Multivitamins after Gastrectomy

After stomach surgery, you do not absorb everything you eat. For example,
without stomach acid and certain digestive enzymes, you cannot absorb
some B vitamins such as vitamin B-12, thiamine and folate and minerals
such as calcium and iron. You may also have difficulty absorbing Vitamin D. If you have
dumping syndrome, the food may pass too quickly through your gut and your body may not absorb all
of the nutrients from the food you eat.
If you do not absorb these specific vitamins, you can develop anemia, numbness in your fingers or
toes, confusion, low bone density, and/or other problems. To prevent these problems:
1. Take a bariatric formulated multivitamin every day. You need these special multivitamins for people
who have had stomach surgery.

2. Take 1200-1500 mg of calcium citrate every day. Take the calcium separate from your vitamin.
You can absorb up to 500 mg of calcium at a time, so you will need to take at least 3 pills per day.
The multivitamins below are made for people who have had stomach surgery. Choose any one of the
options. If you have questions, call your dietitian, Rachael Lopez, at 301-594-3084.
Brand Dose Additional Vitamins
Procare Health Bariatric Multivitamins with Take 1 per day Calcium: Take an additional 1500
18 mg Iron (also available with 45 mg iron) mg calcium citrate per day

(pill form available from Procare

https://procarenow.com/product/bariatricmiv Health website)
caps18/
Opurity Complete Bariatric Optimized Take 2 per day Calcium: Take an additional 1500
Multivitamin Multimineral Supplement with (can be taken at mg calcium citrate per day
45 mg iron the same time)
(NOTE: Avoid Opurity brand calcium
https://www.unjury.com/opurity-sleeve-and-
citrate because it contains sugar)
bypass-multivitamin-multimineral-
supplement.html
Phone orders: 1-800-517-5111

Opurity Bypass and Sleeve Optimized- Take 1 per day Calcium: Take an additional 1500
Chewable mg calcium citrate per day
https://www.unjury.com/opurity-bypass-
(NOTE: Avoid Opurity brand calcium
sleeve-optimized-chewable-new-
citrate because it contains sugar)
formulation.html

Phone orders: 1-800-517-5111

Bariatric Advantage Ultra Multivitamin with
Iron
https://www.bariatricadvantage.com/item/ult
ra-multivitamin-with-iron
Note: Avoid EA formulation, which has
sugar alcohols
Phone orders: 1-800-898-6888
Take 3 per day Calcium: Take an additional 1500
(can be taken at mg calcium citrate per day
the same time) (Chewable calcium citrate available
from Bariatric Advantage brand with
2 grams total sugar per 3 tablets but
also has small amount of sugar
alcohol)
Table continued

Brand Dose Additional Vitamins

https://www.celebratevitamins.com/multi- Take 3 Calcium: Take an additional
complete-45.html capsules 1500 mg calcium citrate per day
per day (available from Celebrate brand.
*capsule form only. Chewable form has sugar
choose Tablets but avoid
alcohols, which can cause gas and diarrhea.
chewables, which have sugar
Phone orders: (877) 424-1953 alcohols)

Optisource Post Bariatric Surgery Chewable Take 4 per Calcium: Take an additional 500
Vitamin and Mineral Supplement day mg calcium citrate per day
http://www.nestlenutritionstore.com/products/Post-
Vitamin D: Take an additional
Bariatric-Surgery-Nutrition/OPTISOURCE-
2,000 International Units per day
Chewable-Vitamin-Mineral-
Supplement.html#.WenrK2AgqUk
Phone orders: 1-888-240-2713

Disclaimer: This information is prepared specifically for patients taking part in clinical research at the National
Institutes of Health Clinical Center and does not necessarily apply to individuals who are patients elsewhere. If
you have questions about the information presented here, talk to a member of your health care team.

Where applicable, brand names of commercial products are provided as examples of acceptable products and do
not imply endorsement by NIH; nor does the fact that a particular product is not identified imply that such product
is not acceptable.

NIH is not responsible for content at provided Internet sites or Internet site links; nor does NIH endorse, warrant,
or guarantee products or services described or offered at these Internet sites.

Nutrition Department
NIH Clinical Center
Bethesda, MD Revised 2/2019