Vitamen alternatives

Billy363627 · January 30, 2011

Is there any good tasting Vitamins out there. I hate the taste of the vitamins that I have and I just don't know if Im going to get used to them before surgery..What is the possibility of taking a non chewable Vitamin after surgery. Is it hard to swallow pills and get your nutrition that way..I am soo struggling with this..Does the gummies tast better than the waffers.. I just don't want to start gagging on the taste fresh out of surgery..

Tiffykins · January 30, 2011

I've tried numerous chewables, and Celebrate Multi complete are my favorites. I also use their Calcium Citrate Plus 500. These allow me to only take 4 chewables per day which is better than the 8 I was taking with the Citracal petites.

As for the gummies, most of them do not have 100% daily value of the most recommended vitamins/nutrients. Iron being one of the most highly suggested. Yeah, they taste great, but they are not complete Vitamin unless you can find one that has Iron, Vit B, A, E, D, K, selenium, copper and zinc that actually gives you 100%.

I had zero issues swallowing pills of any size. For the first 6 weeks post-op, I couldn't swallow anything larger than a regular M&M, but your guidelines might be different. Some surgeons requiring crushing of meds and dissolving in Water or taking them with applesauce. Thankfully, I never had to endure that process.

Whichever Vitamin you do chose, just make sure you are taking the proper serving amount to get 100% daily recommended value.

There are liquid options as well. I order a few things from vitacost.com and I know they have several liquid Calcium and multi formulations available by different manufacturers.

A sublingual B12 is typically recommended since we can not absorb that particular vitamin properly post-op. You can find sublingual b12 at any retailer that has a pharmacy section.

NLWC.Christa · January 30, 2011

A sublingual B12 is typically recommended since we can not absorb that particular Vitamin properly post-op. You can find sublingual b12 at any retailer that has a pharmacy section.

Is it wrong that I think of my sublingual B12 as a treat? I buy the 2500mcg version by Spring Valley (found at WalMart) and they taste so good!

Bariatric Advantage makes a Multivitamin in crystal form that you mix with Water. The taste is not bad, but I find it doesn't stay mixed all that well. I usually fill my water bottle with a full day serving and shake-sip-shake-sip throughout the day. I was advised that chewable Vitamins are the way to go as those that you swallow dissolve slowly and can irritate the stomach (I only heard this re: Multivitamins, not other meds or supplements). I take my Vitamin D and magnesium in normal pill form.

Tiffykins · January 30, 2011

Is it wrong that I think of my sublingual B12 as a treat? I buy the 2500mcg version by Spring Valley (found at WalMart) and they taste so good!

Bariatric Advantage makes a Multivitamin in crystal form that you mix with Water. The taste is not bad, but I find it doesn't stay mixed all that well. I usually fill my water bottle with a full day serving and shake-sip-shake-sip throughout the day. I was advised that chewable Vitamins are the way to go as those that you swallow dissolve slowly and can irritate the stomach (I only heard this re: Multivitamins, not other meds or supplements). I take my Vitamin D and magnesium in normal pill form.