Vitamin truth please!

[geelynn 72]

Recognizing that all surgeons are different, all patients are different . . . I was reading through the huge binder my drs office sent home with me (all my pre-op appointments are this Friday) and I was shocked at the amounts of Vitamins they recommend after surgery. Of course I knew about the need to take B's but there is a huge blanket statement at the top of the page that states "Be prepared financially for the vitamins you will need for the rest of your life" and then it lists times/types of vitamins to take along with the cost (coming in at around $75 per month and includes Bs along with Iron, Calcium, a multivitamin and something else I can't remember--my head was just swimming). I understand that this is nothing compared to the costs of long term costs if I don't have the surgery, but I am wondering if that is a truly accurate account of the number of vitamins you take daily and the cost?

[Ms.AntiBand 2,984]

My surgeon had me take a multivitamin and Calcium only. All blood work came back good/normal so that's what I'm sticking with.

[finallyfree101 39]

I did some research and honestly you will probably spend a little less on Vitamins once you can tolerate pills again. When you buy the chewable or dissolvable they are a little more, I spent about $90 for my first month supply, with shipping. They are absorbed better than pills. Still worth it because I don't spend money on going out to eat and going for drinks anymore.

[Kindle 8,667]

$75 per month is a crazy amount. I take a relatively expensive whole food based multivitamin (Garden of Life Vitamin Code for Women), a B12 sublingual (from Twin Labs) D3 3000 (natures Bounty) and a whole food based Iron (garden of Life Healthy Blood). They still don't come close to $75 per month. Actually, I've always taken these Vitamins, even before surgery, so there was no changes in expenses that way. The only thing I added postop was switch from oral to sublingual B12.

Since bariatric and gastrectomy patients are succeptible to certain deficiencies... especially Iron, B12, Folate, Vitamin D and Calcium.... It is important to take your supplements for life. And just as important is to follow up with at least annual bloodwork to assess and adjust for any deficiencies. I just got my 6 month labs back and my Calcium and iron were both high. I eliminated the calcium supplement I had been taking (I eat a lot of dairy, so I really wasn't surprised with this one). I also decreased my iron to only 1-2 days /week.

[momohime 121]

It depends on what brand of Vitamins you get. My NUT told me chewables were the best because they were easily absorbed and suggested Celebrate brand. She gave me a sample and I thought they were pretty good, so I bought a huge container (3 month supply) of the multi-vitamins with Iron and the Calcium supplements for about $90. Those were the only Vitamins that I was told I needed. No extra Bs or anything like that, but depending on your lab work, you might need to adjust what you're taking. Anyway.. most bariatric vitamins are gonna be around $70-$90 for a 3 month supply. The most popular brands are probably Celebrate and Bariatric Advantage, so you can check out their websites to look at what's available for how much.

I would highly suggest NOT getting a huge container prior to surgery though. Get a small size and make sure you can take them before you commit to buying in bulk. I liked Celebrate before surgery, but after surgery I didn't tolerate them well at all. I tried taking them with food, with a shake, it didn't matter what I did.. They ALWAYS made me really nauseous and it got to the point where I was getting physically ill just thinking about taking them. I thought maybe pill form would be better for me and bought a small bottle of the same brand.. Nope. Still got sick. I finally switched to Flintstones and, while they're probably not the best and I still don't particularly care for them, they're better than nothing. At least they're cheaper, I guess.

Same for Protein shakes too, by the way. Don't buy big till you know you like them post-op. Your tastes can definitely change, especially after being on a PPI for a while.

[JerzyTomato74 91]

My guidelines are for three Vitamins. A chewable Multivitamin with 100% daily value which I will double for a 200% DV. In addition, I will also add calcium citrate w/ Vitamin D and B12. Iron will be added if needed.

[ready2getgoing 41]

$75 a month is way too much - for Vitamins My NUT recommends Flintstones Complete - about $4.00 / bottle. I take 2 per day.

I also take B12 sublingual and chewable calcium citrate.

Total cost for all three supplements is well under $20 per month,

FYI - Just had my blood work done last week and everything was fine.

Edited July 28, 2014 by ready2getgoing

[SpecialNewMe 38]

I don't spend $75 a month and I think I take relatively expensive Vitamins. My physician prefers Bariatric Advantage so that is what I went with. B1 for 90 days and a Multi-Vitamin with Iron three times a day and chewable calcium citrate three times a day. The last two are for life. Also, Prilosec OTC for six months. Those are the most expensive!!!!!!!!!

[maxcimax 220]

I don't spend that much money on my Vitamins each month. I take B12 only on Monday's. The multi Vitamin & the Calcium I take every day. I get mine from The Vitamin Shoppe & they are for bariatric patients. I was taking the Flintstone Vitamins but was worried they wouldn't be enough so I switched. I will have my labs next week & will see then if what I am taking is doing the job for me.

Lots of good advice on this website.

[JerzyTomato74 91]

You want a quality Vitamin but you don't need top of the line either. Read labels on different brands and compare. When it's on sale, stock up on a few bottles and use coupons if you can. The multivitamin I bought is Centrum chewables which was one of the recommended brands by my NUT. It's carried at drug and grocery stores and Centrum goes on sale a lot at my store. I use coupons a lot to keep my cost down and you can even go on their website to print coupons. It was on sale at my grocery store last week and I had coupons so the cost was minimal. Also, the Calcium with Vitamin D I plan on buying is Viactiv. Not too expensive and it has the mg's recommended. It's all about shopping around!

Edited July 28, 2014 by JerzyTomato74

[lsereno 2,525]

I went through Kaiser Fremont and follow their Vitamin guidelines, which you can find here:

http://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/Images/ADA-07-Vitamins%20Chart%20-%20RYGB%20%26%20Sleeve_tcm28-532135.pdf

Very inexpensive. I buy them at costco and Walmart.

Lynda

[Kissifur 244]

I went through Kaiser Fremont and follow their Vitamin guidelines, which you can find here:

http://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/Images/ADA-07-Vitamins%20Chart%20-%20RYGB%20%26%20Sleeve_tcm28-532135.pdf

Very inexpensive. I buy them at costco and Walmart.

Lynda

Kaiser has updated its Vitamin requirements

Kp.org/misg

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

My surgeon had me take a Multivitamin and Calcium only. All blood work came back good/normal so that's what I'm sticking with.

Ditto here -- multivitamin daily and Calcium with D (1,000 daily) -- taken at separate times of the day.

My instructions say that B12 must be taken by gastric bypass patients, but is not prescribed for VSG patients.

Likewise, Iron will be prescribed only if my Iron levels go low.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

My surgeon had me take a multivitamin and Calcium only. All blood work came back good/normal so that's what I'm sticking with.

Ditto here -- multivitamin daily and calcium with D (1,000 daily) -- taken at separate times of the day.

My instructions say that B12 must be taken by gastric bypass patients, but is not prescribed for VSG patients.

Likewise, Iron will be prescribed only if my Iron levels go low.