Asking For Guidance In Taking Vitamins And Minerals.

[JustNana]

I am getting somewhat frustrated trying to put together a vitamin & mineral supplement schedule. I am a recently DX'd Celiac, DH and Hashimoto's patient. I suspect I have been undiadnosed for several years. My blood tests have revealed that I'm low in many nutrients and flat out deficient in several. Among them are: B2, B6, B12, D, zinc and folic acid. Dr wants me taking supplements for these as well as vitamin C, calcium and magnesium,

I have found all these supplements in the strengths he told me AND in gluten free formulas.

"Dont take your zinc or folic acid with vitamins. Take the D3 with fat. Zinc is best at night. The thyroid pill you take take on an empty stomach an hour before breakfast. B12 sublingual is with food. Do take calcium and magnesium together. Don't take calcium and magnesium together. You have to take some with food or they upset your stomach. Dont take your Prilosec close to anything or it may negate the the benefit of the supplements. (I am only taking the Prilosec every three days or so since going gluten free and want to ween myself off.) try melatonin at night for insomnia and a low dose benadryl might help with the itching.

I would really appreciate hearing about your supplement schedule or information you can give me.

I am seriously confused and trying to sort pills into AM, NOON, EVENiNG and BEDTIME.

[JNBunnie1]

  On 4/20/2012 at 12:13 AM, JustNana said:

I am getting somewhat frustrated trying to put together a vitamin & mineral supplement schedule. I am a recently DX'd Celiac, DH and Hashimoto's patient. I suspect I have been undiadnosed for several years. My blood tests have revealed that I'm low in many nutrients and flat out deficient in several. Among them are: B2, B6, B12, D, zinc and folic acid. Dr wants me taking supplements for these as well as vitamin C, calcium and magnesium,

I have found all these supplements in the strengths he told me AND in gluten free formulas.

"Dont take your zinc or folic acid with vitamins. Take the D3 with fat. Zinc is best at night. The thyroid pill you take take on an empty stomach an hour before breakfast. B12 sublingual is with food. Do take calcium and magnesium together. Don't take calcium and magnesium together. You have to take some with food or they upset your stomach. Dont take your Prilosec close to anything or it may negate the the benefit of the supplements. (I am only taking the Prilosec every three days or so since going gluten free and want to ween myself off.) try melatonin at night for insomnia and a low dose benadryl might help with the itching.

I would really appreciate hearing about your supplement schedule or information you can give me.

I am seriously confused and trying to sort pills into AM, NOON, EVENiNG and BEDTIME.

Just so I'm clear, is the above paragraph quoting your doctor or various internet sources?

My advice would be to take the thyroid med in the morning before food if that's what the doctor told you to do. Otherwise, I take pills before I eat dinner. Dinner is typically the biggest meal, so will prevent upset, and I can't take pills in the morning or I gag.

Also, any supplement that is sublingual, doesn't matter if it's anywhere near food, as far as I know, because the purpose of a sublingual is to bypass your malfunctioning digestive system and deliver directly to your bloodstream. Therefore it doesn't matter if it's with food.

And if the zinc gives you tummy upset, you can get the Zand zinc lozenges that have 5 mg each and just eat a few every day between meals. They make food taste funny so I wait until after I eat.

[JustNana]

Oh yeah I almost forgot. I am taking a Probiotic when I pour myself some buttermilk because it's in the fridge next to it, no no rhyme or reason to that. And I'd like to take digestive enzymes...are they before meals or during?

If I wasn't so foggy headed and short tempered this probably would be easy to figure out. I'm so weepy these days everything feels like such a big deal.

[pricklypear1971]

I hear ya.

I take my thyroid med as soon as I wake up and try to postpone coffee (with milk) as long as I can. Supposed to be one hour.

After breakfast I take my iron and d3 and b complex and probiotic.

At lunch or dinner I take my multi and fish oil and digestive enzyme (enzyme before if I remember) and cal/mag.

Now, my ND has given me different instructions but it includes breakfast, lunch and dinner and I inevitably forget to take at least one round so I try to combine them as much as possible. Some days I blow it off completely if my stomach feels off because I've always had a hard time with supplaments.

Oh, and the new progesterone/estrogen cream (1/4 dose of what was rx'ed) after my morning shower.

Sigh.

[pricklypear1971]

Digestive enzymes are before. But if you forget take it immediately after.

[Bubba's Mom]

I guess we are each different, just find what will work for you and do the best you can?

I take any "oil" type supplements(D3, Cod Liver, Krill, E) in the morning because I have a cup of coffee first and I figure the acid will help them digest? My gallbladder isn't working right right now.

I eat something small and then take the probiotic about an hour or more after eating, because the directions say to take them between meals.

I take iron, B complex, CoQ10, C, L-Glutamine, Salmon oil, and digestive enzymes right after eating supper.

I take a calcium-magnesium-zinc combo before bedtime. I've heard it's best to take Calcium alone though, so once I use up what I have I'm switching to separate ones and will have to juggle those?

Once you get a schedule figured out you could put them in one of those pill boxes that has the days labeled with morning, noon, evening, and night? I used one of those when I traveled recently and it helped keep everything straight. Sort of a pain to load it though.

I take so many supplements because I haven't find a good soy and dairy free multi.

[JustNana]

Bunnie1

You know when I re-read my post I realized too late that it was unclear. The advice was from Dr and websites, also from some members here. Thanks for the zinc lozenge info.

PricklyPear and Bubba'sMom,

Your advice and info is really appreciated. I guess my big fear was that if I didn't take pills in a perfect way I would be defeating the purpose and maybe even doing harm. I have all my bottles out and am sorting. I just got a terrific pill sorter from Amazon that is a 4 time a day, 7 day case which you can fill and take out one or more days separately to pop in purse or bag. We travel to help with grandkids once a week and spend a nite there, so this particular pill case is just the thing. It's big enough to hold at least 40 good sized supplements a day. I think I'll get another so I can go 2 weeks without sorting.

I appreciate everyone's input. Y'all are so helpful.

If anyone wants to check out the pill holder it's listed on

Amazon as: 7 Day 4 Compartment Pill Organizer DEEP One Inch by Borinhalbich.