I am doing research on my upcoming surgery and I just read on a different website that some people have to take 10-15 vitamins a day! Is this an extreme case or is this the norm?

Now before folks get crazy, here is my disclaimer: The following post is my opinion and not meant to be medical advice! Ok then...

I am one of those who hate to take any kind of medication. My lab work was also absolutely normal pre-op. For one month after surgery I took Vitamins as directed: children's chewable twice a day, Calcium with D twice a day, and B12 twice a day three times per week. After the first month my diet had increased so I cut it down to once a day for the Vitamin and the Calcium/D and once 3x a week for the B12.

My 4 month labs were excellent and I am continuing on the vitamin and the Calcium/D daily. My B12 was a high normal so I am cutting back slightly on that. My daily total is 2 pills/ 3 on the days I take the B12.

So, IMO, people should take vitamins that they need and there should be a clear rationale why something is necessary. There seems to be a misconception that if one vitamin is good, more are better and that is not true.

That's why it's important to have regular bloodwork done to monitor your levels.

My 4 month labs were excellent and I am continuing on the Vitamin and the Calcium/D daily. My B12 was a high normal so I am cutting back slightly on that. My daily total is 2 pills/ 3 on the days I take the B12.

I think you are absolutely right that you should base what you are taking on your blood work and the advice of your doctors and nutritionist. Don't know why you were worried people would jump down your throat for that!

That sounds about right, but you’ll get used to it. It’s more a question of remembering. Taking those vitamin and mineral pills is, in my opinion, the easy part of WLS! It’s easier than eating right and exercising every day!

I take a high potency multivitamin with minerals, b-12, biotin, calcium, super b complex, and I was taking zinc but it makes me sick so I stopped that.

I take these:

I take 4 of them a day.

@"BLENDgirl". I take cymbalta for depression. My depression is pretty stable since surgery but I do better on it than off.

I take 1 multivitamin a day and 1 biotin a day. I do 2 chewable calciums. Thats it

I take two multivitamins daily, and Vitamin D 10,000 mg twice weekly.

In the beginning I also had B12 daily, Calcium 500 mg three times daily, and Iron 2-3 times a day. The doc too me off all of that because all of those levels were too high.

Vitamins are necessary but absolutely not a one size fits all. Some of them are fat soluble and can be toxic or harmful if you get too much of them. They have to be adjusted based on lab work.

I don't take any. (Oh...I do take Vit. D at times.)

My annual exam/labs will be in May, so I'll see what's what then.

Edited March 27, 201511 yr by Dr-Patient