YET another vitamin question
Here's what the ASMBS says you should start with:
A multi with 100% of the RDA of most nutrients. Take two a day. Stay away from kids' vitamins and gummy vitamins, because those will not have what you need. Even though Flintstones says “complete" on the bottle, they really are not complete. They recommend a multi with iron. If you take a multi with no iron, you’ll need additional iron at a separate time. They say to start your multi as soon as you get home from the hospital.
1500-2000 mg calcium citrate. Make sure it's citrate, not carbonate. That means no Caltrate and no Viactiv. They say you can wait up to one month to start your calcium – not that you should wait, just that you can.
18-27 mg iron for menstruating women, unless your labs show you need more. (If you’re using a multi with no iron, that would mean you’d need 54-63 50 mg iron.) We absorb carbonyl iron better than ferrous sulfate. Ferrous sulfate will also make you constipated. They say to start your iron as soon as you get home from the hospital.
B12. You can use a sublingual, 350-500 mcg per day, a patch once a week, nasal spray once a week, or shots once a month. Unless your labs show you need more. They say you can wait up to three months to start your B12 – not that you should wait, just that you can.
They say a B complex is optional.
Many people also need D3 so you should get your vitamin D level to find out if you do. Don’t take the prescription vitamin D, because it’s D2 and in oil so we will absorb very little of it.
Here is where you can find this info: www.asbs.org/Newsite07/resources/bgs_final.pdf
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.
You are very up on your vitamins - my nut told me calcium citrate or carbonate - will the carbonate not work for us or is it something different? She specifically suggested the Caltrate chewables, but from the info I've gotten from her, I trust her less and less. Thanks for all the valuable info you always provide.
Also - just looked up Citrical - any feelings on the gummies? They say the calcium comes from tricalcium phosphate.
Tricalcium phosphate is actually worse for us than carbonate.
In addition to calcium citrate, we will absorb calcium gluconate and calcium lactate just fine, but you rarely see those two in supplements.
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.

Didn't the nutritionist with your program go over with you what your requirements would be for vitamins? It's a shame if she didn't. I was put on all of my supplements while I was still in the hospital. I had also been supplementing prior to sugery.
While I can only tell you about the UofM program, I am required to take 1 sublingual B-12 (mine are from Trader Joes's) Twice a day I need to take a multivitamin/chewable. Some people use Flintstones chewables or Centrum Silver Chewable. Mine are from Bariatric Advantage. And 3 times a day I have to take a 500mg chewable calcium which are also from Bariatric advantage. Those are required for everyone in the program.
In addition to those, I also supplement with Vitamin D from Carlson's and chewable Iron from Bariatric Advantage in the strawberry flavor. I am told that liquid iron takes horrible and it stained my sisters teeth over time.
My sister gifted my my beginning vitamins, so I can't tell you cost, but I am sure you can find the price on the Bariatric Advantage website. We aren't required to take Bariatric specific vitamins. They just have to be liquid or chewable. If I recall off of the top of my head, in the next few months we can switch back to reg. vits. For now, I think I am going to stick to the chewables even after that. We'll see when that time comes.
Best of luck with your success!
I have not seen my NUT for quite some time but will in a few weeks. My BSrn told me not to take the vitamins yet but my little books shows maybe at my next appt. in 11 days. I have not taken ANY vitamins at all.
So i know a multivitamin...a calcium citrate and Vitamin D which Kelly mentioned. My levels for vitamin D are low so i will for sure need to take them. Thanks kelly for the information. Oh and of course iron cause i was blessed to be a girl. lol
If you're going to do any chewable vitamins, I suggest getting a sample first if you possibly can. Kind of like with protein shakes, the one I think is really yummy might make you gag. You don't wanna spend a lot of money on a big bottle you can't make yourself finish.
If you want to try something from a company that doesn't send samples, you might be able to ask at your support group (if you go to a support group) if anyone there uses whatever brand and if so if they would be willing to give you one tablet to try. If you wanna try Upcal D for calcium, which I like a lot, I'd be willing to send you one packet.
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.
Dave Chambers, 6'3" tall, 365 before RNY, 185 low, 200 currently. My profile page: product reviews, tips for your journey, hi protein snacks, hi potency delicious green tea, and personal web site.