Gummy vitamin issues?

[DHB]

Like many of you, I find the bariatric vitamins upset my stomach. I've tried a few different kinds and am just pushing through the vitamin nausea for the most part. I use ProCare Bariatrics w iron, so at least it's only 1/day.

I have read that some of you are taking gummy vitamins. I went back to my post sleeve materials and, while I've learned to take some of the advice with a grain of salt, there are warnings all over my materials about not taking gummy vitamins because they will not deliver the post sleeve vitamins & minerals needed. I've been reading up on this and some articles seem to indicate it's because of their formulation. Others say it's because the gummy form itself is not conducive to post sleeve absorption.

I have been using gummy pro-biotics so am wondering if they are effective or if I'm wasting money.

For those of you taking gummy vitamins, are there brands approved by your practice? Has your blood work been okay? Anyone else with insight into why gummy vitamins are a problem?

[AnnieG]

Dale, I take them and my labs have been normal. I cannot keep down or tolerate either the bariatric capsuls or chewables, so I have a huge supply that maybe down the line I will be able to tolerate.

My thought on the gummies -- VGS is not a malabsorption surgery, and I take more than the recommended gummy dose. I feel SO much better after having started them. And I think any vitamins are better than none, or being sick.

https://www.amazon.com/Bariatric-Mul.../dp/B06Y61LDS1

[DHB]

Dale, I take them and my labs have been normal. I cannot keep down or tolerate either the bariatric capsuls or chewables, so I have a huge supply that maybe down the line I will be able to tolerate.

My thought on the gummies -- VGS is not a malabsorption surgery, and I take more than the recommended gummy dose. I feel SO much better after having started them. And I think any vitamins are better than none, or being sick.

https://www.amazon.com/Bariatric-Mul.../dp/B06Y61LDS1

Thanks, Annie. These don't seem to have iron. Do you take an iron supplement with them? (Research shows that even men & older women still need iron after gastric sleeve so my practice wants me on a multi w iron.)

[AnnieG]

Thanks, Annie. These don't seem to have iron. Do you take an iron supplement with them? (Research shows that even men & older women still need iron after gastric sleeve so my practice wants me on a multi w iron.)

I don't take iron; I've never had a low level since surgery (CABG and VSG), and I had transfusions.

Iron upsets my bizarre digestive tract (lacking colon and have celiac disease).

But they have gummy ones https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...l_78tw71u6y8_b in a variety of places

[sraebaer]

I was told by my nut I had to take the bariatric ones for the rest of my life. (She almost died when she heard I switched to Walmart brand multivitamin.) Said the over-the-counter ones don't have everything we need, plus our bodies absorb them differently now.

I do the ProCare ones too. I took the really tiny chewables at first, and now I have switched to the capsules as swallowing is not a problem. Better not be after over 4 years!

[Alynn]

Dale,

I have been you the vit patches by PatchMD that I order online, the practice I go to said not to take the gummies and that the patches were ok. I have been using them for 9 months now. They cost a bit more, but I surely avoid the stomach upset. I do on occasion take the multi vits that come with the Nascobal prescription for the B12 the doc ordered. But I tke it after eating. The PatchMD'S come in wide variety.

[Luna354]

Here we go again with all practices telling us something different.
My office said I didn't have to take chewable/bariatric after 6 months and can take regular.

[AnnieG]

My physician did not say anything about the gummies -- I just figure barfing up the other ones isn't my best choice, lol.
So I do gummies.

[Marsh17]

From what I have read the "gummy" vitamins" are difficult to manufacture to get a correct amount of vitamins & minerals in the product and the ingredient in the gummy vitamin is more likely to degrade. You generally do not find iron in the gummy vitamins because of the metallic taste of iron. The information on the independent lab site I subscribe to mentioned that 4 out of 5 of the gummy vitamins failed their independent testing. They do not test all them this was just the result of what they tested. Since I will be dependent on vitamins I joined the site to make sure what I was buying/taking meets the standard of what is listed on the package is actually in the vitamin. But if none of the other vitamins work for you then I would think something is better than nothing. Bariatric Advantage makes a chew-able vitamin with iron that you may want to try there are several flavors. My doc's office also was not keen on the gummy vitamins and advised not to take them. Hope this info helps.

[DHB]

Here we go again with all practices telling us something different.
My office said I didn't have to take chewable/bariatric after 6 months and can take regular.

I do agree that we get different advice but there seems to be pretty universal support for taking a bariatric vitamin course for the rest of your life. Even my PCP told me that he would not give his approval for the surgery unless I swore that I'd take a bariatric formulation vitamin for life. Some practices tell you to use chewables for the first 6 months and then allow you to change to ones you swallow. But I think they all want you on a bariatric vitamins. My practice didn't have a concern about swallowing any pills so I was swallowing vitamins & other pills right after surgery.

[DHB]

From what I have read the "gummy" vitamins" are difficult to manufacture to get a correct amount of vitamins & minerals in the product and the ingredient in the gummy vitamin is more likely to degrade. You generally do not find iron in the gummy vitamins because of the metallic taste of iron. The information on the independent lab site I subscribe to mentioned that 4 out of 5 of the gummy vitamins failed their independent testing. They do not test all them this was just the result of what they tested. Since I will be dependent on vitamins I joined the site to make sure what I was buying/taking meets the standard of what is listed on the package is actually in the vitamin. But if none of the other vitamins work for you then I would think something is better than nothing. Bariatric Advantage makes a chew-able vitamin with iron that you may want to try there are several flavors. My doc's office also was not keen on the gummy vitamins and advised not to take them. Hope this info helps.

SO helpful, thanks. Yes, have tried the BA chewable. Tastes like fruit chalk to me but at least it doesn't make me nauseous.

[Bobbi41]

I take all my vitamins but they are all gummies. I have no problems with them. All my test come back normal. And I'm 5 months out of surgery. I do find it better if I don't take them all at once. I take them an hour apart from each other.

[Christie13]

I absolutely cannot take the multi vitamins in pill form. They make me sick. I will throw them up. (To be fair I had the same problem pre sleeve.) So my only option is to take the gummy ones. My blood work always comes back good.

[Soundr]

Nice, so it works!

[UKGasJim]

I eat gummies plus I heard the Gelatine is good for us?