Vitamins for dummies

A

Aftermath

Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2021
Messages
16
Location
California
Hey there,

somewhat of a newbie DSer here, surgery was in June 2020

I’ve been a bit lost and confused about vitamins from day 1...

Can anyone explain vitamins to me please? I understand that they need to be dry, and ADEK, probiotic, calcium, magnesium, and multis + I add a B complex and iron (I’m female).

the confusion for me lies in the order that I should take them and which can be taken with which and which need to be an hour out, which can’t be taken close to each other (magnesium, I’m looking at you), etc

I have all of my vitamins and have been taking a premade set from Vitalady but I’d like to get more of a handle and understanding on my vitamins, what I’m taking and why, and switch over to more superior source sized vitamins (obviously calcium is one that I can’t switch out but the MASSIVE pill is kind of a lot at times)

explain this to me like I’m 5, I’d like to avoid any confusion.

Any and all helps is SO APPRECIATED!
 
Hi and welcome!
If you just can't get those huge calcium citrate pills down (I'm one of the folks who can't), try the chewables from Bariatric Advantage. You can either chew them or just suck on them til they dissolve. More expensive than the pills, but a real life saver for me. I like the cherry flavor best, the chocolate is not bad, and for me the mint is too minty, but that's just me.
 
First and most important is to just take the pills. Don't go batshit crazy over what goes with what and what needs to be taken when. Too many newbies get way too wrapped up in this and end up making too big of a deal over it. Just take the pills is the bottom line. You can't absorb what you don't take.

MOST of us are just fine doing this. If you are not, your labs will tell you so down the line. Be prepared to change things as necessary. Do what needs to be done.

I take mine 1/2 in the morning and the other half at bedtime. The bedtime thing is intentional. Our guts move more slowly when we sleep and I want those vites to be in my guts for the longest possible time. This works for me. If I had to make a change I would probably start dividing them up in thirds and take supplements 3 times a day.

We all have malabsorbtion and we all waste supplements. They go right out the poop chute. We just waste more than normies do. And there is no way to guarantee we will absorb everything we take. Actually, we never will absorb everything we take. That's why we take more than normal people.

If you take prescription meds, pay attention to what the labels advise. Follow the recommendations.

Rule #1 Just take the pills!
 
Larra said:
Hi and welcome!
If you just can't get those huge calcium citrate pills down (I'm one of the folks who can't), try the chewables from Bariatric Advantage. You can either chew them or just suck on them til they dissolve. More expensive than the pills, but a real life saver for me. I like the cherry flavor best, the chocolate is not bad, and for me the mint is too minty, but that's just me.
Click to expand...

I will have to look into the chewables! Do we absorb these the same as others? I use to use marijuana edibles as a sleep aid prior to surgery (I’m in CA and it’s legal here) however, they have no effect on me anymore so I’m a bit wary of other edible products.

CBN is fat-solvable though and calcium is not so I can see this working out
 
Munchkin said:
First and most important is to just take the pills. Don't go batshit crazy over what goes with what and what needs to be taken when. Too many newbies get way too wrapped up in this and end up making too big of a deal over it. Just take the pills is the bottom line. You can't absorb what you don't take.

MOST of us are just fine doing this. If you are not, your labs will tell you so down the line. Be prepared to change things as necessary. Do what needs to be done.

I take mine 1/2 in the morning and the other half at bedtime. The bedtime thing is intentional. Our guts move more slowly when we sleep and I want those vites to be in my guts for the longest possible time. This works for me. If I had to make a change I would probably start dividing them up in thirds and take supplements 3 times a day.

We all have malabsorbtion and we all waste supplements. They go right out the poop chute. We just waste more than normies do. And there is no way to guarantee we will absorb everything we take. Actually, we never will absorb everything we take. That's why we take more than normal people.

If you take prescription meds, pay attention to what the labels advise. Follow the recommendations.

Rule #1 Just take the pills!
Click to expand...

this is a really great approach and I think I will do this moving forward! I get nervous about mixing the wrong thing, not taking enough of one, taking too much of another, etc. and have found myself missing doses because of this.

As long as I get the actual pills down, I think that’s a good start. I’m nervous about requesting labs with my new PCP (I was with BCBS and am now in the Kaiser network) and am curious about how to approach my PCP with my labs request.
 
Doesn't Dr. K have a list of results he wants to see? And there is a list here too. You just give the list to your PCP.
 
Munchkin said:
Doesn't Dr. K have a list of results he wants to see? And there is a list here too. You just give the list to your PCP.
Click to expand...

I haven’t had great experiences with Kaiser and lab requests in the past which is why I went to BCBS. I’m back with Kaiser and just nervous that my PCP may wonder why or deny my request for specific labs as that’s what use to happen all the time.

I haven’t met my new PCP yet (scheduled next week) but I’m hopeful that she’s open minded. My last PCP had no idea about DS and had to read up on the surgery and procedure to better assist me and I hope my new one will as well
 
Aftermath said:
just nervous that my PCP may wonder why or deny my request for specific labs as that’s what use to happen all the time.
Click to expand...
Why? He's not the one paying for them. You are the customer. If you say you need them, it's between you and the insurance company about payment, it's not up to him.
 
southernlady said:
Why? He's not the one paying for them. You are the customer. If you say you need them, it's between you and the insurance company about payment, it's not up to him.
Click to expand...

You're totally right, I'll make sure to bring this up if my PCP is a bit wary of ordering my labs :) Thank you for the perspective
 
There is no reason to think that chewable calcium citrate is any less well absorbed than huge pills of calcium citrate. Both are absorbed through your GI tract, right?
Whatever you decide, make sure it's calcium citrate, not carbonate, as the carbonate form is not as well absorbed. The chewables from Bariatric Advantage are the citrate form, which is what we need. More expensive, but for me they've been well worth it.
 
Larra said:
There is no reason to think that chewable calcium citrate is any less well absorbed than huge pills of calcium citrate. Both are absorbed through your GI tract, right?
Whatever you decide, make sure it's calcium citrate, not carbonate, as the carbonate form is not as well absorbed. The chewables from Bariatric Advantage are the citrate form, which is what we need. More expensive, but for me they've been well worth it.
Click to expand...
Some people also like the calcium petites.
 
Thank you all for the information! I’m going to work through my remaining Vitalady month and then branch out myself and purchase on my own.

Superior Source is my fav for tiny tiny pills, any others?
 

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