Have a vitamin question...

I went to Walmart and bought me some iron...I've been lax this month in taking it....so I know I need to before i have my labs done for my dr's. appt.  In my trip, I saw D-3 which seems like i should be taking but no one has mentioned it.  Here's the list of vitamins I am currently taking:

2 Flintstone chewables
2 B-12 sublinguals
4 Bariatric Advantage Calcium chews each day
Iron 65 mg = 325 mg ferrous sulfate

I'm not a big milk drinker so it seemed reasonable to me...and I've seen others post about it on here so I wasn't sure. 

Thanks everyone!!

Sherry

 Nix the flintstones, you need an adult vitamin.  
not sure the dosage on the b-12, they are all different
I think the calcium chews are 250mgs each?  you need 1500-2000 mgs a day, so make sure you are taking enough

I do suggest D3. Alot of people are deficient, especially the more north you are. I get very depressed in the winter without it here in the Rockies.

If your Vitamin D isn't low, you can probably do with 2,000IU to 8,000IU a day and be fine. I take 12,000IU a day. Make sure it is D3, not D2.

Also, what strength B12 and what form? 5,000mcg of methylcobalmin a day is suggested. I tried taking less and now I'm low.  

I had bad luck with Flintstones vitamins early on and would be low on vitamins even now if I took those. I can't afford the $50+ a month super organic doctor formulated sprinkled with gold dust vitamins that I see in every natural health magazine, but I found the Alive! Max Potency vitamins and love them. I feel better after a few days on those. Compare the label on that to the label on the Flintstones vitamins. It's day and night.

I have no iron suggestions. I hate taking iron. I have only done my own research and found a form that for me, doesn't make me feel like someone threw me under a bus.

 What about a pre natal vitamin? 27 mg of iron per pill 

Flintstones are not adequate for us because they are missing a number of nutrients.

If you are using the calcium chews that are 250 mg, you would need six to eight a day.  We need 1500 to 2000 mg.

If the ferrous sulfate is working for you, it's OK to use it.  It makes most people constipated and it is not absorbed as well as carbonyl iron, but again, if it's working for you, it's OK to use it.

Most RNY folks need at least 10,000 IU D3 a day to maintain a vitamin D level of 80 or above, but you would need to base your dose on your labs.

I will get a new multi-vitamin to swallow....the chewables worked fine after sugery but I am able to swallow pills now. I told the NUT at my 6 week check up and she never even told me about the Flintstones... I have to take allegra daily and it's a big horse pill. lol  so I'm sure I can get a vitamin down. 

I'm not sure the iron is working, it's new that I'm taking...just bought what I though was right.  I will look into what you mentioned.  I do not want to get constipated. 

My ob/gyn tested my Vit D a year ago and it was low so I'm sure it is now.....so will definitely pick up some of that when I go back.  Guess I'll see what the labs are doing at the end of August.  

Thanks everyone!!

Sherry

Kelly, what's your thoughts on the natures way alive vitamins? They look good to me, but I'm new at this. They look like they already have 200%+ of most everything, so would one a day be adequate? Are they missing anything (other than adequate calcium and iron, B12 and D3)?

If this is the one you're talking about www.iherb.com/Nature-s-Way-Alive-Whole-Food-Energizer-Multi- Vitamin-Max-Potency-No-Iron-Added-180-Tablets/4120, the label says one serving is THREE tablets, and yes, one serving, or three tablets, a day would be enough.  You'd probably end up needed more vitamin A since only 5000 IU of this is retinyl palmitate and we don't absorb beta carotene well, but that's an issue with many multis.

yes, you need D3. I take the Flintstones vitamins along with calcium citrate, iron, b12 sub-lingual form, D3, and iron daily. the only thing i was even low on with my labs was vitamin D. I was getting a great amount of vitamins with my food. But, yes do get labs done to see where you need to improve and go from there. The Flintstones are both for kids and adults. I would ask your docs office and see what they say. I personally tried the bariatric chewable vitamins and they didn't agree with my pouch. they made me sick. Plus they were to expensive for me.

What was your vitamin A level?  Your vitamin K?  Your selenium?  I ask because Flintstones are low on A and have NO K or selenium.  Also, your surgery wasn't very long ago so you may not have had time to develop many deficiencies yet.  But Flintstones aren't fine for adults with altered digestive systems.  We need selenium and vitamin K and manganese and all the other stuff that is missing from Flintstones.  You can take whatever vitamins you want, of course, or no vitamins at all, it's your body and your choice.  But Flintstones do not have everything we need.

Chewable Centrum is about the same price as Flintstones and Centrum or generic equivalents that you swallow are probably even cheaper.  Cost is not a reason to take inadequate vitamins.