a few days ago, I posted a lengthy message on a different site in response to some very naive newbies dissing the Vitalady regime. I am reposting it here
vitamin scheduling
There are a number of comments buried in another thread about what vitamins should be taken or not taken together, and referring to the Vitalady schedule. I wanted to add my knowledge, based on seeing the results of many veterans over the past 6 and a half years. I have likely missed a few, but here are some things to consider as you set your own schedule
Vitalady will admit that her suggested schedule is not ideal. She has combined a few things that really should be taken separately, but for convenience Michelle realizes there is a maximum number of doses many patients will take. While not perfect, her recommendations are pretty damn good.
Simplistically, our bodies have receptors that attach to the supplements. If these receptors are filled up with one supplement, they cannot take on or absorb another one that needs the same receptors. Two hours between batches is suggested to allow the receptors to do their job with one supplement, and then they are freed up for the next vitamin dose. In a pinch, even one hour between doses is better than nothing, as the absorption is a gradual process
if you take too much of some vitamins at once, you are peeing out your money, just a waste. You may have noticed if you take a lot of vitamin C, your pee turns bright yellow. That is unused vitamin C flowing through you. Calcium citrate is similar (without the yellow visual!). You can only get 500-§00 mg in a single dose, so no sense in trying to take 1,000 at a time - wasting money. To get the recommended 3,000 mg per day, I take five separate calcium doses, each with 2 tablets of 315 mg (so 630 times 5 doses a day)
if you take supplements that are fighting for the same receptors, one supplement will win and one will lose. Calcium citrate, iron, zinc and copper all want the same receptors so they fight with each other. Usually calcium is the loser. Zinc is a bully. If you are taking iron, and copper and zinc and five doses of calcium citrate (see above) you need 8 doses a day. Some folks manage this by alternating days with zinc and copper, although that depends on how much you need to take to maintain your levels. You may hear some people being thankful they get iron infusions as it is one less dose to worry about fitting in
Some prescriptions, like levothyroxine for thyroid, should be taken apart from calcium too.
Personally, I take 8 doses each day. Two doses are set out on my bedside table each night, so I will take them when I get up to pee. This works well for those that need to be taken on an empty stomach.
If you are having difficulty with one particular level in your blood work, you may consider separating that one out and taking it at night on an empty stomach to give it its best chance. Some folks have done this with their dry vitamin A when their levels have dropped with some success
I also use organizers that keep the pills located close to where I will be when I need them, rather than carrying everything with me. I make sure I have lots of my lunchtime doses in my desk at work. Breakfast and dinner doses are in the kitchen. Bedtime and overnight doses are in the bedroom. I use separate organizers for each. Too many times, I realized I had left my daily organizer wherever I was at my last dose, which then sets my whole schedule off track. When I travel, I will use a daily container that I carry with me in my purse, then set out some of the doses on my bedside table in the hotel
One very useful (to me) trick I use is to have calcium citrate located in many handy locations, rather than in a pill organizer. I have bottles or bags or containers in my car, in my desk, in my purse, on my bedside table, at my Mom's house, in my briefcase, in my husbands car...you get the picture. I even have them out in little candy dishes (no kids to worry about taking them by accident). Whenever it crosses my mind, which is often triggered by seeing the jar, or dish or container, I grab a dose. On occasion, I take them too close together, sometimes not close enough. Some days I even squeeze in an extra dose, and if I am not sure how many I have taken, I take another dose for good luck. You cannot OD on calcium citrate
Another benefit of always having extra calcium nearby, is that if the dose I am supposed to be taking at that time isn’t available (ie, I forgot to bring it with me, I am delayed away from my office or from home, etc), I will just take an extra calcium dose. Then swap out a later scheduled calcium dose for the batch I missed. Usually, the timing of when during the day you take your dose isn’t a concern (although it may be very important with prescription meds so check those), so rescheduling the order is better than delaying the whole schedule as you may never catch up.
in a perfect world, all of the medications and supplements would be taken separately to maximize their effectiveness. But we don't like in a perfect world so we each do the best we can. How successful we are will show in our lab work...eventually
