Vitamins - VSG

Hey! I'm sure there's been a post or two about vitamins but I was curious what brands anyone was using and where the purchased them. I was planning to go with the Bariatric Advantage but there seem to be few places that carry the Advanced Multi AE they make. Just looking for options that won't kill my wallet or taste worse than they have to! Thanks for any opinions! :)

Here's the vitamin schedule I started with:

#1 Multi, Calcium 500mg, Vitamin D 5000IU, B-12 1000mcg (every other day)
#2 Calcium, Vitamin K 500mcg
#3 Multi, Calcium, Vitamin D
#4 Iron 18mg, Vitamin C 500mg

(The vitamin K and D are due to bloodwork results, you might not need them.)

Thanks!

My surgeon wanted me on chewables for the first 3 months, and I was happy enough to comply.. mostly.  The vitamin D and K were normal pills, but super tiny and easy to swallow.  

I take different things now, but these worked for me in the beginning and the only problem I had with my labs at 2 months were high copper.  (So I switched to a copper-free multi.)

Yea, I am basing my vitamin purchase on what my nutritionist and surgeon told me. I, too, need to be on chewables for awhile and am trying to determine what makes the most sense. Bariatric Advantage makes an advanced multi ea which would be the only supplement I needed to take besides calcium citrate. Seems like less might be more in terms of how many things I am taking in a day!

You've got a fully functioning stomach and no malabsorption.  You don't need designer bariatric vitamins at all because your body will absorb them as it always has.  Centrum (and generic equivalent) is a great multi, and women usually need more D and calcium at least.  Some need iron as well.  Your blood work will tell you what all you need, but it doesn't have to be expensive.

Thanks for the reply Valerie! I appreciate the information and it makes sense to me, I am just going on what I was told by the nutritionist and the surgeon. The one vitamin from Bariatric Advantage would cover everything I needed aside from Calcium citrate. I have a patient resource guide that I am going to check outright now to see the other options they give. Thanks!

My DS of course works differently, and these bariatric vitamin companies have "instructions" for DS - but I can tell you that we all have to add more, making them no better than taking a double-dose of Centrum for us.  Seriously, don't waste your money.  Also, chewables aren't necessary for everyone.  I was swallowing pills the day I came home from the hospital.  It took a little longer, but I could do it.

I suppose things might change post surgery, but I was told that I will need to take chewable vitamins for 6 months post op. I'm going to check out the other options! Thanks for taking the time to reply again!!

Some docs are more cautious, while others just don't vary post op instructions from a RNY to a VSG.  I was swallowing 12 horse pills on my 4th day post op.  I did it slowly and carefully throughout the day.