Supplementation post-gastric bypass

[the_tatyana]

When I read that post-wls folks aren't taking any vitamins and supplements, or not on a regular basis, it worries me ALOT. It also amazes me that folks who are new to my in-person support group who had surgery someplace other than the OSU Medical Center, don't even know that they have to take vitamins

Comments

[anomalous_girl]

I am sure you know this, because you seem pretty knowledgable, but make sure not to take iron and calcium together, they cancel each other out. And the Vitamin C in oj always helps any vitamin absorb better. So if I can, I take my vites with oj.

[meeshaphrenic]

prenatals tend to have higher levels of the same vitamins that we don't absorb as well after surgery and can be less expensive than specially formulated bariatric multivitamins, so a lot of people opt for them instead.

[the_tatyana]

If you have decent insurance, have your PCP write you an Rx for some. For me, it comes out cheaper - only $3/month.

[pattybluebird]

We went to a seminar at Missouri Bariatrics and they pretty much said the same thing you are telling us here: after surgery, I will NEED to take vitamins and minerals for the rest of my life.

Thanks for posting that here as a reminder.

~ Patty

[the_tatyana]

You're welcome. As I said, I'm about 2.5 years out and taking my vitamins has become a daily routine. I never not take them, or take them every other day, or skip a week - it's part of my life now - without them, I'll become malnourished and sick.

[meeshaphrenic]

i totally agree. it makes me sad, especially when i see the occasional old-timer pop in with a story about how they ended up in the hospital for an iron transfusion b/c they had gotten so anemic, or nerve damage due to severe b12 deficiency. :/

one tip to add to your list--if you have trouble with your iron supplement, try feosol. it's carbonyl iron, (same as bariatric advantage's chewable iron) which is very gentle on the system. it's a little expensive ($8-$14/bottle) but worth not ending up in the hospital b/c you stopped taking your iron b/c it constipated you or irritated your stomach. i've found it at both walmart and CVS, it's much cheaper at walmart.

[ebullientjenn]

My vitamins are similar but not exactly the same.

I take:

AM
Prenatal (which contains Iron)
1000mg C

Through the day at different times...
600mg Calcium Citrate +D

PM
5000mcg of Biotin

and on Saturday mornings I take a 1000mcg B-12

My bloodwork at 6 months showed my b-12 levels were like OFF THE CHARTS, so I was told to stop taking it. But after about 3 months I found I was tired a lot, so I added it back once a week, I'm getting my levels checked again soon, so we'll see how that is.

I was also told that 28mg Iron is sufficient and that is in the prenatal. The prenatal also contains some calcium and some b-12, but as that would be absorbed through the pouch, it's hard to say if we get anything from that.

Thanks for the reminder T. I keep forgetting my calcium through the day. :( sucky.

[meeshaphrenic]

i'd keep taking the b12, it's water soluble so you should pee out any excess that your body doesn't want to keep. lab standards as to B12 levels are lower in the US than say in europe, so low that you could have symptoms of nerve issues and still be above the cutoff for normal by US standards.

the iron is a little trickier, keep an eye on your levels. i thought the iron in my prenatal (citranatal) was going to be enough (it had 90mg iron) but i still ended up anemic!! (i'm pregnant, keeping an eye on it more closely than usual) though calcium citrate isn't supposed to block iron absorption quite as much as carbonate, i still wasn't getting enough from the citranatal, which i had asked for specifically b/c it had calcium citrate instead of carbonate, and extra iron. i'm still taking my prenatal and have added back the feosol. i'm hoping there's not something else wrong though, seeing as even after a month back on the feosol my hemoglobin ended up being slightly lower rather than improving...