Can anyone recommend a once daily, capsule, multi-vitamin that they have taken without stomach upset? I recently purchased the Whole Foods brand "Womens's Food Based Multi" which is in gargantuan pill form and needs to be taken twice daily. It makes my stomach feel icky and the iron content makes me feel like I did when I took pre-natal vitamins. Anyone remember that?

What do you all take?

Thanks - ladies

PS I already take magnesium glycinate and vitamin d, a la carte (if you know what I mean )

XXXXXXOOOOOO with gratitude for each and everyone of you - Linda (pookish)

Linda: Wish I could help you out...I take GNC's Ultra Women's Mega. They're huge and you have to take them twice a day...but since I started them 10 years ago I haven't had pneumonia once (and I used to get it twice a year.) I had some stomach trouble with it in the begininng, but my body adjusted and now I have no problem..

How about good ole "One a Day"? My mom swears by them...

Hi Linda,

I have been taking a plain ole multi vitamin with iron for years. It's the drugstore's (CVS) version of One a Day plus iron. My blood work has always been just fine. It comes in a coated tablet so there is no stomach upset for me at all.

Hope that helps. Good to talk to you!

Marcy

Hey Linda,

Sorry, but I also take one of those super duper gargantuan supplements. If you want to get all that they say they are giving you the pill size has to be big. I take The Vitamin Shoppe Ultimate Womens. I don't get an upset stomach from them. Also throughout the day, I'm downing 2 magnesium, 2 calcium, 1 inositol, 1, vitamin C 1000, 2 fish oil, 2 evening primrose, 1 coq10. I also take vitex/black cohosh.

Sometimes I worry about ingesting all these vitamins/minerals and if it will do something bad later on, but all the peri/meno experts say to take these supplements because your body needs them normally and especially during this time. So I swallow them throughout the day.

Corky: Just curious; how many mgs of fish oil are you taking a day? I was taking 2000 mg (1 pill 2X a day) and my doctor said it was too much...so I've cut down to 1000-1200...

I take 15,000 mg of fish oil each day.
I've been doing it for maybe 3 years.
Yep, that's 15 grams, 15 of those big pills.
I eat about 5 to 6 small meals each day, so I take 3 capsules with each meal.
My joints have never felt better.
Fish oil has anti-inflammatory properties.
It's great for arthritis.
My cardiologist is also quite progressive, and says my dosage is OK.
My cholesterol, triglicerides, etc. did not cause my heart attack. (It was an AV node "electrical" problem)
In fact, my health profile is exceptional.

But back to the multi.
I take the GNC Women's Ultra Mega, also, 2 times a day.
Take it fight after a meal.
No upset stomach.

Monica: Are you talking the regular Women's Ultra Mega, or the new 'Active Woman' formula. Just curious.

That's a whole lof of fish oil you are taking. My doctor told me 2000 mgs was too much for me. But I don't trust 99% of what doctors say. Sounds like you take it mostly for joint pain. My husband has awful problems with arthritis of the hips...he really needs a total his replacment, but we're putting that off for as long as possible. I wonder if mega doses of fish oil would help him??

Thanks everybody - I guess the GNC Women's ultra mega is popular! Perhaps the "food based" thing is what's bothering me about the Whole Foods brand - don't even know really what "food based" is? Gonna check it out.

Armadillo - so glad to hear from you - I am thinking of you and sending all my best for renewal of body and spirit - XXXXOOOO

How odd... I was just browing about flax and fish oils before logging onto PS. My blood tests show that my CRP(C reactive protein) is up (this is a marker of inflammation in the body). Interestingly enough my doctor didn't seem at all concerned by the elevation and did not offer any advice at all! I only realised later when doing some research that 6 is fairly high!
I would be careful of mega doses of fish oil without consulting your doctor. Monica's doc feels it is ok for her which is fine.... but this is what I had just read (I had to go back to find it after reading this thread!)

"Ingesting too much of anything—including water!—can cause problems. Medline recommends that “Patients taking more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids from supplements should do so only under a physician’s care.”

Concerning the potential impact of high dosages, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) say:

“Very large intakes of fish oil/omega-3 fatty acids (‘Eskimo’ amounts) may increase the risk of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke. High doses have also been associated with nosebleed and blood in the urine. Fish oils appear to decrease platelet aggregation and prolong bleeding time, increase fibrinolysis (breaking down of blood clots), and may reduce von Willebrand factor.”

So while a little of a good thing is good for you as with many things a lot may not be......... best just to take the recommended amount unless advised by your medical professional... or if like me you spend ages researching something (I too don't trust most doctors.... they don't seem to know anything about "natural" substances only chemical drugs)
I too am having vitamin tablet problems..... I can't have Biotin due to my sulfite intolerance... it seem impossible to find a multi without Biotin!!

Actually, I just started taking the Ultra Mega 50 plus. But I've been taking the regular formula.
I'm a supplement junkie.

Here's my daily routine:
Woman's Ultra Mega: 1 pill twice a day
Vitamin C: 1000mg in the morning
Calcium: 500mg taken 3 times a day (1500 total)
Vitamin D cholecalciferol: 1000IU taken 3 times a day with the calcium (3000IU total)
Fish oil: 3 of the 1000mg capsules, taken 5 times a day (15,000mg total)
CoEnzyme Q10: 500mg taken twicw a day

I used to take quite a few more, but I had to go to re-hab, so I cut way back.

WOW... just realised I've been promoted to "Senior Surgette".. does this mean I am "gron up now??"
Lindy xxxxxxxxxx

GOSH Armadillo...... do you rattle when you walk??????
Lindy XXXXX

Actually, aspirin does the same thing. That's why they suggest daily aspirin to avoid stroke and heart attack, because it DOES break down blood clots, by the same mechanism as the fish oils do. These blood clots which cause heart attack and stroke. If you have a bleeding disorder, or a family history of hemorrhagic stroke, you should not take aspirin or fish oil, for precisely this reason.
Actually, aspirin is a natural product, made from willow bark.

We all react differently to meds and supplement.
The key is to know your body and it's sensitivities.
Most doctors have no knowledge of suplementation.
They don't know much about menopause either, so what can you expect?
Search high and low to find a good physician.
They DO exist, but they are impossible to find.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Actually, I slosh, because I drink so much water to wash away the taste of the fish burps.

Thanks. But my body is doing fine, thanks to all these supplements.
The spirit, however, is elusive, and doesn't seem to respond to supplements or medication.

My Mom and I take Centrum Silver each day. We both take Calcet calcium and COQ10 too. I take a whole boatload of other supplements--Mom has to be careful because her stroke was a spontaneous bleed. She can't even take aspirin.

Miss Tibbs

Hi Roundrobin,

I take 2 1000mg Fish Oil a day. I may up that to one more, but I don't think I'll every go over 3,000 mg per day because I also take 1,000 mg of Evening Primrose Oil and 2 tbs. flax seed. I think I'm oily enough, although my skin is still very dry especially on my legs. . And I drink a lot of water too. I thought it would get better but I've been on this regimen now for almost a year and still have dry skin.

Thanks, corky...

Miss Tibbs: Have you noticed any effects (positive or negative) from taking the Co-Q10?

I take essential nutrients from womentowomen.com which are specially formulated for peri-menopausal women
they have a load of stuff in - too many to mention, but I take a pack in the morning and one at night, each pack includes:

2 multi-vitamins
1 essential fatty acid (total for 2 packs 2,000mg)
1 calcium/magnesium (total calcium = 833mg magnesium = 583mg)

They are not cheap, but seem to be helping somewhat (I suppose I would know the difference if I wasn't taking them, but I'm not prepared to stop and find out!!!)

Hope that helps

caz

Pook,

I've had the same problem. My tummy rebels at even the flavor of red food color. I buy vitamins then quit taking them after a few days because they make me sick. I did just find one, though, that i can actually take w/o even a frown. It's called "Liquimax" and it is in liquid form in a mild fruit flavor that i can drink straight. Liquids absorb better, too, as i understand, so you get more benefit. It's even inexpensive-got it at Costco for about $12/month's supply. It is iron-free, so that should help, plus it includes some recommended herbs like ginkgo, green tea, and also some omegas. I do take an iron tablet because i'm anemic and plan to add Estroven for the other recommended herbs and such.

Hope that helps!
Bizzy

I am currently using a brand called Symmetry by Vitanica. They are formulated by a naturopathic doctor that specializes in women's health issues. No problem so far. I never take more than one a day of any brand of vitamins. Anything more and I usually feel a little queasy. And the bright yellow pee is an indicator that you are excreting what you don't need of the B vitamins anyway or at least that is what I have read. I think we should all be eating more whole foods and taking less supplements.

I have to force myself to take my multi-vitamins and magnesium every day. I have no problem with my calcium (Viactiv glides). My multi is the GNC Women's Active formula--the tablets are huge and bother my stomach a little. I feel better when I take the supplements so I don't want to stop, but I'd like to try something that's more pleasant going down. Maybe I'll try to find something in a liquid form like BizzyM uses.

Nature's Plus Brand.... "Source of Life " multiple vitamin and mineral supplement comes in a smaller mini-tab easy to swallow size. You do have to take 6 a day ,but they go down easy. They come with or without iron!
Dr. Oz on Oprah said if you take one of those huge multiples you should cut it in half and take it twice a day rather than all at once. I guess your body utilizes it better than all at once.

Best Wishes,

Sharon

Important Correction:

Looked into adding the "Estroven" to the "Liquimax" multi, but "Estroven" has quite a lot of vitamin content also which would take some of them to unsafe levels. INSTEAD, i have added in soy isoflavone only supplement:

"GNC Natural Brand, Non-GMO Soy Isoflavone Concentrate"

Have also added calcium supp. in the form of "Tums". Anything that is more like food or juice than pills is for me!

We'll see how the combo goes!

Can anyone be more specific about the fish oil? Brand?

I take Natures Plus Chewables for Adults (I know - that's lame), but they're easy to break in half like Dr. OZ recommends.

How do you make your vitamin choices when at the health food store or CVS or wherever?? There are so many options and variations? Is there a good master list somewhere of recommended brands and percentages?

Donna

Hi Donna,

Yes, daunting, is it not?! There are lists all over the place from all sorts of perspectives, professional and otherwise, of the vitamins and minerals you need. I was told by one dietician that enough fortified cereal can give you your recommended dailies. Others advocate mega-doses of certain vit./min. Personally, i have just gone a somewhat middle of the road, common sense route (after reading/hearing stuff from all sides). What i have learned (certainly verify this w/ an expert source) is that some vitamins build up in the system and excess doses are dangerous, and that i function better with a supplement as our mass produced vegetables and hormone laden meat don't provide all we need. So for starters i take a minimal daily multi that is free of excessive amounts of any vitamin or mineral (look at the % on the label-most should be near 100%, maybe up to 300%, NOT 600% or 1000% of the RDA). I take a liquid because i have read/heard from many sources that they absorb better, plus i don't seem to tolerate the big 'horse pills'. After that, i address my own particular issues (like weak immune system, anemia, foggy head) with appropriate supplements (for above-extra C and zinc-of which body flushes out excess, iron, ginkgo biloba and soy).

Sorry there is no quick answer. It is really a matter of knowing the basics of safe supplement usage and what your particular body needs. If you need some personal guidance, you can get recommendations for a good local health/natural/whole food store in your area from knowledgeable folks or internet ratings via Google, Superpages or the like. In my experience, these are usually owned/operated by people who are very knowledgeable and helpful with selecting what you need. If you are good at research, there is, of course, a lot of information on the internet, just be sure your source is reliable and professional. Just please do be careful as you can cause more harm than good by misusing or over-using supplements.

After deciding what to try, i add in supplements one at a time for a week and listen to my body's reactions. This has been important even when following the label instructions. For instance, i found that if i took the recommended amount of zinc per day, i got leg pains. When i cut down the dose to half per day, the pain went away but the benefits stayed.

Hope that gives you a beginning.

I was taking the Vitamin Shoppe Ultra Woman's for quite awhile, but just last week I switched to a liquid multi that I found online. Most of the users that reviewed it said it was a better tasting liquid. I decided on the liquid b/c I read somewhere that liquids get into your system better and make you feel better too. It's called "Natures Plus Source of Life". It doesn't taste that great to me though, but I swallow it and pop something to eat right after and it helps. You can find it online and also at the Vitamin Shoppe. So far no side affects.

Good old Costco Geezer multi . Just like Centrum Silver only a LOT cheaper. Doesn't have the iron so shouldn't upset your stomach. I started taking it many years ago before officially becoming a geezer myself. The iron in regular multies made me sick to my stomach. I also take fiber capsules, probiotic acidophilus, glucosamine, and flax seed. I hate taking pills btw so I only take stuff I know actually works for me.

*** has a "One and Only". I believe that means one a day if I remember the package. Health food store stuff. Full of vitamins, minerals and...herbs. IF you are herb person. I take their premixed stuff for BRAIN and STRESS. Then I take their basic multi...what is it...Life Essence? It's four a day, throughout the day, but they are smaller and don't smell bad. I'm happy with their stuff. Not to expensive. About $60/month. Without the BRAIN and STRESS supplements, it should be about $30/month.

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