Vitamin Question

I have a question about the times that I take my vitamins.

I take my multivitamin, calcium, and B12 at 9am.

At 2pm I take my iron and magnisium (it helps with the comstipation from the calcium and iron).

At 9pm I take my multivitamin and calcium again.

I am wondering if what I take together is ok. I am also wondering if there is a website that may tell me what is ok/not ok to take together and how long apart. I know I can search for a website that would allow me to enter my medications and supplements into it and give me a schedule, I would just rather ask here from people who know from having spoken with their doctor/surgeon.

I have tons a questions for my surgeon when I see him next week so that may be something to ask him.

Yes, what you're taking together is fine.

You need another dose of calcium in there, though.  We can only absorb about 500 mg calcium at a time and we need 1500-2000 mg a day, so that means three or four doses.

I don't know of one site that lists all the stuff you should and should not take together.  I think I've found that information by searching for info on specific things, like what to take and what not to take with iron.

Here's my info on the subject, though:

Iron and calcium should not be taken together, unless it’s a very small amount of calcium.  300 mg of calcium or so will block the absorption of iron.  The reason some multis have both iron and calcium is because they often have only small amounts of calcium, maybe 200 mg.  That amount won’t block the absorption of iron but much more will.  Iron and calcium should be taken at least two hours apart.

If your multi has iron in it and you want to absorb that iron, do not take your multi with your calcium.  If your multi has no iron, it’s fine to take your multi with your calcium.  If you take additional iron at another time and so you don’t care if you don’t absorb the iron in your multi, then you can go ahead and take it with your calcium.

Now, if you use heme iron instead of ferrous sulfate or ferrous fumerate or carbonyl, etc., you CAN take it with your calcium.  Most people don’t use heme iron, though, because it’s so expensive.

Take your iron with vitamin C for best absorption (unless it’s heme iron).  The ratio is 200 mg C to every 30 mg iron.  That’s 30 mg elemental iron, so if you take 325 mg ferrous sulfate, for example, you’re only getting 65 mg elemental iron, so you’d need 400 mg vitamin C (but carbonyl iron is absorbed better than ferrous sulfate).  The point is, you would not need 2000 mg vitamin C with 365 mg ferrous sulfate because ferrous sulfate is really only 65 mg iron.

Keep in mind that people can only absorb about 500 mg calcium at once, so divide your calcium into doses of about 500 mg and take them at least two hour apart.  Keep in mind that the ASMBS recommends 1500-2000 mg calcium citrate per day, so you need three or four separate doses.  And make sure you’re taking calcium citrate, not calcium carbonate.  Understand that if you take a multi with 200 mg calcium and take that with another 500 mg calcium citrate, you will then not absorb the 700 mg total calcium you’re talking.  However, the calcium in you multi may well be calcium carbonate or some other form that is not absorbed so well anyway, in which case it would be fine to take your 500 mg calcium citrate with your multi, just with the understanding that you won’t absorb the calcium carbonate in the multi.

B vitamins work together so it’s good to take your B’s at the same time.  Your multi has lots of B’s in it, so take it with your B12 if you use a sublingual B12.  If you take a B complex and/or biotin, take that at the same time.

If you take vitamin D3 or vitamin A, it does not matter what you take them with. 

Hi Kelly,

I am so confused about the iron part you are talking about. I take Bariatric Advantage chewable iron with vitamin C.
Iron (from Ferrous Fumarate USP, Ferronyl) 29mg
Vit C (as Ascorbate Acid USP) 60mg
I take 2 a day.
I wasn't thinking that my Iron already had some Vit C in it already so when I was at CVS last night I picked up CVS brand Vit C 1000mg. Should I go ahead and take one of these also? Is it to much along with the 120mg in my iron? Can I take to much? Should I take more? LOL...Help!!
Thanks

I don't know why they even put that vitamin C in with the iron because it's not enough to help with absorption.  You  need 200 mg C for every 30 mg iron.  So I would take some additional vitamin C with your iron.

You don't need 1000 mg though.  I would not think that amount would hurt you if you do take it, but in the interest of saving money I would probably chop those 1000 mg C tablets in half and take half with the iron.  Or if you haven't opened the bottle yet, you could go back and exchange it for a lower dose bottle.

Thanks Kelly,
Already opened, it was a buy one get one free so the price was right.....They are huge pills so I guess I can just bite them in half....doesn't have to be a perfect cut I guess, as long as I am getting something.
Thanks for the advice.

No, they don't have to be halved perfectly.  You only need 200 mg C with the amount of iron you're taking, so technically you could cut those pills into five equal pieces - which would be way too much trouble for me.  I'd settle for two roughly equal pieces.

 My surgeon's paper on calcium says to take 1000mg of calcium a day, and that I will get the rest that I need from food. I'm thinking that your advice is better. Since I have had some RH issues, I haven't been drinking milk because I cannot stand skim and one day 1% put me into an episode. I do wish to try again one day, just drinking some milk, so that I can see if I have an RH episode, and then be able to "correct" it by eating a small amount of protein with whole grains, or some veggies. I have issues with the RH because usually I have no room left to eat in order to "correct" the episode. All that said, I am not getting that other calcium from food. I do need to take a third dose each day.  

Anyways... I think it would be wise for me to add a dose of calcium at 11:30am. That way its not too close to my morning dose (especially if I am a little late) and not too close to my iron dose. 

I try to schedule "random" pills in the middle of the day, because I have trouble taking all of the morning and evening ones together. Thats why I put my magnisum with my iron. I also take my birth control with my iron for that reason. When I see my surgeon next week, I am going to ask about the birth control absorbtion and then try to meet with my gynocologist and ask about what can be done to get the insurance to pay for another method for me (I really want an IUD, but medicare said no in the past). 

Kelly, thank you so much for your wisdom (once again). 

Medicare wouldn't pay for an IUD?  Geez.  If your doc says the pill may not be effective for you, perhaps you can then get them to cover it.

The ASMBS says we need 1500-2000 mg calcium a day.  We are not supposed to rely on our diet for calcium because we don't absorb the calcium in food well because we have little stomach acid now. 

Yeah, they wouldn't pay for an IUD. I guess the pill is cheaper? I don't know. I figured they would rather pay for any form of birthcontrol, rather than a pregnancy and birth, and then to insure a child that I might have. But, i guess I figured wrong. 

I may have to call them one day to see what to they do cover before I visit my gynocologist so that I am prepared and don't have an appointment to get something and then find out they won't pay.

Yeah, I think my surgeon just explain things to me wrongly or maybe by what he believes. The paper he gave me says to get between 1500 and 2000 mg per day, but only to take two 500mg doses. Odd. At first, I thought he was very knowledgable about the surgery and afterwards. Now, I am kind of seeing that he is knowledgable about the surgery and some issues afterwards (like strictures and ulcers), but other things, he doesn't seem to know as much about (like RH) or give the best advice about. 

I am still learning to be my own advocate and to get more opinions than just one. 

I would have thought like you.  IUD's can't be that expensive, can they?