I'm very curious to see what everyone has been told about vitamins post op?

Is it possible to just find a decent multivitamin or does your doctor/Dietician specify what vitamins are needed? I've heard B12 is very important?

Tell me your daily vitamin routine.

My surgery is still months away but my starting weight is 320lbs my goal is anything under 220 but overall goal in my mind is 185lbs.

Your surgeon will prescribe vitamins. Most Aussie Drs use the BN brand. First month after surgery you get the chewable ( they are feral) , after that you will generally be changed over to a capsule.

I've been looking at local vitamins you get in supermarkets multivitamins?

Why chewable I take tablets 3x a day everyday as it is?

I can't stop taking my medication just because of surgery???

They recommend the chewables for the first month as they are absorbed better. You will still take your other meds as per usual. They are specific multi's that are developed for bariatric patients so no point trying to buy some from a supermarket at this point.

Oh ok that's fine I was worried about malabsorption with my current medications but would be fine.

I'm just getting anxious for RNY but still have to wait a while for my PHI to get to 12 months

You can get the Bariatric vitamins on Amazon. Around $50 for 90 days supply. B12 is super important. I take a separate B12 supplement. I take the bariatric advantage multi vitamin.

After RNY gastric bypass surgery, you are required to take many vitamins for the rest of your life. This is because you body no longer synthesizes vitamins from food. That part of your stomach has been cut away, so this daily requirement is extremely important. Vitamin chemistry is important for absorption. Calcium supplements should be calcium citrate. There are also different chemistries of B12. I use the sublingual B12 and was told to use methylcobalamin. You cannot use a time-release version of B12. If you are taking iron supplements, it must be ferrous sulfate for the best absorption. Gummy vitamins are not absorbed properly and should be avoided.

It is important to put a 2 hour separation between the vitamins that contain iron and those that contain calcium. So in my case I found that what works best for me is to take the iron supplements just before bedtime. I put my vitamins in a weekly pill container. I have one container for the morning and one for the night. And I use a very small glass bowl for my calcium supplements. I put my calciums in the bowl in the morning and take them throughout the day. If I am up and about I put my calciums in a ziplock bag and carry them with me.

The directions I received after surgery was:

* Three Flintstone complete chewable multivitamins daily.

* Additional 65 milligrams elemental iron daily for menstruating women.

* 1500 to 1800 milligrams calcium citrate daily [this can be tricky because the dosage rate is per 2 capsules - therefore this can mean around 5-8 capsules per day depending on the size (petite or regular)].

* 500 to 1000 micrograms sublingual B12 daily or 1000 microgram injection once monthly.

* 100 milligrams Thiamine (vitamin B1) daily for the first year and then weekly thereafter.

But right after surgery, I lost my ability to swallow large pills and I had to crush them. It was like eating chalk. The only way I could down these was by mixing them with crystal light and drinking them down. Because they formed a paste at the bottom of the glass. I had to remix these and chug them down several times. Luckily my inability to swallow lasted only a couple months and then I was back to normal.

The following link describes my experience with RNY gastric bypass surgery. How 
I
 Survived 
Bariatric 
Surgery

Funny you should mention flintstones. lol I am currently taking two a day of my sons waiting on my next shipment to arrive

My nutritionist and surgeon recommended Patch MD vitamins for all their patients. They are great especially if you have trouble swallowing pills. I use the multivitamin patch and the Biotin which is helping with hair loss.

my schedule is:

chewable multivitamin with 18mg iron per dose 2x's day, must take an hour before or after calcium

500 mg calcium citrate chewables 4x's day - see above

vitamin b12 3000 mcg one per week, sublingal is best absorbed

This is done for life to counteract the malabsorption created by RNY.

2 minutes ago, GettinSkinnywithit said:

my schedule is:

chewable Multivitamin with 18mg Iron per dose 2x's day, must take an hour before or after Calcium

500 mg calcium citrate chewables 4x's day - see above

Vitamin B12 3000 mcg one per week, sublingal is best absorbed

This is done for life to counteract the malabsorption created by RNY.

Was this from day 1.. multivitamin are easy to find but I haven't seen 3000 B12 yet only 1000-1500 in my local shops. But it's a small price to pay for the benefits of the bypass!!

On 2/7/2019 at 6:55 AM, Mikeyy said:

Was this from day 1.. multivitamin are easy to find but I haven't seen 3000 B12 yet only 1000-1500 in my local shops. But it's a small price to pay for the benefits of the bypass!!

I'm about 4 1/2 months post op and my surgeon's office has said to use either Elevit (pregnancy vitamins) or if I can't swallow them (they're the size of flipping suppositories!!) to take regular multis. I have the Cenovis multivitamins, Blackmore's B12 melts, iron melts and Ostelin calcium citrate chews.

Like Elcee says, the BN multis are absolutely feral ? I used them for the first month as directed by the surgeon, but at 5 weeks post op my partner and I had a quick trip to Canada where I bought a bunch of chewable pregnancy vitamins. Sadly they really don't contain much in the way of the nutrients that I need so I gave them to a workmate who's expecting a baby.

I've just started on cenovis multi vitamins even before in ready for surgery just to try them out.

Most people do mention calcium citrate and B12 and multivitamins but I guess it depends on the individual person.

I know the RNY means you are unable to absorb much vitamins or calories so the vitamins are life time commitment but small price to pay for a new life and extended life.

Yes you're right some multivitamins have very low MCG so be careful

Centrum advance x2 day am and pm
Vit D spray x1 pump into gums
Vit B12 spray x4 pumps into gums
Levels always good

What brand are the melts and sprays? There is so much to absorb.