Flinstone Vitamins=My Nemesis
I get a bottle of Centrum Silver Chewables for 9.99$ at Walgreens, Walmart or Target. They have everything I need. (I take my Iron seperately- BUT there is a Centrum Adult Chewable that contains Iron). It also runs around 9.99$
Now if you are taking Flintstones (which run around 7.99) and having to take 4 a day, you'd have to buy 2-3 bottles to every 1 bottle of Centrum Chewables!
Centrum Chewables (at least the Centrum Silver) has a much better TASTE than Flintstones too!
Because Centrum chewables are for adults, they contain Copper, Zinc, Selenium and other minerals we need.
I think one of the reasons so many WLS programs are used to saying "Take Flintstones" was that because for the longest while...They WERE the only chewable vitamin!!!!!! Until recently you were hard pressed to find any ADULT chewable vites. Therefore the habit of saying "Use Flintstones".
Each Office/Surgeon is very different and mine are VERY "anti-Flinstones and Anti TUMS or Viactive"... They are good about recommending Adult Vites.
Good luck.
Warmly,
Jackie
And you know, some of us are on a tight budget and that four cents really adds up. Why, if I save four cents every day at the end of one year I'd have $2.08! Think of all the great stuff I could buy with that money!
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I actually did some calculations a while back on how much I save by using the Centrum vitamins, Twinlabs B12, Upcal D, etc. over taking the "bariatric" versions of things offered by Bariatric Advantage or Celebrate, and it was well over $200 a year. I do occasionally buy some of their products, though, because I like the flavor of the Celebrate strawberry pineapple multi, the grape iron, and the cherry B12... and I get tired of the same old flavors every day (especially with the multi).
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
BTW: this week CVS is running BOGO - on their multi. Their Spectravite - Centrum Equivalent - have chewables - so for ~$8-9 I get 2 months supply - chewables.
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
As for price - I buy CVS brand Centrum Equivalent Multi chewables. They are even BOGO on sale this week. The CVS Multi Chewables - silver are app 9 for 60 -- BOGO- get me 2 bottles for 9 (including tax) - or $4.5 for month supply. Now - I could take the pills - much cheaper - but do not like pills.
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
I guess I lucked out...A couple months ago our Commissary was running the Centrum Silvers for like 4.00$ a bottle (the chewables) and I stocked up! LOL!
Warmly,
Jackie
When I brought the concern about viactiv and flintstones to my surgeons attention she had this to say "As long as you are getting something in its better than nothing". WTF seriously? She is an AMAZING surgeon but I just wanted to slap her upside the head! lmao!!!
What's worth the PRIZE is ALWAYS worth the FIGHT!
Besides, calcium carbonate and nothing are not our only choices. That argument never makes sense to me. It's the same with Flintstones. If Flintstones was the only multi you had access to, then yeah, take it, it's better than nothing. But you have access to good vitamins. They are better than nothing AND better than Flintstones.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Personally, for the first year (I'm almost 8 months out), I committed to the Bariatric Advantage chewables (2 per day) with additional calcium, iron, magnesium, vit D and omega 3.
After a year and review of my labs, including the aforementioned selenium, I will likely switch to a generic version of centrum. One should remain vigilant with the generic vitamins (there is no quality control over the ingredients and some of the 'off - off brands' may not represent themselves truthfully), by continuing to closely moniter their labs.
One of the fine ladies on this site recommended using a spread sheet, which I do, as that makes it so much easier to notice a trend.
Thanks to Kelly, Lora and Hala for the time they've taken to educate themselves about this complex topic and then share that education with the rest of us.
Jackie
