Multi-vitamin once a day

To meet the ASMBS recommendations, you should be fine with two multivitamin pills. I take my two Centrum Silver once a day in the morning, along with a dose of calcium. I take my iron later in the day, as you need to wait 2 hours between calcium and iron.

Here's a sheet with a list of the recommendations, and comparing it to a general multivitamin:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1k8Ts_FX9wrfzTDMtLWga V_e4ax6n_3Sw0N6Kd3U9Fqk/edit?usp=sharing

You should be fine with pretty much anything from the drugstore, but double-check the numbers. I tend to get a huge bottle of the senior multi pills from Walgreen's whenever they go on "buy one get one free sale," which is fairly often.

This is excellent! Thanks!

I had my VSG here in Ireland, and for the long term I was only told to take a (single) daily multivitamin. Of course my medical team has monitored my lab results to see if I need anything more. But I just had my one-year blood work done, and the results were excellent, so I doubt I will need anything more long-term

I was told that your body only absorbs so much at one time and will eliminate what it cant. So I was told to take a multi with iron morning and night to make sure I get enough absorbed. But every doctor and patient is different

Vitamin levels are a trap, just waiting to be sprung on WLS patients.

The first year or two after surgery we get our levels checked religiously. Then we drift. We don't get levels checked as often, or st all. We figure that we were doing great, so we can relax.

Then the deficiencies start. Some of them can do irreversible damage.

Follow the ASMBS recommendations to start. Two multis a day, and it's fine to take them at the same time. Calcium CITRATE three times a day, two hours apart. Then adjust as needed. Most Americans, WLS or not, are Vitamin D deficient. All WLS patients, all, will have B12 issues. Iron is a big problem, regardless of surgery.

Keep getting complete levels checked. 4 or 5 vials of blood aren't complete levels. 15 vials is complete. Get a DEXA scan every 2 years. There is no blood test to check for bone health, and to see how much calcium you really need. Do not take children's vitamins of any kind, or gummies. Don't take calcium carbonate.

You could skip vitamins for 6 months or a year and likely be ok. Saying levels are good after a few months or years is like the guy who jumps off a 30 story building, and as he passes each floor, yells out "So far, so good!" When vitamin deficiencies finally hit, they will hit hard.

Grim...I started taking Centrum Silver..along with separate daily amounts of iron, magnesium, Vitamin C, potassium (every other day), vitamin D (weekly) and my calcium citrate daily...I see you say 2 multis a day..I read the bottle of Centrum this morning and it said the "recommended dose" was 1 pill a day..are these the ones you take? Do WLS need to take more?

We are supposed to a8m for 200% of the RDA for most vitam8ns and minerals. So for a good quality multi, that's 2 per day. For a crappy multi or a kids version, it might mean as many as 8 per day.

Most of us, in reality need extra B12, D3, and calcium. But we all need to adjust as needed.

I am 10 years plus out...I stopped taking 2 chewables a few years ago when my primary care was worried about phosphorus...I stopped and couldn't get going again regularly and got hit with super low iron and had to have infusions (which were super expensive even with health insurance). If I were you I for sure wouldn't stop yet....check your labs for at least a couple of years past your goal. Chewable is still the best absorbed....and there are so many vitamin and mineral deficiency you can get after WLS.

Labs need to be checked for the rest of your life not just until you reach goal.

Yes of course, what I said was that she needed to have some past labs under her belt so she at least KNOWS if she has any deficiencies PRIOR to stopping her vitamins.