If you’re here, then you probably Google’d: what are the best vitamins to take after bariatric surgery.
Vitamins After Bariatric Surgery
Your post-surgery bariatric vitamin and mineral supplements are available without a prescription. They are recommended to be chewable or liquid initially, but you will likely be able to take them in pill-form over time. This makes it difficult to meet your nutrient needs each day, and puts you at risk for nutritional deficiencies.
Calcium
The mineral calcium is critical for bones, muscles and nerves function. Other specific health needs and concerns you may have.
Vitamin Recommendations For Patients
Gastric Sleeve: Those who undergo gastric sleeve surgery may be asked to take a complete multivitamin, calcium with Vitamin D, iron and Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Vitamin B12.
Others may be recommended as well. Contact the UPMC Bariatric Surgery Center
Considering Weight Loss Surgery?
Bariatric Vitamins & Supplements
A deficiency in iron can lead to anemia and make you feel sluggish and weak. Folic acid , works together with other vitamins, like B6 and B12, to potentially reduce the risk of stroke. , works together with other vitamins, like B6 and B12, to potentially reduce the risk of stroke.
, which helps fight off infections, among a number of other uses. Without enough of it, you may be more susceptible to certain illnesses like pneumonia. Without enough, you may have trouble with your memory and process information more slowly.
For example, if you have a more invasive type of surgery, you may need more supplements. Or, if you had a nutrient-poor diet before surgery, you may be more susceptible to deficiencies post-surgery, and also need more supplements. Lloyd offers a few other rules about taking vitamins:
Take vitamins as liquids, chewed, or crushed.
Other forms could get stuck and may cause choking. Some vitamins can’t be taken together, so listen to your doctor’s instructions. Setting a reminder on your phone may help you stick to your regimen.
Pay Attention To Protein Too
Make sure you’re eating at least 60 grams of protein a day. You may need more. “However, we aim to avoid this problem at all costs.
It is one of the reasons we regularly see our patients after surgery.”. A more common consequence of protein deficiency is hair loss, she says. A lifelong commitment
Your prescribed supplement regime may change based on the results of periodic blood tests.
Lloyd says she checks her patients’ nutrient levels every few months for the first year after surgery, then once a year after that to ensure they do not develop problems, such as protein deficiency. Because changes to the gut are permanent, “I tell all my patients that this type of surgery is a lifelong commitment, a marriage of sorts between them and me,” Lloyd says. “If they move out of state, I recommend that they find a surgeon in their new location to continue monitoring them.”.