Difference of opinion

I am i week out of RNY and my surgeon INSISTS on 36 mg of iron and 800 mcg of folic acid in a daily multi vit.  Some of the bariatric vits don't have either one or the other. I have read a number of articles warning of too much of either. Can't find out why post menopausal women need iron at all. So confusing! Does anyone have any thoughts!? Thanks.

You would need iron because you can't absorb iron from your food well anymore and if you don't have enough iron in your blood, your blood cannot transport oxygen to all your internal organs.  If you don't get oxygen to your organs, you have big problems.

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery recommends 36 mg iron daily for people that do not menstruate.  I don't think you'll find any multi that has 36 mg in one tablet.  The most I typically see is 18 mg per tablet, but since we should take two multis a day, that equals 36 mg.  If you take a multi without iron, though, that's not a problem.  Just take iron at a separate time.  There's nothing magic about having iron in your multi.  You just need iron.

But what bariatic vitamin has no folic acid?  I don't think I've ever seen any multi without folic acid.

They do have folic acid, but vary from 400 mcg or 800 mcg. Isn't that too much?

Maybe for those who haven't had RNY and can absorb iron don't need it. But we do. It's the only way we'd get enough. And when you're on your period you lose iron, because iron travels through the blood, so you lose iron. Which is why you need the extra iron.

even when you don't have a period you still need iron. I know I do.

thanks for your reply. I am post menopausal do I still need the iron? And what about the folic acid,I read a recent article that says too much folic acid can cause toxicity.  It is so confusing!!

My doc recommends 30 mg of iron for post-menopausal females and 60 for females who still menstruate. I bought the Celebrate chewable iron tablets in grape, and eat them every night before bed. They're really tasty! Good luck finding what works for you.

Because we can't absorb. I am post-menopausal - and I needed iron infusions last year, and teh again this year. It sucks. And it is expensive.  You have a smart doc.

Multivitamins - only have 400mcg of folic aid in them.  Prenatal vitamins have 800-1000mcg of folic acid because all women of child bearing years are supposed to have that much.  Folic acid is not a vitamin that will cause harm if you take too much.  I forget what the wording is (water soluble- maybe), but your body just gets rid of the excess.  I had to take 4000mcg of folic acid before and during my pregnancies because I had a daughter with a neural tube defect and it is believed to be caused by lack of folic acid.  I took 10X the recommended amount for 2+ years.

Now the iron one I don't know about because I have not had to take iron supplements yet.  I am only 7 weeks out.  I will be tested again at three months out to check for deficiencies.