Confused With Prenatal Vitamins

[smilemaker]

Hi,

My husband and I are planning our pregnancy and from what I keep reading I keep seeing that it is good to start taking prenatal vitamins 1-3 months beforehand. Well, with looking at over the counter vitamins, they are all different in the amounts of vitamins that are in them. For instance, I have read where it is not good to take over 2500IUs of Vitamin A/day but yet, there are prenatal vitamins I have seen that have 4000-6000IUs. Can anyone help with this. I would love to get something over the counter if possible instead of having to make a trip to the OB/GYN.

Any suggestions??

[tiffjake]

Hi,

My husband and I are planning our pregnancy and from what I keep reading I keep seeing that it is good to start taking prenatal vitamins 1-3 months beforehand. Well, with looking at over the counter vitamins, they are all different in the amounts of vitamins that are in them. For instance, I have read where it is not good to take over 2500IUs of Vitamin A/day but yet, there are prenatal vitamins I have seen that have 4000-6000IUs. Can anyone help with this. I would love to get something over the counter if possible instead of having to make a trip to the OB/GYN.

Any suggestions??

I am currently doing the same thing! I am taking GNC's Prenatal's. They are gluten-free and the levels look like the general amount suggested for Prenatals (which are different amounts than suggested for regular multi's, just so you know). But A LOT of this stuff depends on the person and the doctor. Some docs recomend a particular vitamin, and some women need more or less of a certian vitamin/mineral. But, the GNC one is pretty run-of-the-mill, and works for me! (And fairly cheap!)

[AndreaB]

I use Prenatal 1-A-Day by Freeda. They are no gluten, no lactose, no artificial color or flavor, no animal derivatives, no sugar or starch, no gelatin, no yeast. These are very good vitamins and don't exceed guidelines too much.

Vit A 40%

Vit C 167%

Vit D 100%

Vit E 50%

Vit B1 118%

Vit B2 150%

Niacin 100%

Vit B6 120%

Folic Acid 100%

Vit B12 125%

Biotin 33%

Pantothenic Acid 100%

Calcium 15%

Iron 150%

Magnesium 15%

Zinc 100%

Copper 100%

Manganese 100%

These vitamins are very good and very inexpensive. When I bought them last they were $9.95 online, I think they are $10.95 now. I buy them at www.veganessentials.com, I also recently found them at a gluten free store near us. There are 100 tablets per bottle so each bottle lasts about 3 months.

[Green12]

I use Prenatal 1-A-Day by Freeda. They are no gluten, no lactose, no artificial color or flavor, no animal derivatives, no sugar or starch, no gelatin, no yeast. These are very good vitamins and don't exceed guidelines too much.

Vit A 40%

Vit C 167%

Vit D 100%

Vit E 50%

Vit B1 118%

Vit B2 150%

Niacin 100%

Vit B6 120%

Folic Acid 100%

Vit B12 125%

Biotin 33%

Pantothenic Acid 100%

Calcium 15%

Iron 150%

Magnesium 15%

Zinc 100%

Copper 100%

Manganese 100%

These vitamins are very good and very inexpensive. When I bought them last they were $9.95 online, I think they are $10.95 now. I buy them at www.veganessentials.com, I also recently found them at a gluten free store near us. There are 100 tablets per bottle so each bottle lasts about 3 months.

These sound like great vitamins Andrea

[tiffjake]

Guess I could have posted this earlier, sorry!

GNC Prenatals (%'s are for pregnant or lactating women)

Vitamin A 5000 IU 63%

Vitamin C 150 mg 250%

Vitamin D 400 IU 100%

Vitamin E 20 IU 67%

Thiamin (Vitamin B-1) 1.5 mg 88%

Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2) 1.7 85%

Niacin 18 mg 90%

Vitamin B-6 10mg 400%

Folic Acid 800mcg 100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vitamin B-12 4mcg 100%

Biotin 35mcg 12%

Pantothenic Acid 7mg 70%

Calcium 500 mg 38%

Iron 15mg 83%

Iodine 150 mcg 100%

Magnesium 200 mg 44%

Zinc 15mg 100%

Selenium 70 mcg (no daily value established)

Copper 2mg ""

Manganese 2mg ""

Chromium 50mcg ""

Boron 150 mcg ""

Choline 125 mcg ""

Inositol 30 mcg ""

Other ingredients: Cellulose, Titanium Dioxide, Vegetable Acetoglycerides. It is gluten free, and other stuff-free, but that stuff was on the box, which I threw away. Hope that is helpful to ya!

[Girl Ninja]

I don't know if this really matters or not, but my doc told me the difference between otc and prescription prenates is the amount of iron. My first scrip ones made me feel sick, so she tried some other ones but when she was changing them she said that she had other patients who never found a scrip they liked and she just had them take otc ones and a separate iron supplement.

[tiffjake]

I don't know if this really matters or not, but my doc told me the difference between otc and prescription prenates is the amount of iron. My first scrip ones made me feel sick, so she tried some other ones but when she was changing them she said that she had other patients who never found a scrip they liked and she just had them take otc ones and a separate iron supplement.

I know that in the Pharmacy world there is a bit of a controversy about iron. It is very easy to overdose on Iron, especially for children who might get into the pill cabinet and eat the vitamins. Many multi's don't have iron because in the US we eat enough meat to cover our Iron needs, and putting it in vitamins is dangerous for house holds with kids who might get into it. Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is the leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6!

AND many people get constipated when taking Iron anyway, so if you are going to take an Iron seperate, you might want to look for one that is called "Easy Iron" that is easier on the stomach (that is not a brand, but a form of Iron, so you can find it just about anywhere). Either way, most docs agree that Prenatals should include Iron, to prepare the body for the drain that the fetus will be on the mothers nutrient levels.

[Girl Ninja]

Tiffany's right. I think the iron was what I had a hard time with in the first scrip, and I can see why people might need to take it separate.

[tiffjake]

Tiffany's right. I think the iron was what I had a hard time with in the first scrip, and I can see why people might need to take it separate.

Did you finally find one that worked for you Girl Ninja?

[Melzo]

My ob/gyn stated that your over-the-counter prenatals were fine until you get pregnant - then you need a higher dose of Folic Acid (over 1,000 mcg). Most prenatals are only 800 mcg's. When I did get pregnant, the doc. gave me a prescription (which was NOT GLUTEN FREE). I had a very hard time finding a prescription prenatal that was gluten-free and over 1,000 mcg's, so I just took the over-the-counter with a folic acid supplement (which my doctor ok'd).

I take Nature Made brand - which you can find at Costco (and they are extremely cheap). Or you can go on their website - www.naturemade.com. They are gluten free, no artificial flavors, colors, starch, etc....

Many of the vitamins in a prenatal are higher than a normal multi-vit. for not so obvious reasons. You are "prepping" your body to have a baby, and are likely to conceive and will need those additional vitamins to support you and the baby. It is not possible to overdose or harm yourself taking these vitamins 1-3 months prior to trying - unless you take more than the recommended dose!!

[tiffjake]

Many of the vitamins in a prenatal are higher than a normal multi-vit. for not so obvious reasons. You are "prepping" your body to have a baby, and are likely to conceive and will need those additional vitamins to support you and the baby. It is not possible to overdose or harm yourself taking these vitamins 1-3 months prior to trying - unless you take more than the recommended dose!!

The first two sentences leave me confused, what do you mean? First you say that it is "not so obvious" why prenatals are higher, and then you say that they are higher to support the mother and the babies nutrition.....were you being sarcastic in the first line??

And it is possible to overdose. Overdosing on a vitamin can cause several problems, including coloring of the whites of the eyes, headaches, stomach problems, and many things that people brush off as "no big deal" until a doc does a blood test and sees the raised levels. Many people take more than the recomended amount thinking that because they have a poor diet or because they are over weight, that they will need more than is recommended for everyone else. (Hey, I have done this, taken more asprin than it says on the bottle, until I learned more about pharmacology). BUT, like you said, if people stay within the recommended dosage, they should be fine. (And the March of Dimes recomendation for Folic Acid is 400 mcg per day before pregnancy, see Open Original Shared Link

so any vitamin with that much would be fine before you are actually pregnant. And you have to remember that you get Folic Acid in foods also! Plus, the CDC does not recommend more than 1000 mcg of synthetic (vitamin) folic acid a day, so do be careful about taking "an extra one" ).

And congrats on the baby! I will be trying when my hubby gets home from Iraq!!!

[Melzo]

The first two sentences leave me confused, what do you mean? First you say that it is "not so obvious" why prenatals are higher, and then you say that they are higher to support the mother and the babies nutrition.....were you being sarcastic in the first line??

And it is possible to overdose. Overdosing on a vitamin can cause several problems, including coloring of the whites of the eyes, headaches, stomach problems, and many things that people brush off as "no big deal" until a doc does a blood test and sees the raised levels. Many people take more than the recomended amount thinking that because they have a poor diet or because they are over weight, that they will need more than is recommended for everyone else. (Hey, I have done this, taken more asprin than it says on the bottle, until I learned more about pharmacology). BUT, like you said, if people stay within the recommended dosage, they should be fine. (And the March of Dimes recomendation for Folic Acid is 400 mcg per day before pregnancy, see Open Original Shared Link

so any vitamin with that much would be fine before you are actually pregnant. And you have to remember that you get Folic Acid in foods also! Plus, the CDC does not recommend more than 1000 mcg of synthetic (vitamin) folic acid a day, so do be careful about taking "an extra one" ).

And congrats on the baby! I will be trying when my hubby gets home from Iraq!!!

No, I wasn't being a smart@$$ when I stated it is "not so obvious." Maybe I was just unaware as to why I had to take such high doses of these vit. and thought that maybe it wasn't so obvious to others as well.

I agree it's possible to overdose - but not by taking one prenatal a day (as stated on the bottle).

As far as the dosage that I was told to take and am taking - I'm going to listen to the ob/gyn. So far what they have told me to do is working (my baby is absolutely healthy and perfect - perfect heartbeat, within 2 days of the due date (according to measurements), passed the triple test with flying colors, etc...) I am taking well over 1,000 - actually taking 1,200 a day. Is it possible that your body does not absorb all of that dose???? Maybe that is why they tell me to take more? I don't know. I was on the prenatals prior to getting pregnant for six months at least. I didn't develop any signs of overdosing or adverse affects. I am basing this all on personal experience. Maybe talk to your ob/gyn to see what they say about how much and what type of prenatal YOU should take. It might be totally different from what my ob/gyn says.

I wish you the best of luck (when your husband gets back)!!! Just have fun and don't worry.

[Melzo]

Oh, TiffJake - I just read the website (March of Dimes) that you posted. It states that Folic Acid is not toxic - and by taking too much will not have an adverse affect on you. The 1,000 mcg's is a guideline posted by the CDC as you stated. And I think that the reason they would suggest giving you a folic acid above 400 mcg's would be because most people (myself included) do not eat the recommended dose of folic acid a day (some days I do, most days I don't). Therefore, you kind of need that supplement to cover the days you don't eat enough folic acid. That is just what I gathered from the website.

Take care!

[smilemaker]

Thanks ladies!

You all have been such a big help!

[Girl Ninja]

The first scrip I got made my stomach HURT no matter when I took it. The second one I tried was fine. They were both generics. It occurs to me now that it may have been a gluten issue. I hadn't discovered Celiac yet. Good luck to you. I just learned that I may be able to have another one someday. I'm pretty excited.

[tiffjake]

As far as the dosage that I was told to take and am taking - I'm going to listen to the ob/gyn. So far what they have told me to do is working (my baby is absolutely healthy and perfect - perfect heartbeat, within 2 days of the due date (according to measurements), passed the triple test with flying colors, etc...) I am taking well over 1,000 - actually taking 1,200 a day. Is it possible that your body does not absorb all of that dose???? Maybe that is why they tell me to take more? I don't know. I was on the prenatals prior to getting pregnant for six months at least. I didn't develop any signs of overdosing or adverse affects. I am basing this all on personal experience. Maybe talk to your ob/gyn to see what they say about how much and what type of prenatal YOU should take. It might be totally different from what my ob/gyn says.

I wish you the best of luck (when your husband gets back)!!! Just have fun and don't worry.

I agree with listening to YOUR doc, because like you said, there might be a reason why YOUR doc wants YOU on that dosage (family history of problems/birth defects, other health issues, one really determinded doc, etc) and he/she knows you much better than the March of Dimes people! BUT (and I am just saying here, I am really not trying to start an argument) many people on this board don't trust docs farther than they can throw them, because they have been jerked around about the Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free stuff, so they do their own research, and become their own doc in many ways. I simply want to post the information about dosage for people who want to question their doc about his/her recommendations.

I am VERY glad that your baby is doing so well and that you have a doc that is listening and working with you! That is a rare jewel! Congrats again! (And thanks for the wish of luck!)

Oh, TiffJake - I just read the website (March of Dimes) that you posted. It states that Folic Acid is not toxic - and by taking too much will not have an adverse affect on you. The 1,000 mcg's is a guideline posted by the CDC as you stated. And I think that the reason they would suggest giving you a folic acid above 400 mcg's would be because most people (myself included) do not eat the recommended dose of folic acid a day (some days I do, most days I don't). Therefore, you kind of need that supplement to cover the days you don't eat enough folic acid. That is just what I gathered from the website.

Take care!

Right (I just re-read my post, and I don't think I stressed that Folic Acid would be toxic, but that overdosing on Iron could be a problem for children, and that some vitamins could be a problem, Vitamin A for example, you really don't want to get too much of that!).

[penguin]

If they're water soluble vitamins, it's harder to OD on them (though still possible!) because extra just gets excreted in your urine (ever notice neon yellow pee after taking vitamins?). That's why you can take massive doses of vitamin C and be fine. The fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K are dangerous taken as supplements because they are stored in the fat and can become toxic. Iron poisoning is just as dangerous.

More than anything, taking bunches and bunches of folic acid will just be a waste of time and money. If you have a B-12 deficiency, too much folate can mask it.

[nicki2222]

I am taking Rainbow Light once a day prenatal vitamins to try out before I get pregnant.

direct link to ingredients:

Open Original Shared Link

I have tried many different ones (prescription ones and over the counter). They all made me so sick that I ended up just taking Flinstones! No joke! My 2 year old son is doing extremely well. But now that I am gluten-free I needed to find an alternate prenatal.

Sometimes if you take a particular prenatal and then get pregnant, that prenatal doesn't work for you. So it's good to have some options in mind.

Good luck!

[tiffjake]

Sometimes if you take a particular prenatal and then get pregnant, that prenatal doesn't work for you. So it's good to have some options in mind.

Really?! I have never heard this, is this something you read or a doc told you? Do you mean that one might make you sick that didn't make you sick before? I am really intrigued! I have never heard of this!

[Melzo]

many people on this board don't trust docs farther than they can throw them, because they have been jerked around about the Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free stuff, so they do their own research, and become their own doc in many ways. I simply want to post the information about dosage for people who want to question their doc about his/her recommendations.

Oh no - trust me. I totally understand why people would want to be their own doctor. If it weren't for my sister being her own doctor, I would have never found out I had Celiac Disease at all. Even though I have been to a thousand doctors before for the symptoms. Hmmm

I wanted to post the supplement facts on here to see if any of you think that I might be overdosing on vit. Because now I am paranoid - thanks a lot

Vitamin A 4,000 I.U.

Vitamin C 100 mg

Vitamin D 400 I.U.

Vitamin E 11 I.U.

Thiamin 1.5 mg

Riboflavin 1.7 mg

Niacin 18 mg

Vitamin B6 2.6 mg

Folic Acid 800 mcg

Vitamin B12 4 mcg

Calcium 200 mg

Iron 27 mg

Zinc 25 mg

I also take a folic acid supplement:

Folic Acid 400 mcg

The only things that I am certain that I am not taking too much of is iron (recommended is 30 mgs) and calcium (another vitamin that gets sucked out of you by the baby). That is why woman often have dental issues while they are pregnant. (I used to work in a dentist office and have seen this happen a lot).

Again, my baby (and myself) are incredibly healthy - and I really feel that I am doing the right things here. But I would like your opinions on this - all you "doctors" out there.

[AndreaB]

Melzo,

Your vitamins sound great! If your doctor says and you say the baby is healthy, I believe you. You are not overdoing anything with the vitamins, except folic acid which won't hurt you. Keep us posted when your baby is born. I love babies. Do you know what you are having or is it a surprise. Two of mine were surprises, the last one we found out.

[Melzo]

Melzo,

Your vitamins sound great! If your doctor says and you say the baby is healthy, I believe you. You are not overdoing anything with the vitamins, except folic acid which won't hurt you. Keep us posted when your baby is born. I love babies. Do you know what you are having or is it a surprise. Two of mine were surprises, the last one we found out.

It's a girl. I hate surprises so I had to know.

Her name is Samantha Louise and her due date is October 25th - not too far away! I will let you know when she arrives!