I am suppose to start taking a daily multivitamin and calcium citrate (500 mg tid) any suggestions on best brand. Also...anyone start taking biotin prior to surgery for hair and skin health? I have my 2nd out of 6 total NUT visits tomorrow and I still haven't started these supplements yet.. Help!

Hi I started taking biotin as I started the process I am a week away from surgery I was having hair loss due to stress and diabetes and it has helped with the hairloss. The citracal brand is good and not pricey at all walmart has better pricing and in walgreens they are usually buy one get one half off they recommend chewables I was having a hard time trying to find it in stores there are many websites too with great prices..swanson.com vitacost.com bariatric choice.com bariatric advantage.com

@@juno5 - I bought the Citracal "petites" thinking they would be smaller than a reg M&M - not! My NUT said anything larger we would have to crush. If you can find chewable ones get them and look for the ones with the D3 added if possible!

Good to know they are not small enough I had my doubts.

I took Bariatric Advantage for the first 3 months but have been switching to over the counter as I run out due to cost. I swallow pills fine and don't have to crush thankfully. I am now 13 weeks out.

I wish I could encourage you about the Biotin and its alleged effect on hair loss. I took 10,000mcg from Walgeens (Nature's Finest) twice a day, and had Gelatin or bone broth Soup every day, and had no unusual hair loss whatsoever. that's not to say you will have the same result, but I wish you the best.

I bought those expensive Bariatric Advantage AE multi-Vitamins and they were giant horse pills. I tried cutting them in fourths, but the sharp corners made them just as hard to swallow. I tried crushing them in raspberry applesauce, jello-Water, sugar-free jelly, lots of things, and they were just too nasty to stay down.

I've just been taking my local grocery store's brand of Citrical Maximum. I was allowed to swallow pills at 7 days post-up, so never had to deal with crushing pills of finding chewables/gummies.

For my multi-Vitamin, I have been taking the brand my surgeon's office pushed, Vitaleph, but they've just been bought out/rebranded, so I'm not sure I will continue with them once my current supply runs out.

I have been taking biotin, Vitamin E, Folic Acid, Omega 3's and still have crazy hair loss. I used to have hair down to my behind and now its thin and shoulder length-all from fall out!. I am going to look into increasing the biotin and making some bone broth. , I am using Lose It to track protein intake and am psychotic about vitamin intake so I am at my wit's end.