My bariatric team says my daily vitamins should be (1) Bariatric Multivitamin (1) Super B Complex where they want the Thiamin in it to be at least 100mg (seems high to me?!) and (2) 650mg Calcium chewables taken (at separate times).

I am absolutely struggling with the Super B vitamin, due to its very strong odor and taste. It makes me gag easily, it upsets my stomach.. it's wretched. Yes, I've called the office about it and they pretty much politely told me 'suck it up buttercup' and wouldn't offer alternatives.

Anyone else have an issue with this one? How'd you get past it? Are there alternatives that work out okay? I really couldn't give a rat's behind if its a chewable or a gummy with sugar or whatever, I just need something to go down easier than this and not taste disgusting lol

Pretty please some advice/recommendations would be great.

Yes but I got allergic reactions to it, with photos, so that's how I got out of the super B complex. I have to take a different kind for B12, maybe B1 after a visit next week.

your body doesn't store B vitamins - whatever it doesn't use is excreted in your urine - so a high dose isn't toxic, it just might be wasteful if your body isn't using most of it. I'll check the requirements of the American Association of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgeons and post it - they've changed their Web site since I was last there, so I have to hunt for their supplement list.

also, it's the thiamine part of the vitamin that smells and tastes awful. The other B vitamins don't smell. I switched to B complex capsules, since they don't start melting until they hit your stomach. Much better - these don't smell or taste weird.

EDITED to add: it looks like their supplement requirement sheet is now in the "members only" section. Cripes. I'll see what else I can find. I had my surgery nine years ago, so I don't remember how much thiamine I was told to take, other than whatever it is is in the B complex capsules I take.

EDITED again to add: I'm still looking for Thiamine (B1) requirements for bariatric patients, but NIH does say that 100 mg is a common dosage for people with thiamine deficiencies, which I guess would be us (for normal people, 12 mg is recommended). I'll let you know if I find anything else, but I'm guessing 100 mg wouldn't be considered too much for us, since we're prone to vitamin deficiencies.

EDITED yet again: I just cut and pasted this from a very long report by the NIH. Since it says 12-50 mg twice daily, that would be 24-100 mg if you only take it once daily. SO...100 mg isn't too much. I would take it - the problems with thiamine deficiency sound pretty awful, and if you're taking the upper end of this recommended dose (100 mg/day), it should keep those at bay. Try capsules - they changed my life. Not sure if that much comes in gummies. Maybe liquids - but then with liquids, you're still going get that smell/taste.

Postoperative bariatric surgery patients should receive thiamine supplementation as part of routine multivitamin therapy (12–50 mg orally, twice daily)

Edited June 19, 20242 yr by catwoman7

5 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

your body doesn't store B Vitamins - whatever it doesn't use is excreted in your urine - so a high dose isn't toxic, it just might be wasteful if your body isn't using most of it. I'll check the requirements of the American Association of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgeons and post it - they've changed their Web site since I was last there, so I have to hunt for their supplement list.

also, it's the thiamine part of the Vitamin that smells and tastes awful. The other B vitamins don't smell. I switched to B complex capsules, since they don't start melting until they hit your stomach. Much better - these don't smell or taste weird.

EDITED to add: it looks like their supplement requirement sheet is now in the "members only" section. Cripes. I'll see what else I can find. I had my surgery nine years ago, so I don't remember how much thiamine I was told to take, other than whatever it is is in the B complex capsules I take.

EDITED again to add: I'm still looking for Thiamine (B1) requirements for bariatric patients, but NIH does say that 100 mg is a common dosage for people with thiamine deficiencies, which I guess would be us (for normal people, 12 mg is recommended). I'll let you know if I find anything else, but I'm guessing 100 mg wouldn't be considered too much for us, since we're prone to vitamin deficiencies.

EDITED yet again: I just cut and pasted this from a very long report by the NIH. Since it says 12-50 mg twice daily, that would be 24-100 mg if you only take it once daily. SO...100 mg isn't too much. I would take it - the problems with thiamine deficiency sound pretty awful, and if you're taking the upper end of this recommended dose (100 mg/day), it should keep those at bay. Try capsules - they changed my life. Not sure if that much comes in gummies. Maybe liquids - but then with liquids, you're still going get that smell/taste.

Postoperative bariatric surgery patients should receive thiamine supplementation as part of routine multivitamin therapy (12–50 mg orally, twice daily)

TYSM for all your research into it. I've looked around and read but it gets fairly overwhelming when one source says one thing, and ever other source says another ?

Going by the NIH makes the most sense though. I'm hunting for capsules with that much now, and hoping those will go down a lot better.

20 hours ago, swimbikerun said:

Yes but I got allergic reactions to it, with photos, so that's how I got out of the super B complex. I have to take a different kind for B12, maybe B1 after a visit next week.

Yikes! Sorry to hear that thats rough buddy
Hopefully you find something that goes down better for you too

Ta. See them on Monday, we'll see what they suggest.