Vitamin Supplements after Bariatric Surgery
You will not be able to meet certain vitamin and mineral needs without supplementation due to the small amount of food that you will be able to eat along with possible malabsorption. Required daily dosages for vitamins and minerals vary pending the type of surgery.
All required supplements are available over the counter at your local pharmacy, Vitamin Shoppe, GNC, or online.
Supplements after Sleeve gastrectomy or Lap bands
Both these procedures only create restriction of size of the stomach with no malabsorption. As such, they have the advantage of only requiring a daily multivitamin. There is no need for any additional mineral or multivitamin supplementation.
Multivitamins
The type that you purchase is important. Please select one from the following list and take once daily. NO GUMMY MULTIVITAMINS.
One-a-day Women’s
Kirkland Signature Daily Multi (Costco)
Berkley Jensen Adult Complete Multivitamin (BJs)
Natures Made Multi Complete with Iron
Rite Aid Central-Vite Multivitamin/mineral
Rite Aid One daily Maximum
CVS Spectravite Adult Multivitamin (DO NOT purchase 50+/silver)
Walgreens A thru Z Advanced Formula (NOT select)
365 Adult Multi with Iron (whole foods)
Celebrate Multi-Complete
Celebrate Multi-AGB
Celebrate Multi-Well
Bariatric Advantage Complete chewable (does not contain iron)
Flintstones chewable complete (must be complete-orange box)
Supplements after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
Here, in addition to a daily multivitamin, one needs to take the following additional supplements:
Vitamin B12
Recommend taking sublingual B12. Sublingual (melts under your tongue); do NOT buy time release.
Dose: 350-500mcg once daily or 1,000mcg 3x per week
Sublingual B12
Spring Valley Sublingual 500mcg B12 microlozenges
CVS Sublingual B12 cherry microlozenges
TwinLab B12 500mcg sublingual dots
Calcium/Vitamin D
Recommended daily intake of calcium 1500mg total/day
Dose: 500-600mg 3x/day.
MUST keep separate from iron and multivitamin by minimum of 2 hours.
Citrical- Maximum
Citrical- Petites
Citrical plus Magnesium
Walgreens Calcium Citrate + D
Puritan’s Pride Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D3
Puritan’s Pride Calcium Citrate miniatures
Equate-Calcium Citrate +D3
Celebrate Vitamins Creamy Bites (www.celebratevitamins.com)
Celebrate Vitamins Calcium PLUS 500 chewable
Twin Lab- Calcium Citrate
Life Time Liquid Calcium Magnesium Citrate
GNC tropical oasis Liquid Calcium Magnesium
Bariatric advantage crystals, chews, lozenges
Wellesse liquid calcium + D
Opurtinity (www.unjury.com)
Iron
Sleeve Gastrectomy: Do not need to take additional iron unless instructed.
Gastric Bypass: Recommend total of 65mg elemental iron daily (equivalent to Ferrous Sulfate 325mg)
Vitamin C will aid with absorption of Iron. Consume Vitamin C rich foods such as citrus fruit or bell peppers with iron or take Vitamin C supplement.
DO NOT take it at the same time as Calcium as the two can bind and prevent absorption. Separate by a minimum of 2 hours.
Natures Made Iron 65mg (equivalent to Ferrous Sulfate 325mg)
Puritans Pride 65mg Iron
Feosol Ferrous Sulfate
Bariatric Advantage chewable Iron
Supplements for fewer GI side effects:
SlowFe
Feosol Complete with Bifera
Integrative therapeutics Iron Complex
Supplements after Loop duodenal switch
This is malabsorptive procedure requires the following vitamins in addition to all those for a gastric bypass:
Vitamin A: 10,000 IU/d
Vitamin E: 15 mg/d
Vitamin K: 300 mg/d