretty good. I take 2 of them since they are basically the same amounts of
vitamins as the Flintstones. At least now I can take my vitamins without
gagging or just conveniently "forgetting."
— Dawn A.
March 5, 2009
It really depends on who you ask. You can go to the main board here and ask
and some people will tell you it's fine and others will call you and idiot
and imply you're ignorant for thinking something intended for KIDS will
fulfill your ADULT needs. Personally I took them at the very beginning. I
didn't do too well and ended up in the hospital hooked up to the
"banana bag"(that's what the nurses used to call the yellow
vitamin bag they used to hook onto my IV but I had other problems as well
so who's to say what did what and why. I say, if your doctor said so, do
it! You should always follow your surgeon's rules.
— missconduct
March 5, 2009
BEEN ON FLINSTONES COMPLETE SINCE 2002.SO FAR SO GOOD.
— deb44m
March 5, 2009
Lots of surgeons and nutritionists recommend them cause they're easy to
chew for those who have trouble with large vitamin tabs or capsules.
Basically any vitamin labelled "COMPLETE" will do the trick post
RNY. The Flintsones are just fun LOL.
— mountainmike
March 5, 2009
Every surgeon is different, so you should follow your doc's instructions.
My surgeon believes that most vitamins (especially children's) aren't
sufficient because they are meant for someone on a normal diet. We are not
on a "normal" diet, as most of our food has to be protein. So,
he has us take a vitamin that is made just for WLS patients from
Metagenics. They are designed so that our bodies absorb the majority of
the nutrients because that is also a problem for many WLS patients. The
Metagenics has two forms - one is a horse pill (I swear, they are huge) but
are suppose to be the best. However, I just can't swallow anything that
big, so I do the chewable form.
— Wendy M.
March 6, 2009
I have to disagree with most who said any vitamins will do...Any vitamins
will do for a little while...Listening to your doc about vitamins was the
WORST advice I ever took. When I became malnourished and anemic...I was
shocked! I admit some was my fault because I didn't take the iron pills
because they gave me a stomach ache and constipation. I slacked off on
taking all my vits on a tedious schedule....My doc told me to take ferrous
sulfate which I later learned cannot be easily if at all absorbed into the
RNY body because of HOW it is absorbed.It is NOT a friendly vitamin at
all!..So there were mistakes on my part...Use carbonyl iron. It's cheap,
gentle, no metallic taste and is absorbable when chewed with Vit C as
ascorbic acid. (2 mg of copper helps as well) It saved me and I had no
infusions or transfusions as my doc warned me I would need. Childrens vits
do not have selenium and vit K...Those are adult vitamins...I was an
selenium def...RNYers need calcium citrate because it is best absorbed in a
low acid stomach...We have LITTLE acid at all...The citrate helps you
absorb the calcium. People can only absorb 400-500 mg of calcium every two
hours...RNYers need 1000-2000mg a day! That means taking it 2-4 time daily
at different times! But calcium tends to bind to other vitamins and
prevent tehm from being absorbed...SO you need to take calcium seperate
from other vits 2-4 times a day! Since RNYers malabsorb fats and oils the
fat soluble vits (A, D, E and K) are often malabsorbed.These need to be in
water soluble forms!..If you are not taking Vit D3, you will not be
absorbing your calcium either...Calcium MUST have Vit D to be absorbed into
the body...ALL people...Not just WLS people...Vit D3 for RNYers and not
just D or D2...D3 is the powder form that is absorbed thru the skin rather
than absorbed thru fats and oils! B-12 MUST be sublingual, spray or
shots...It MUST melt in your mouth thru the skin and saliva similar to the
calcium and D because of the lack of certain stomach acids missing after
RNY! B-12 can be taken at the same time as your multi vits....Iron is
another enemy of calcium and needs to be taken away from your calcium.
Coffee and alcohol prevent vit absorption as well...ESPECIALLY iron and
coffee...ENEMIES! These are all things my surgeon didn't tell me. I
learned at year 4 when I became dangerously malnourished. Yeah...kid vits
work only so long....hard tablet pills? Don't even get me started on how
they are too hard to dissolve let alone be the RIGHT forms of the vits we
need post op and long term. The worst part...Many docs and surgeons don't
even run all the vitamin labs so you can become vit def and NOT even have a
clue...or you can be dropping to lows that are still in the normal range
and they won't even tell you! Normal is good right? Not if you malabsorb
vits and fats and only get tested yearly...In a year you cannot imagine how
low you can get! When your body is not nourished you have all kinds of
problems and one deficiency robs your body, bones blood oxygen and competes
for nutrients needed to function! Vitamins deficiencies can cause PERMANENT
DAMAGE! BRAIN DAMAGE...If nothing else keep track of your labs and make
sure they are running all the vitamins tests...COMPARE your labs from last
years labs...Keep copies...It's your body and your health...don't just
"listen to your doc"...Listen to your body and don't ignore
symptoms...Know this too...Vit defs show up in MOST RNY at year 4 and
5...You can prevent it with proper supplementation and RNY friendly
vits...and LABS!!! LABS! Just a suggestion...
— .Anita R.
March 6, 2009
I, too, was conceerned about how limited the Flintstone vitamins were. I
currently use a powder called 'Women's Mega Vitamin', 2 scoops once a day
& blend it in with my protein drink. It even has a woman's Calcium
needs for the day! It's very palatable. I got it at GNC. They have a web
site if you'd like to see more information on the product. Ask your
surgeon what he thinks. Mine said 'OK'.
— cvalent1
March 6, 2009
I am pre-op and taking the Flintstones Complete... my Nut and Surgeon
suggest them and as a person taking Coumadin (an anticoagulant), it's an
added bonus that the FC do not have Vit. K (which causes your blood to
clot, thus canceling out my Coumadin). I am also taking UpCal three times
a day, it's a powder Calcium Citrate that is tasteless when mixed in water,
or any other liquid.
— Clumsybarbie
March 9, 2009
Target now has adult gummy vitamins.
— ntssmith
March 9, 2009
The Flinstones are the most common vitamins for after these surguries,
along with the B12, Iron (for some ppl) and calcium w/ vit. D also. There
is a vitamin that has all of those vitamins in 1. It's the Optisource
Chewable Vit. and for the extra calcium, the calcium citrate. Both are
great tasting. website is bariatricadvantage.com
— michelle caballero
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