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I was researching vitamin patches and what I thought was true. Vitamin Patches can not be absorbed by the skin. This is what I found.

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.

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I was taking an equate Multivitamin and my Dad saw it and said, you know there might not be any Vitamins in that. I was like what! He then advised that the FDA does not regulate vitamins, and that he gets his from costco because they lab test their supplements. I don't have a Costco near me, so I just looked at what brands they sell and switched to Centrum. They sell gummies as well, do you know why your dietitian doesn't approve of gummies?

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Oh no....I just ordered the Calcium Patches because I’m already sick of taking so many calcium pills. :blink:

What is the source you are copying this article from?

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They are usually sweetened, stick to your dentures,i wonder if they might block your stoma? That is if you're a bypasser.

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I did find this on the Unjury website which I never thought of. Weight of patch vs. weight of supposed Vitamins and minerals in patch. Interesting to read.

https://www.unjury.com/blog/serious-questions-patchmd-vitamin-supplement-claims/

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2 hours ago, okayestmom said:

I was taking an equate Multivitamin and my Dad saw it and said, you know there might not be any Vitamins in that. I was like what! He then advised that the FDA does not regulate Vitamins, and that he gets his from costco because they lab test their supplements. I don't have a costco near me, so I just looked at what brands they sell and switched to Centrum. They sell gummies as well, do you know why your dietitian doesn't approve of gummies?

It's true the FDA does not regulate supplements. But plenty of independent labs can and do test supplements for label accuracy. The bottom line is Wal-Mart is not going to risk a lawsuit and their reputation by putting out supplements that don't contain what they claim they do.

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/05/health/05patient.html

"In a recent test of Multivitamins, ConsumerLab.com found that Equate-Mature Multivitamin 50+ sold by Wal-Mart was just as good as the name brand Centrum Silver, but at less than a nickel a day is half the price."

As for gummies, my program doesn't recommend gummies because they are just not complete enough. If you look at the vitamins and minerals in widely approved multivitamins, like the Celebrate or Trader Joes, and compare them to gummies,. You'll see the list of vitamins and minerals is much shorter on gummies than non-gummies

Edited by sillykitty

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Thanks for the info and the sources! I do believe I will be saving a few bucks!

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3 hours ago, KimTriesRNY said:

Oh no....I just ordered the Calcium Patches because I’m already sick of taking so many Calcium pills. :blink:

What is the source you are copying this article from?

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

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My program says no to Patches bc they do not work and no to gummies bc they are incomplete and full of sugar.

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I fell in to the Patches and after about a week I felt awful. This was in the early stages of my post op too. So, I quit them and went back to the nasty bariatric Vitamins and felt instantly better! Sooo....I’m not sure if all the hype of how they work is really because some folks are actually getting their dietary needs through food or they’re still living off the “stores” they had, or they’re just thinking they’re bodies are doing better (all in the head). Some say their blood work is proof but I haven’t seen a copy of anyone’s blood work to show it. Could also be a bogus testimony on here to get folks to buy them. Whatever the issue, they do not work for me. Finally almost year out and only need two Flintstone chewables, one b-12, one b complex, and my Calcium. I can live with this.

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so then why the hell do they sell the Patches if they do not work? Placebo much...

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Honest Answer: there's a sucker born every minute, they sell them in the hope it might be YOU!😛

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    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
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    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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