Consultation got me MORE confused!

This is a sample regimen from vitalady. It would be different for everyone depending on your labs and if you have any deficiencies. You'd have to adjust from there and be religious about having labs done every 6 months or so.

Vitalady and DSfacts.com has a lot of info out there, this is just a sample regime. It seems to cost almost $300 a month and was a LOT of pills. But they are not optional. Some people do well with less, it just depends. Hope that helps.  Post on the DS board if you want more info, I'm not a great resource as I'm going the VSG route but have done some research on the DS. There are some super knowledgeable and helpful folks out there. They all seem to LOVE their DS. 

 
NOT MEDICAL ADVICE:

Vitalady Basic Vitamin & Mineral Schedule for Distal RNY, ERNY, BPD & DS Patients
10/23/2009                                      *** DAILY SCHEDULE ***  

Morning	1	Vitamin C 1,000mg	Evening	2	Vitamin A 25,000IU = 50,000IU
	5	Tender Iron 60mg or 2 Polysaccharide=300mg (elemental) (See Note 1)		1	Vitamin E 400IU
				2	Calcium 300mg = 600mg (elemental)
	1	Copper 2mg		1	Multi Vitamin/Mineral (See Note 4)
				1	Vitamin D 50,000IU
Mid-Day	1	Vitamin A 25,000IU		1	Zinc 50mg or 2 each 23mg
	1	Vitamin B-12 5,000mcg
	2	Calcium 300mg = 600mg (elemental)	Bed Time	2	Calcium 300mg = 600mg (elemental)
	1	B Complex (See Notes 2 and 3)		1	Vitamin A 25,000IU
	1	Vitamin E 400IU		2	Magnesium Citrate 140mg = 280mg (elemental)
	1	Multi Vitamin/Mineral (See Note 4)		1	Vitamin C 1,000mg
	1	Zinc 50mg or 2 each 23mg		1	Vitamin K-1 1,000mcg (See Note 5)

With this plan you will be supplementing with the following daily vitamin and mineral dosages: Vitamin A 100,000IU; Vitamin B-12 5,000mcg; Vitamin C 2,000mg; Vitamin D3 50,000IU; Vitamin E 800IU; Vitamin K-1 1,000mcg; 1 B-50 Complex; 2 Complete Multi-Vitamin/Mineral; Calcium Citrate 1800mg (elemental); Copper 2mg; Iron 300mg (elemental); Magnesium Citrate 280mg (elemental); Zinc 100mg.

Not medical advice.

WOW!! $300 per month for vitamins! Thats a lot of money! I never even thought about that aspect of it. Also looks like you have to take about 30 pills per day!! WOW!!! thank you so much for that info!

It is NOT $300 a month, just for the 90 day starter pack.  I average about $60 a month for vites and I take a bunch.  Here is a link to my list....take a look:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkW45jNTr72mdHFleV8yVHpPZGdCTlZpVl9WajdQVGc

Your mileage may vary (YMMV) and you'll need to keep track of your labs.

that is good info, thanks for posting. I was just posting Vitalady's regimen which cost around that much. I am glad to hear people can get away with less $/mo. Again I think the DS'ers are the real experts here.

Sure no problem. It's definitely good to be aware of, because for DS patients the vitamins are NOT optional or you will basically die of malnutrition and deficiency. it would be a sad thing to see someone who could not afford their vitamins.

That said I am not sure if any of the vitamins you can get your Dr. to write prescriptions for, making them cheaper (provided you have insurance). But I have seen some say they get some of their vitamins through scrips and the others are OTC.

And yeah 30 pills are a bit much for me. Right now I take about 11, most of them are gummies or chewables. That's doable for me. And I'd do the 30 a day if I had to but I'm hoping the VSG is successful for me and I can not need the DS. I am committed to making this work. :)

You may want to chat with actual DS'ers and ask them how they do their vitamins. it might help.

Happy researching!

Thanks for all the info. It is eye opening. I KNEW there were a lot of vitamins involved but had no idea it was THAT much! 30 vitamins every day. I take about 6 diff meds per day now and i thought THAT was a lot! lol i have to keep researching.

I'm 8 years post-DS, and I take 2 multi-vitamins, 1 each of A, D, iron, C, and B-50 complex, plus 8 calcium pills. That's, what? 15 pills a day, not 30.

Everyone's vitamin needs are different. That's why we stress the importance of regular lab work.

From what I understand the difference between band and vsg is like day and night. Most of those who had difficulty losing with the band had great success with the vsg if for no other reason than that you don't have the problem with food sticking and you can eat most anything unlike the band life. If you want the DS tho be sure to find a DS surgeon who is familiar with revisions because a revision is far different than a virgin surgery. I wish you luck and hope you cand soon join the bandless!

What revision did you have? band to...?

Good morning,  I had RNY in 2000.  I lost weight really well (137 lbs) in 12 months.  I neve made it to goal (140lbs), never made it under 200 lbs.  Dense protein got struck in the begining and still does (chicken breast, roast beef,  sometimes fish). I have regained 80 lbs starting the second year after surgery. I have been researching revision surgery for several years and my chose is the DS. From reading here it is the best surgery for most weight lost and keeping it off.  I had BCBS insurance but we denied revision surgery.  I know have new insurance and will seek a revision soon.  Good luck with your decission. Research, research and then research some more