The Best Vitamins to Take After Bariatric Surgery

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The secret to being successful with bariatric surgery is to make changes before surgery. One of the changes to make is to take a daily multivitamin. After surgery, you’ll need to take vitamins daily and perhaps multiple times per day. Because of the restriction and/or malabsorption caused by bariatric surgery, you’ll always need to supplement with additional vitamins and minerals. You’ll take a variety of vitamins after bariatric surgery, including a bariatric multivitamin, calcium, vitamin B12, iron and biotin. Make taking your daily vitamins a habit before surgery, as you’ll need to take them for the rest of your life.

What Happens If I Don’t Take Vitamins After Bariatric Surgery?

To maintain success with bariatric surgery, you need to know what vitamins to take after bariatric surgery. First, you’ll need to follow your doctor’s recommendations. Always remember to listen to what your doctor tells you first and foremost. Second, if you don’t take your vitamins after bariatric surgery, you’re setting yourself up for deficiencies. It’s far easier to take vitamins to prevent an issue than it is to treat a nutrient or vitamin deficiency.

Of the five main types of bariatric surgery, each of them works by either restricting your calories, preventing the absorption of calories, or a combination of both. According to the Obesity Action Coalition, along with the calories, the vitamins and nutrients in your food are either restricted or malabsorbed. You simply don’t eat enough food to be able to meet the daily recommended values of vitamins and nutrients, and you don’t absorb all the vitamins you do consume. You’ll also need to take additional vitamins to treat nutritional deficiencies if you have any.

One of the Many Reasons for Follow-Up

In addition to taking vitamins, the most successful bariatric patients also keep their follow-up appointments after surgery, despite how much they weigh. These follow-up appointments are so important for a variety of reasons, but one of the big reasons is to make sure you’re getting your lab work and review the results of the blood tests. To see if you are deficient in any vitamins, you need to have regular lab testing of your blood. The lab results will tell the doctor whether he or she needs to adjust your vitamin supplementation.

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Vitamins to Take After Bariatric Surgery

Each bariatric surgery program and physician is different. The vitamins to take after bariatric surgery vary from place to place. Additionally, each person is different. You may be deficient in one vitamin before surgery, requiring supplementation even then. Your blood work after surgery may reveal more deficiencies. For these reasons, you should always follow the advice of your doctor. However, I listed the most common vitamins that bariatric surgery patients take, as well as links to the exact vitamins I take.

Bariatric Multi-Vitamins

One of the vitamins to take after bariatric surgery is a multivitamin specially formulated for bariatric patients. Several companies make these types of vitamins, including Bariatric Advantage, Celebrate, Bariatric Fusion and more. If there is a specific brand your bariatric surgeon recommends you can try that brand and see how you tolerate it. My bariatric program was wonderful and gave us samples before surgery to try. Many of these companies will send you samples if you ask. They may even have it as an option on their Web site when you place an order.

No matter where you get your multivitamins from, there are a few important rules. First, make sure it’s formulated for bariatric patients. We have a slightly higher vitamin requirement since we don’t absorb as much through food. Second, make sure you read how often you take it. I take Bariatric Advantage multivitamins, and their vitamins are two-a-day. Third, aim for a vitamin you can chew. It will absorb quickly in your body, and won’t upset your stomach as much. Finally, make sure the vitamin meets your bariatric surgeon’s requirements.

Calcium with Vitamin D3

Another vitamin to take after bariatric surgery is calcium with added Vitamin D3. Since we aren’t consuming as much dairy and foods-containing calcium after surgery, we need to take additional supplementation to keep our bones and teeth healthy. The Obesity Action Coalition states that a 2008 study found that bariatric patients have twice the fracture risk as non-bariatric patients. It’s another reason we have to make sure we supplement with calcium. We want our bones to be able to hold our smaller bodies without breaking easily. I take Viactiv chewables in chocolate flavor. I think they taste like Tootsie Rolls!

Vitamin B12

According to the National Institute of Health, vitamin B12 helps create DNA and prevents a certain type of anemia that makes patients feel tired and weak. The part of the stomach that pulls the B12 out of foods is removed or not used in several bariatric procedures, making it difficult for you to get enough vitamin B12 from food alone after surgery. Therefore, we have to take a supplement. Many people take a sublingual tablet for B12, and some with severe deficiencies get a B12 injection. Interestingly enough, I have several friends from the United Kingdom who had bariatric surgery, and it’s standard procedure over there to get an injection. Here in the United States, most people use drops, tablets, gummy vitamins or nasal sprays. I take Vitafusion B12 gummies daily.

RELATED CONTENT: Want to learn the 10 changes you need to make in your life to be successful with bariatric surgery? Get our free download here!

Iron

Iron is something many bariatric patients are often deficient in after surgery. Luckily for me, I haven’t had this problem, so I can’t suggest an iron supplement to take. However, I know that some bariatric multivitamins will contain iron and many offer vitamins with and without added iron. I take ones without additional iron. Your doctor will direct you with the amount you should take each day, based on your unique lab results. One thing to note is that iron should be taken on an empty stomach and with something with vitamin C, like orange juice. Do not take it within two hours of your calcium supplement, milk or coffee. It can interfere with the absorption.

Biotin

The final vitamin to take after bariatric surgery is biotin isn’t a required vitamin after bariatric surgery. However, it helps with your skin, hair loss and nails. I did have some hair loss after surgery, and I started to take biotin at the suggestion of my doctor. He told me to take Nature’s Bounty Hair, Skin and Nails vitamins to help with my hair loss. I take the gummy variety, and I think they taste pretty good. It’s almost like getting to eat candy every day, but it helps improve my hair strength and my skin.

The Cost

You may be wondering how much all of these vitamins will cost you. I pay $24.85 a month for my Bariatric Advantage multivitamins. My other vitamins I typically buy at CVS when they have a buy one, get one free deal. They have these pretty frequently, so I buy two bottles for the price of one. One bottle of the B12 and biotin gummies is approximately $15, and that will last me about three months. The calcium can cost anywhere between $10 and $15, and I try to buy those at the buy one, get one free sale as well. Sometimes those will only last me a month or two. It depends on what’s on sale and if I can find coupons.

Make It a Habit

No matter which vitamins you take after bariatric surgery, it’s important that you make it a habit. You should start taking a multivitamin before surgery so that you get used to taking vitamins every day. It’s one of the 10 habits I suggest you change before bariatric surgery. The most successful bariatric patients I know made changes that turned into habits before surgery. They maintained those habits after surgery. You are responsible for your health. You need to make sure you take your vitamins daily. I use two different pill minders for my pills. One I take with me to consume after breakfast, and the other stays at home on my nightstand for the pills I take after dinner. Every Sunday, I take five minutes to fill my containers for the week. It helps me remember to take my vitamins.

Take Your Vitamins

While taking multiple vitamins several times a day seems like a hassle, it’s worth it to lose weight and finally live a life you love. Find vitamins that work for you and your lifestyle. Always follow your doctor’s recommendations and get routine lab work to monitor your progress. A multivitamin, calcium supplement, vitamin B12, iron supplement and/or biotin vitamin may be required after your bariatric surgery. Ask your doctor for details. Make taking your daily vitamins a habit before surgery, as you’ll need to take them for the rest of your life after surgery. Your body needs these vitamins and nutrients, so take your vitamins now.

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