Vitamin Question

[Maralinga 4]

How many times during the day do you need to take Vitamins after DS surgery?

I haven't decided which surgery to get yet (between VSG and DS). I'll have no problems being compliant taking Vitamins once per day in the morning. However, I am concerned that I'll have to take vitamins multiple times during the day if I get DS. I have a very busy life and I'm not certain I would remember to take them throughout the day.

It seems to me from the reading the DS forum that some people are taking vitamins throughout the day.

Any help is appreciated.

Tony

[cheryl2586 3,053]

If you are having bypass surgery you will have to take Vitamins the other ones do not disrupt your ability to take in nutrients. If you are not Vitamin deficient then you don't really need to take any because the only thing you are doing is paying for expensive pee. I would just wait and see what your doctor says. Mine never told me to take Vitamins and I have never been Vitamin deficient either.

[isumomterri 11]

With the DS or RNY you will have to take to Vitamins throughout the day. This is due to the malabsorption. Your body will not absorb everything you take in so you will have to supplement with Vitamins. Some vitamins can not be taken together therefore you will have to take at different times.

[Pomamama1 1]

I know I have the liquid vitamins that will need to be taken 4 times a day Post Op

[Jillify 0]

If you're worried about taking them throughout the day, set an alarm on your phone, and buy the pre-packed stuff from Vitalady.com. It's expensive, but better than Vitamin deficiency. Another alternative is to buy vitalady's (or through amazon) monthly pill organizer. It has a container for each day with four sections. That way you're only planning once a month.

[Postop 412]

With the DS it's multiple times per day. You need to do so to keep healthy.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Postop

[JeanZ_RN 378]

I had the sleeve, and I take Vitamins throughout the day. Here are the reasons why:

• My surgeon said to, and I'm following his plan until my lab work shows me it's not necessary. For instance, he wants his patients to take a chewable multi twice a day, and I did so for the first 3 months, and my labs have been great. Now I've cut that back to once a day (because I'm not wild about the taste), and I'll see what my labs look like next time. My B12 level was a bit above normal, so I cut that back from every week to every other week. I'm still taking the Vitamin D, magnesium, Calcium and Iron at the dosages he prescribed because my blood levels are good and I don't mind the taste of those. Another factor is that I don't like most veggies, so I'm betting I would be deficient if I didn't take them.
• Another reason is, as stated above, some cannot be taken together - eg Iron and Calcium. Those two compete for receptors.
• The final reason is that Vitamins are enzymes, and they work best when taken with food.

I use the monthly pill minder mentioned above, and I love it. Everything I take* fits in there except the calcium, and I put each day's calcium in a little 4x4" clear plastic baggie that I carry with me everywhere, just like I do the day's pillminder. I fill the pillminder once a month, and the calcium baggies once a week.

* In addition to the vitamins and minerals noted above, I take Biotin timed release 1x/day, Colace 2x/day, krill oil 2x/day (to add oil and antioxidants to my diet) and a prescription antideprepssant 1x/day.

[Maralinga 4]

Thanks for all your advice everyone. This was very helpful. I'm going to start taking Calcium 3 x day now to try and get in the habit, no matter what surgery I choose.

[JeanZ_RN 378]

Calcium: I started out on the chewable tablets from CelebrateVitamins.com, but I didn't like the taste. Then I switched to their soft chews, the chocolate and the carmel flavors, 250 mg each, and those flavors were ok-to-good.

Then I read on this site about chewy bites from BariatricAdvantage.com, which come in PB/choc and caramel flavors, 500 mg each, so I tried those. They were ok, but I found I actually like the Celebrate carmel flavor best, so I switched back to those and have stayed with them.

My surgeon said to take 1500 mg daily, so that's what I do. But you might want to ask others on this site what dosage surgeons recommend for men - it might be different.