So I ordered vitamin patches for the 2nd time through Bariatric Pal website only to later find this article....so what's true?

http://www.bariatriceating.com/2016/06/faq-vitamin-patches-bad/

CAN WE ABSORB VITAMINS AND MINERALS THROUGH OUR SKIN BY USING ONE OF THOSE MULTIVITAMIN PATCHES I HAVE HEARD OF?

Vitamin Use Tied to Lower Breast Cancer Death

When we heard about ‘multivitamin patches’ that were being marketed to bariatric patients, we were skeptical because we remember the ‘spray vitamins’ similarly targeting us a few years back that turned out to be bogus – the FDA and Attorney General of several states thought so too.

We consulted with experts regarding ‘patch multivitamins’, all of whom emphatically said that none of the claims made by the patch company were true. Not a single word. They even underscored that what these companies are proposing is biochemically impossible, as the skin is a very good seal against water soluble organics, which is why you can’t get drunk on alcohol through your skin.

It’s also a good barrier against ion transfer, or else a few hours in the ocean would dehydrate and kill you. Think of all the things you come in contact with during your day – if these materials passed through the skin, it could in many instances mean death.

Most vitamins and minerals fall into these two categories and anybody claiming nutrient absorption through a known protective barrier had better produce studies to back it up – burden of proof is upon the patch companies, as their claims go against widely accepted and well known medical facts.

One pharmacological expert went further to say that the people responsible for the bariatric vitamin patches ‘are either willfully fraudulent or just plain stupid, but either way are a second away from an FDA Warning Letter or FTC action’. Use your judgement and please be careful of this kind of stuff. You cannot fit the entire world of nutrition in a single pill. It does not make sense that you could tape a packet of pulverized vitamins to your arm and have all that material magically move through your skin and into your body. You cannot absorb the amount of minerals needed after bariatric surgery through a ‘sticker’.

People who have had bariatric surgery are often looking for something easy and defend this product because they want to believe. People cite nicotine, birth control and other medications used as prescribed treatments via patch dose – the difference is that the highly specialized transdermal medication patches available via prescription, are for tiny amount of drugs, not several teaspoons of organic minerals. There is no comparison.

If you’d like to be compliant, there is no easy way out, you must swallow capsules or chew tablets. There is no magic pill and certainly no magic spray or sticker.

As a nurse, I've always been sceptical about the vitamin patch efficacy because of the reasons listed above. Our skin is simply too good of a barrier to allow certain compounds to penetrate.

In the end, the only way to really know if you are getting proper nutrition whether through oral, sublingual, injectable or transdermal routes is to verify with annual blood work. Make sure you are getting a CBC, metabolic panel, D3, iron/ferritin, B12, and folate checked every year. A Dexa or bone density scan is the only way to really check calcium levels.

That is interesting. I rather chew my gummy vitamins like a big girl lol. I have always been skeptical of anything that is a patch and is supposed to penetrate the skin. I rather take the shot in my butt every 3 months as birth control then trust some patch.

Patches lol "First they're Sour and Then they're Sweet". Please excuse my silliness today. I believe it is due to my Pre-Op diet.

The best way to trust that you are getting your vitamins is through taking them orally.

You may have to cut the bottoms.

I've never taken the multivitamin patches, but I use the Vitamin B patches daily and my numbers have always been good. In fact, I notice it when I forget for a day or two to put a patch on. Some of the B vitamins are a bit different than others though as the concept of absorbing them through the skin is not new. There have been Vitamin B lotions for a long time.

Can't speak to the multivitamins though as I take Opurity for those. Interesting read. Even more interesting that both sides are making claims without science to back them up. I do tend to agree with the argument that the burden of proof lies on the vitamin company making the claim though....guess we'll see how it unfolds.

i've been using the vitamin patches for 4 months now. i'm 3 1/2 months post op. i had my 3 month blood work also. my blood work was fine. i don't need calcuim anymore. its high. i always need the vitamin d3. its always low in the winter. i do have to take my multivitiman/multimineral patch. I have to take a b6 vitamin and zinc and copper vitamin. my nut said that it is normal for the b6 and zinc and copper to be low after surgery.

My surgeon actually suggests the patch. I used it for the first 2 months post op and my labs came in great. I take chewable centrums now. Have been told never use gummies

8 hours ago, smg said:

I do tend to agree with the argument that the burden of proof lies on the vitamin company making the claim though.

Ditto

For those of you fresh out of surgery and doing well on the patches, just be aware that you will likely not develop deficiencies within the first few months anyways, with or without supplements. Make sure you follow up with labs annually forever....it can take years for problems to arise.

I'm sorry, but this is published by a vitamin company that does not want people to buy anything other than their vitamins. I'm more than three months out and had my blood work done. I use six different patches, including the multivitamin ones. Before I had surgery, I was slightly anemic. Now, I'm not anemic at all. After surgery, your blood work won't miraculously get better, unless you are taking your vitamins.

There is no proof that Vitamin patches don't do what they are supposed to do. Matter of fact, there are many people that have been using vitamin patches for years and have had great blood work. There is no basis for this other than misinformation.