Vitamins & Supplements?

[DownsizieMe 3]

My surgery date was 9/26 and my surgeon said not to take Vitamins until my post-op visit 3 weeks after surgery (this past Thursday). My surgeon recommended the fusion brand, but I am confused about the different types, some you have to take 4/day, others only once per day and then there are the calcium chews (two hours after iron). Is the fusion 1x/day pill a complete Vitamin? I purchased the complete Vitamin not realizing you need to take it 4x/day but would like to switch to the 1x/day version but just want to make sure it has the correct daily balance of Vitamins, since 4x/day is just unreasonable and not workable into a work schedule and taking around Calcium pills which can't be taken within two hours of an Iron supplement and the gallstone pills (take 2x/day with food) and the reflux pills (take 1x/day before eating). I am wondering if the Fusion 1x/day vitamin is a complete vitamin and what other supplements does everyone take?

In addition to the Fusion Multivitamin and 2x/day calcium citrate that we all take, I've been told (by friends) to take:

B12 sublingual (when does one take this?)
Fusion hair, Nails & Skin
Vitamin D (50,000U/wk with vitamin K3) for skin
Krill Oil
collagen powder, Water soluble
ADEK Vitamin (but the friend who told me this had a DS, which I did not have so I don't think I need this.)

Does anyone take any of these supplements and what kind of daily multi-vitamins have worked best for you?

Thanks!

[I♡BypassedMyPhatAss♡ 804]

Per my surgeon/team (when I was doing chewables) Bariatric Fusion brand I took 2 chewables in the morning, and two chewables in the evening. So then I would take 500 mg of calcium citrate around 11 am (two hours at least after the chewable multivitamins) Then I would take my round two of chewable vitamins after dinner. Then my last Calcium citrate dose before bedtime.

The only other supplement that I take daily is Biotin (hair, skin, nails supplement)

My surgeon prescribes one B12 injection monthly.

Now I take Bariatric Choice Multivitamin, it's a capsule. One capsule per day. I take it in the morning. My calcium supps are the same as immediately post op.

[DownsizieMe 3]

Thanks, that is helpful! When you were taking the 4/chewables/day, did it make you nauseous?

[SpartanMaker 786]

I'm not familiar with the Bariatric fusion brand (I use Bariatric Advantage one-a-day with Iron), but based on a comparison I did, most of the bariatric Vitamin brands are fairly similar. If you're doctor recommended Bariatric Fusion, you should be fine using it.

I'll go out on a limb a bit here and state that the majority of us probably take one-a-day capsules. Why capsules? Lots of us have found that the chewables don't taste very good. Why one-a-day? because why take more pills than I have to?

You can probably check the Bariatric Fusion website, but most of the time, the only real difference between the one-a-day versions and the multi-day ones is that the one a day is bigger. If you have issues taking large capsules, you might want to stick with multi-day.

Separate Vitamin D or B12 may or may not be needed. Your Multivitamins already have D and B12 in them, so unless you're one of the folks that have a hard time absorbing those from you multivitamins, I don't think a separate supplement is needed. Best to check in with your medical team on that one, but most people only use it if their labs show a deficiency.

You don't want an ADEK multivitamin. Those are designed specifically for DS patients.

collagen is fine to take. It's a good source of Protein, though it is missing one essential amino acid. Nonetheless, if your other protein sources are complete Proteins, I don't see anything wrong with adding collagen as well.

Edited October 15, 2022 by SpartanMaker

[I♡BypassedMyPhatAss♡ 804]

Just now, DownsizieMe said:

Thanks, that is helpful! When you were taking the 4/chewables/day, did it make you nauseous?

No I've never had nausea, from the surgery or the Vitamins. Just make sure you take it after food or a Protein Shake.

[catwoman7 11,216]

I've never taken bariatric-specific Vitamins, other than samples I've gotten, but check on the package for how many you should take. I've seen some that are once a day and some that are two. Not sure if I've seen any that are 4x a day, but if that's what the package says, then that's the recommended dosage. It really depends on the brand. And again, it should list the recommended dosage on the package.

regular drug store/grocery store vitamins (like Centrum or Flintstones Complete) you usually take 2x a day - but again, bariatric-specific vitamins vary.

P.S. I do take B12 (sublingual) and Vitamin D supplements. Oftentimes bariatric-specific vitamins include a higher dosage of these than drugstore vitamins do, so you may not need to take a separate supplement for them - but check with your clinic.

also, the above commenter is correct - sometimes your clinic will change your regimen based on your lab results. If your levels are low on some vitamin or mineral, they'll have you start taking more, and vice versa.

Edited October 15, 2022 by catwoman7

[I♡BypassedMyPhatAss♡ 804]

Wait. The Bariatric fusion chewables are complete. You don't have to take the additional calcium citrate along with those. I don't understand why it's complete, because we're told that the Iron prevents Calcium from absorbing. So what I typed above about taking the additional calcium citrate wasn't correct. I got my routines mixed up. I was supposed to stay on chewables for three full months, but I only made it six weeks, then I just went with the one a day capsule. I never had an issue taking the capsule either. My surgery was so simple. I had no issues really.

[DownsizieMe 3]

6 minutes ago, SpartanMaker said:

I'm not familiar with the Bariatric Fusion brand (I use Bariatric Advantage one-a-day with Iron), but based on a comparison I did, most of the bariatric Vitamin brands are fairly similar. If you're doctor recommended Bariatric fusion, you should be fine using it.

I'll go out on a limb a bit here and state that the majority of us probably take one-a-day capsules. Why capsules? Lots of us have found that the chewables don't taste very good. Why one-a-day? because why take more pills than I have to?

You can probably check the Bariatric fusion website, but most of the time, the only real difference between the one-a-day versions and the multi-day ones is that the one a day is bigger. If you have issues taking large capsules, you might want to stick with multi-day.

Separate Vitamin D or B12 may or may not be needed. Your Multivitamins already have D and B12 in them, so unless you're one of the folks that have a hard time absorbing those from you multivitamins, I don't think a separate supplement is needed. Best to check in with your medical team on that one, but most people only use it if their labs show a deficiency.

You don't want an ADEK Multivitamin. Those are designed specifically for DS patients.

collagen is fine to take. It's a good source of Protein, though it is missing one essential amino acid. Nonetheless, if your other Protein sources are complete Proteins, I don't see anything wrong with adding collagen as well.

Thank you for this comprehensive reply, very helpful! I agree - the chewable taste terrible, just so bad! I do use Bone Broth Protein Powder w/ collagen at least once a day, not sure if I will take additonal, but I am so worried about my hair falling out and am really nervous about my skin. I agree that checking in w/ medical team is probably best on this one! Thanks!

[BigSue 1,389]

Here's what I take:

• Bariatric multivitamin with 45 mg Iron
• B12 sublingual, 1000 micrograms
• Biotin, 10,000 micrograms
• D3, 5000 IU
• Iron bisglycinate, 36 mg
• calcium citrate, 500 mg, 3x/day

I take the multivitamin, B12, biotin, and D3 together. Calcium and iron are supposed to be at least 2 hours apart, and I also take thyroid medication that is supposed to be 4 hours apart from calcium and iron, so I take the thyroid medication first thing in the morning, multi/B12/biotin/D3 4 hours later, 1st calcium 2 hours later, iron bisglycinate 2 hours later, 2nd calcium 2 hours later, 3rd calcium 2 hours later. I use an app called Medisafe to track and remind me. It was a lot at first, but I'm used to it now and I have a routine.

You may need to take chewable vitamins for a short period of time after your surgery (I was told to take chewables for the first 6 weeks, but you should follow your surgeon's instructions). I think the chewables taste terrible, so I switched to a capsule after the first 6 weeks.

The BariatricPal One multivitamin is the best deal I've found if you get the annual subscription (but definitely buy a smaller quantity to try before you commit to buying a year's worth). I get the one with 45 mg of iron, but your iron needs may vary. Another thing to keep in mind about iron is that the most common forms (ferrous fumarate or sulfate) cause nausea for some people, especially when taken on an empty stomach, and can also cause Constipation. There's another type of iron (iron bisglycinate) that doesn't cause nausea or constipation, but that's not what most multivitamins have, so you'd have to take it separately. I had low iron even before surgery, so I actually take both.

I also highly recommend the BariatricPal calcium chews because they are delicious. They taste like candy and I actually look forward to taking them. French vanilla Caramel and Belgian chocolate Caramel are my favorites. You can often get them on sale for 20-25% off (I actually just restocked last week when they had 25% off all BariatricPal brand products). Make sure you get calcium citrate, not calcium carbonate. Most drug store calcium supplements are calcium carbonate, which is not absorbed well by bariatric surgery patients.

I buy the other ones from Amazon. B12 (NatureMade) is cherry flavored, and biotin and D3 (Natrol) are strawberry. It doesn't feel like such a chore to take all these pills when they taste good.

[sweetsmith78 60]

7 hours ago, DownsizieMe said:

My surgery date was 9/26 and my surgeon said not to take Vitamins until my post-op visit 3 weeks after surgery (this past Thursday). My surgeon recommended the fusion brand, but I am confused about the different types, some you have to take 4/day, others only once per day and then there are the calcium chews (two hours after iron). Is the fusion 1x/day pill a complete Vitamin? I purchased the complete Vitamin not realizing you need to take it 4x/day but would like to switch to the 1x/day version but just want to make sure it has the correct daily balance of Vitamins, since 4x/day is just unreasonable and not workable into a work schedule and taking around Calcium pills which can't be taken within two hours of an Iron supplement and the gallstone pills (take 2x/day with food) and the reflux pills (take 1x/day before eating). I am wondering if the fusion 1x/day Vitamin is a complete vitamin and what other supplements does everyone take?

In addition to the Fusion Multivitamin and 2x/day calcium citrate that we all take, I've been told (by friends) to take:

B12 sublingual (when does one take this?)
Fusion hair, Nails & Skin
Vitamin D (50,000U/wk with vitamin K3) for skin
Krill Oil
collagen powder, Water soluble
ADEK Vitamin (but the friend who told me this had a DS, which I did not have so I don't think I need this.)

Does anyone take any of these supplements and what kind of daily multi-vitamins have worked best for you?

Thanks!

For me no Vitamins needed! Save your money eat a healthy balanced diet!

My opinion, 2 years out labs all normal. From the begging.

[I♡BypassedMyPhatAss♡ 804]

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Edited October 15, 2022 by I♡BypassedMyPhatAss♡

[catwoman7 11,216]

12 hours ago, sweetsmith78 said:

For me no Vitamins needed! Save your money eat a healthy balanced diet!

My opinion, 2 years out labs all normal. From the begging.

the OP is a bypass patient - not sleeve. Not taking Vitamins isn't an option for bypassers due to the malabsorption.

[ShoppGirl 4,885]

I am a year and a half out from sleeve and still taking a bariatric multi and calcium citrate. I have wondered about stopping them though. I think I am going to ask at my next appointment about this.

Edited October 16, 2022 by ShoppGirl

[Bettyboop56 33]

I take Bariatric Advantage enhanced Multi, 2 chewable with Breakfast and Calcium chewable 3x day, lunch dinner and bedtime.