Vitamin question... Hoping Kelly will reply :)
I am about 5 weeks post op.For vitamins I have been taking a centrum chewable multi once a day, celebrate chewable calcium with D three times a day and I was prescribed feracon, which is iron, folic and b12 together. I was supposed to start with one feracon a day and then work my way up to two a day. Having a lot of issues with the feracon, just taking one. I have read your posts about iron that is easier on the tummy so I asked at my apt today if I could try carbonyl iron and a b12 instead of the feracon. The nurse practioner said I could try it so... I just bought 1000 mcg of sublingual b12 and sundown naturals perfect iron (carbonyl). It says 2 tablets are 50 mg. my questions... Is the 50 mg the suggested amt. for rny patients or do I take two twice a day? Also I think that I've seen you say before that you should take a c with iron, should that be 500mg of c? Also thinking about a vitamin schedule, how does this sound? At breakfast I will take multi and calcium, lunch take calcium, dinner take calcium then before bed take iron, b12 and c.?
Ps if you do reply Kelly I just want to say that your posts are always very helpful and informative, thanks so much.
You should be take 2 multi vitamins a day. So i would take one in the morning, then 2 hours later take the next with your calcium. As far as the iron, its 500 mg of C for every 50mg of iron. For me i take 100 mg of iron with 1000 mg of vitamin C at bed time. Make sure its 2 hours between calcium/multi, and i was told 4 hours between calcium and iron. I tend to take my b12 in the mornings with my multi. Also you might need to add an Vitamin D, dry not oil. Multis dont have enough in them.
According to Andrea Ulberg, author of the Lab Tracker Workbook for RNY folks, we need 200 mg C for every 30 mg elemental iron.
According to numerous sources, including the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, there only needs to be two hours between iron and calcium.
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.
The ASMBS recommends a total of 54 to 63 mg iron for menstruating women and 36 mg a day for everyone else after RNY. The Centrum chewable, I think, has 18 mg iron. You need two multis a day, though, according to the ASMBS. If you take two of those, that would be 36 mg iron, so you'd need another 18 to 27 mg. So I would take one tablet of Sundown, which is 25 mg. Take that with 200 mg vitamin C to help with absorption.
Your vitamin schedule sounds just fine, just add in a second multi with either lunch or dinner.
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 was told that if your taking your multi with iron, and adding in your high dose of calcium that the calcium dose will not allow the iron to be absorbed at the same time. So wouldnt you want to take atleast 54-63 mg of additional iron? I dont count the iron from my multi. At the support meetings i go to that is how the lady explained it. And i was mistaken with the Vitamin C, i looked at mine and they are 250 mg, so i take 500 mg of vitamin c with my 100mg of iron. But I have had low iron levels since before surgery..
You're right. I wasn't even thinking of that. I do the same thing you do. I don't count the iron in my multi because I take it with calcium. I take all my iron at bedtime. Thanks for pointing that out.
So the OP would want to take 50 mg iron (two Sundown tablets) at bedtime if she's taking her multi and calcium together.
About 300 mg calcium or more blocks the absorption of iron, which is one reason most multis only have about 200 mg calcium in them.
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.
