Vitamin question for Kelly or others

I got my 3 month labs back. I had a few things out of whack that my doctor is addressing. My iron is low and they wanted to make sure that the multi vit has at least 18mg of iron in it. It does. They wanted to make sure that I was taking two of them a day, which I am. My question is, can I take both multivitamins at the same time or do I need to take one in the morning and one in the afternoon or evening. They didn't really say. They also want me to take Slow FE daily. Any recommendations when I shoud take that in relation to my other supplements. They sent a prescription for the Calcium/D3 50,000 units to take twice a week for 4 weeks then once a week for 12 weeks. They also asked me to start taking B1 in addition to my B12. I am taking the Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate chocolate chewables 3 times a day. Do you know if I add spinach or liver other high iron foods to my diet if that will help increase my iron level? Thanks

I think it's better to separate the multis.  We can only absorb so much of certain nutrients at a time.

Slow FE is ferrous sulfate, isn't it?  That is not absorbed as well as carbonyl iron, and it usually causes constipation, as well.  You can take your iron supplement with one of your multis.  Just don't take your calcium until at least two hours later.

The prescription vitamin D is D2, which is not absorbed as well as D3, and it' sin oil, and we malabsorb fats.  You might want to order dry D3 from vitalady instead.  You'll benefit much more from it.

Adding foods high in iron won't hurt and it might help.

Thanks Kelly. I knew you would be able to help me figure this one out. I will look into the iron supplement and consult my pharmacist too. One other question. My b-12 was 1700 which is high. They didn't say anything about it. I take 2500mcg sublingual daily. Should I reduce that amount or take it every other day? Will having too much b-12 be a problem?

It's probably not a problem, but why take it more often than you need to?  I would switch to every other day.  And then a bottle will last you twice as long and you'll save money!

I've never found an iron supplement that doesn't upset my stomach badly, they constipate me ten times worse than I already am (basically my colon stops functioning and it backs up to the small intestine). My gastroenterologist tells me that in my case the likelihood that taking iron supplements will help me is infinitessimal when compared with the specific problems I have with them (that has landed me in the ER more than once). He says don't bother. When my iron levels get too low, he says my only real choice is to do the infusions.

My levels have been stable without any dipping in four and a half years. Every time I have a medical issue, they immediately think it's down to anemia, and then they rule it out.

My point in this is that my husband just pointed out that I eat spinach every day. Perhaps for me, I do a better job getting iron through my diet than the average.

I would certainly never recommend others should avoid supplementing. From everything I've read, I'm a time-bomb waiting to go off. The need for iron infusions can be as expensive and disruptive as needing chemotherapy.

The prescription they'll give you will be useless. Get some over the counter D3, and make sure it is not in a gel capsule with oil inside, if it is, it is also useless. Definitely need to take a B-complex and a B1 is a good idea too. The B-vitamins are hugely important because defecits will create permanent damage.

Thanks Lithia. I will look for the D3. So I should take a b complex in addition to the b1?