Gummy Vitamin Suppliment Question

I know...this ground has been covered off and on through the years (I searched the old posts and found a few). I am revisiting it because my question is a little different and because there might be more current information now.

Information changes over time. For example, when I first started researching RNY the 'rules' were things like "carbonation would stretch your pouch" (false) and "never use a straw" (false). I wonder...gummies...are you ok now or not?

My Current Vitamin Plan:

Celebrate chewable Multi (2 daily) and chewable Iron + C (one daily) and one daily soft chew Calcium.

Gummy supplements: CQ10, D3, and Probiotic (2 each daily)

Non-bariatric chewable: Magnesium (2 tablets for 800mg daily) B12 (one daily)

Let me state that my lab draws have shown everything my doctor tests for in good ranges throughout the course of taking this regimen. I acknowledge that he only does a standard panel of labs, not an in depth mineral panel.

The reasons I can find references to for not taking gummies are: 1) they are not complete 2) they have sugar.

For me the sugar has not been an issue because I take them spaced out throughout the day and they do not seem to cause any reaction.

As to completeness of the vitamins, is there any reason not to use them as supplements in addition to a bariatric multi? Does anyone have any good journal/medical articles to refer to? The gummies are much more affordable than specialized bariatric formulas of all these supplements and true chewable (non gummy style) are really hard to find. However if I any choking down all this nasty tasting gummy crud for no value it would be nice to know so I can stop.

I am still following my surgeon's rule that when possible medications should be chewable or crushed. I wonder...do I even need to be doing that at 18 months out from surgery? Maybe I should just be taking capsules? Tablets? I feel like I won't absorb them well that way though.

Ideas? Tips? Suggestions?

Unless you have an individual medical reason, you do not need to be taking chewables or gummies. Or specialized variatric vitamins. Capsules or tablets are fine. Many take them right from day 1. And tgey are absorbed just as well as chewables.

The standard for a multi is Centrum adult. Compare the stats on the label of the Centrum and Celebrate. They'll be pretty similar. Then compare them to the label on your gummy, and you'll see what's missing. There's a ton of stuff they leave out. Any one of which will eventually bite you in the butt.

There's a thread on one of the boards now about a woman suffering from copper deficiency. It's not pretty.

A couple of notes. I have yet to see an iron tablet that has enough vitamin c with it. You want 200 mg of C for every 30 mg of elemental iron. The studies I saw concluded that iron was absorbed 600 percent better when taken with enough C than without C. Also, calcium, dairy, tea or coffee within 2 hours of iron will negate its absorption.

You will find you need more calcium. We are supposed to get about three 500 mg doses, two hours apart, each day.

Get a full panel done once a year. A full bariatric panel is about 15 vials of blood. Anything less is just guessing and wishful thinking.

There is literally never a 2 hour window when I am awake that does not include coffee. Hmmm... quandary.

Also... I checked and the Celebrate site sure doesn't say how much C is in their Iron + C...anywhere. It just says, "Includes C" lol I see I need to add C for sure.

So...really...no chewie chewie chewie all day? Man...that would be nice! So regular Centrum, iron and C, Calcium...good to go? Double the dose of the Centrum or just one per day? I like this.

I know I need the Magnesium. If I don't take it I get terrible cramps in my legs and arms. I wonder if I can try a tablet of this?

The Calcium debate is raging. I am reading lots that is showing there is a calcification damage that is happening and that recommendations for high doses are being greatly reduced with much regrets. Especially with my heart issues I am cautious with Calcium.

Here here and here are a few articles about Calcium. Thoughts?

To my knowledge, issues with calcium supplements are always connected to calcium carbonate. Calcium citrate, which we are supposed to take, actually helps. The articles you linked don't get specific about the source of calcium.

Make sure you have PTH tested in your labs. It's the only bloodwork test that says anything at all about bone health. If it is on the higher end, you are lising calcium from your bones. You want PTH lower, not higher.

Amen, Grim. My PTH has been high for 3 blood draws, my calcium is also high (over 10 . . . just barely 10.2) and my bone density scan diagnosed me with osteopenia. PTH is crucial.

Look at PTH, Vit. D and Calcium levels in conjunction with each other. High PTH, Low D and High calcium is no good.

Here's what I was taking before I switched to patches (I've had one set of labs with the patch and they were great . . . well according to my untrained eye. The only thing that dropped was my Vit. D which I had stopped supplementing because it was toxic levels high)

2 centrum a day

6 Citrical Petites (2 at a time 3x a day, 2 hours apart) This is 1500 a day, which I need since I have been tested and diagnosed with osteopenia.

1 iron pill plus 1 c (at night right before bed. Iron makes me pukey)

1 sublingual B

I'm waiting until my appt on the 17th to see if I get the continued green light for the patch. At the very least, I'm going to lobby hard to keep the Iron patch. My Ferritin increased 60 points in the 2 months I was on it and I'm well over 260 now.

My PTH was high, and two DEXA scans taken 2 ywars apart showed increasing levels of osteopenia. I was up to 2500 calcium citrate -- 500, 5 times a day.

I switched to calcium patches and my numbers turned around dramatically.

I've been on the patches and just had another blood draw done. Everything (PTH, calcium 10.2) is still high. Calcium in my urine. At this point, if they think I have a growth on my parathyroid, I'd rather they take care of it now!

My doctor told me no gummies ever :(