Question:
In what combination should vitamins be taken?

I am 15 months out, and I am suddenly finding information that leads me to believe I have been taking my vitamins incorrectly. I take them all within 15 minutes of one another. I take a One a Day for women, prescription iron, sublingual B-12, pepcid and a vitamin C (this helps iron absorb) and calcium. Does anyone have specifics on how best to take these vitamins? Also, does it it benefit us (WLS patients) to take as much chewable vitamins as possible? By this, I mean any of the above that are available in a chewable form. Thanks for the input!    — sheron H. (posted on May 16, 2002)

May 15, 2002
I am no expert on this, Michelle Vitalady Curran is the best out there! I will tell you what I do know. I know that taking your iron with any dairy, or antacids is counter-productive. Those things hinder in the absorption of the iron. Your Calcium (citrate I hope) can only be absorbed in 500mg. increments and is best absorbed at night. What I try to do is start taking my calcium after 12 noon. I try to space it out 3-4 hours apart, 500 mg. each time. I have 'heard' that the liquid is better absorbed, but I don't know if its true or not. I don't take any liquids. I hope this helps some. It is overwhelming at first trying to figure out how much to take how far apart and in combo with what. I still haven't gotten all the kinks out. I still take my multi with my iron which I heard is a no-no. There just isn't enough time in a day for all those supplements.
   — Cheri M.

May 16, 2002
If you will e-mail Vitalady and tell her EXACTLY what surgery you had performed including whether it was proximal, medial, or distal and who your surgeon was, Michelle Curran will e-mail you back telling you exactly what vitamins you need in what combination. She will provide you with a vitamin "menu" for the day. Of course, she probably wants you to purchase your vitamins from her, but she has great deals. I bought everything I needed from her and spent around $100, but I won't have to buy something for at least 2 months, and some of the things I bought will last over a year. She's got the best prices on vitamins I've seen. I space my vitamins out into 5 different sessions (morning, mid-morning, lunch, dinner, and evening)--I bought one of those weekly vitamin containers, and I just put a session's worth of vitamins into each compartment. I'm still recuperating from surgery right now, so I just keep the container by my water all day and take the vitamins when I need them. But the container is small enough to fit into my purse, so I'll just carry it with me when I'm back to my normal routine. Vitalady is the best--I was as confused as you are until I e-mailed her. Good luck!
   — Kristie B.