I have been taking Biotin because it's supposed to be good for the hair/hair loss. I just noticed on the bottle it says" Calcium or other minerals can block the absorption of many medications. Do not take this Biotin within 2 hours of any medications.

this is getting tricky.I was taking my calcium and all my Vitamins and supplements together.

So am I not supposed to take my acid reducer within 2 hours of anything else? What about the calcium? Am I supposed to not take that within 2 hours of taking anything else?

Hope someone knows the answer to this. I don't want to be taking any of this stuff and have it not being absorbed.

Daisy, Why don't you call the pharmacy? They should be able to answer your questions. Let the rest of us know if you find out anything. Too bad our 2 old friends aren't here to answer this one. Judy

Yeah, I was thinking that same thing.

I take my calcium and my flax seed capsules together and my multis and everything else together. (Everything else tends to vary.)

You don't want to take your Multivitamin at the same time as the calcium because the calcium will inhibit the absorption of the Iron in it. But you can take Biotin at the same time as your multi. You also don't want to be taking more than 500 mg (give or take) of calcium citrate at the same time as your body can't absorb it all.

This is my schedule:

AM: 2 calcium citrate pills & 1 flax seed oil gelcap with Breakfast

Lunch: 2 Multivitamins, 1 probiotic, anything else I'm taking (which right now is nothing)

PM Snack: repeat the calcium & flax seed oil dose

Dinner: repeat calcium & flax seed oil

It would be better if I split up the multivitamin into two doses but I like having an extra slot. If I forget to take anything during the day, I can take it at night with my evening snack. My surgeon said it was okay to do it this way.

Thanks Mac. I need to split the stuff up. I have been taking everything at once.

What do you take flax seed oil for?

If I went back to taking all my supplements that I was before the surgery, I'd not be able to eat anything - they would be my breakfast, lunch and dinner -- plus, I'm still having a hard time swallowing anything larger than the size of a pea. I would love to get back on all my Vitamins and supplements; however, I don't relish the thought of them getting stuck and me throwing them up when they do ... I'll check out vitacost.com and see what they have as far as chewables and liquids.

Thanks for the info Mac.

What do you take flax seed oil for?

To get some Omega fatty acids into me. I don't eat a lot food that is rich in them.

For a while I was taking Co-enzyme Q10 too. That gives your cells energy. It's supposed to be good for endurance sports. But I got tired of taking a lot of pills and I cut way back once I gave up on all the stuff I was taking for my hair (that didn't do squat).

Right now, I'm trying a probiotic because I don't eat as much yogurt as I used to and I'm getting gassy again. It seems to work better than Benefiber! (I've been lax about taking my benefiber because I haven't been doing a shake every morning for breakfast and, even when I do, I have been trying different powders and I keep forgetting to put it in.

It seems to work better than Benefiber! (I've been lax about taking my benefiber because I haven't been doing a shake every morning for breakfast and, even when I do, I have been trying different powders and I keep forgetting to put it in.

I have a cup of tea every morning and I put my Benefiber in that. It is easier for me to remember that way. About 10 then I have either an individual portion size Jerky or a Premier Protein drink. carol

OK!

I know I will be blasted for this---HOWEVER I want to stick my 2 cents in.

IF (big if) your getting enough protein, and intaking the proper foods, YOUR body does not need supplements. If concerned about any deficiencies go get blood work done to see what your actually down in BEFORE bomb barding your body with supplements. The body can not cypher through all the extra stuff, your just making it work harder, and god only knows as I age I do not want my body working harder.

MY OPINION nothing more

I have to take a bunch of stuff for my interstitial cystitis. They are all herbs. I got a book called herbs and the urinary tract. Those herbs have helped me so much, and I am really glad I can get them all down.

OK!

IF (big if) your getting enough Protein, and intaking the proper foods, YOUR body does not need supplements.

But pretty much no one who is consuming 800 calories or less is getting enough food to be able to get every macro-nutrient.

If concerned about any deficiencies go get blood work done to see what your actually down in BEFORE bomb barding your body with supplements.

There are definitely supplements you should NOT take if you don't know if you need them. Iron comes to mine right off the bat. You can have too much iron in your blood and get metal poisoning.

But I already know my Vitamin D is low from my labs. Some of the other stuff I've taken over time isn't anything you can know from your labs if you need. Like the Co-enzyme Q10. It works more like an anti-oxident. So there is no test to know if it's working for you. Just if you think you have more energy or not.

The Omegas are very safe to take. My dh's doctor told him there was no downside to taking those. (He has bad cholesterol and triglyceride numbers and they help.) It's no more harmful than eating a lot of fish... less harmful in some ways as you don't have to worry about mercury poisoning. :thumbup1:

The body can not cypher through all the extra stuff, your just making it work harder, and god only knows as I age I do not want my body working harder.

Sorry, that is simply not supported by the scientific evidence available today. Taking supplements, in reasonable quantities, isn't going to tax your system any more than eating food that contains them.

The worse that happens with most vits/supplements is that you end up with expensive pee. :biggrin0: Again, this is not including the ones that you need to be careful about overdosing on. But most aren't like that. And the amounts in a typical Multivitamin are just not enough to be an issue.

Needless to say, this is not something Bearded and I agree on -- I take (or did before surgery) Flaxseed and Co-Q-10, Ester C (helps cut down on UTIs to which I am susceptible) and Cranberry. He thought I took too much and was crazy for doing so ... I didn't agree .. so we agreed to disagree...I will be glad when I am able to swallow those pills again.

I think I might go back to taking Co-Q10. I had more energy when I took it. I'm waiting to see what my labs look like in Sept. though. I may get to cut back on my Vitamin D3 since I'm out in the sun all the time these days.

My vit D was really low too. WASa told me one of the symptoms was sugar cravings

and since I have really started increasing

it, I notice that my sugar cravings really

have gone down. The only other thing I take besides the biotin is calcium citrate and a multi vitamin. The rest are all herbs that have made an amazing difference with

my interstitial cystitis.

Do these Calcium Citrate pills interfere with prescribed anti-depressants? I have just got hold of some but I am unsure as to whether or not I should take them now as I take Citalopram daily for anxiety and depression.