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Multivitamins with Crohns

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Crohn's Disease
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cootxs
New Member
Joined : Oct 2011
Posts : 3
Posted 10/8/2011 11:17 AM (GMT -7)
Are multivitamins needed when you are having mild Crohns disease? 

If yes, does anyone have any good recommendations of which ones to take?

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Zanne
Veteran Member
Joined : Apr 2005
Posts : 3763
Posted 10/8/2011 1:02 PM (GMT -7)
There are vast differences in everyone's opinions on any supplements, including doctors opinions. Personally, I take a multi every day because I know I don't get all the vitamins I should from my diet. I also know that I probably don't absorb much from the multi I take and it is mostly going down the toilet, literally. But, if I absorb even a little it is worth it to me. I just take one Centrum. Any good quality one should do. A lot of people here have trouble with any supplements bothering them, so they have to be careful of the brands, or fillers. I only have trouble with CVS generic, so I avoid those. If you find they bother you, you could try children's vitamins. They tend to be a bit gentler on the tummy.
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Roni
Veteran Member
Joined : May 2003
Posts : 2481
Posted 10/8/2011 6:36 PM (GMT -7)
I think multi-vits are a good idea. I take one that is made from natural sources and has digestive enzymes in it.
I figure the same as Zanne, better to absorb something than nothing.
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Nanners
Elite Member
Joined : Apr 2005
Posts : 14997
Posted 10/9/2011 7:29 AM (GMT -7)
I am one who does not tolerate vitamins well. Everyone I have tried even with taking it with food, upsets my stomach. But if you can tolerate them, they can't hurt. Hugs!
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NY Veggie
Regular Member
Joined : Apr 2011
Posts : 280
Posted 10/11/2011 1:28 AM (GMT -7)
I was terribly low in Vitamin D several years ago way before I was Dx'ed with Crohn's. No one had ever tested me before. Since then I have read a great deal of medical papers linking low vitamin D with the onset of predisposed conditions including Crohn's. That all being said, most of us have had to be on prednisone which weakens bones and teeth, but even before that I was told to take calcium. Now my neurologist told me to take a lot of Vitamin B2 for my Migraines. And aside from all that I am always anemic and have to take iron and have B12 shots. I also had to take tons of B6 last year. So I would say that for me at least it is a very good idea to take vitamins.

The important issue is what type and when. If you take a really good multi-vitamin like solgar and also supplement yourself with at least 1200 calcium and 1000 vit D3 you might break even. I always take them right after I eat lunch and dinner. I know I am pissing most of the water soluble ones right out but at least they're in there in case I need them. BTW the calcium I take is liquid in a capsule. The usual solid pills made me very sick. I think they weren't dissolving and maybe getting stuck in my stricture? Also it's very important to take D3 with your calcium. My capsules have them both together in them.

Anyway the point is there is a difference with the manufacturers. Don't give up trying to find several that work for you. They really made a difference at least for me with healing. The best ones are usually in health food stores or smaller pharmacies.
NY VEGGIE
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clonehead
Veteran Member
Joined : Jan 2011
Posts : 640
Posted 10/11/2011 1:34 PM (GMT -7)
My mom always gave us MIV daily even before I was diagnosed with Crohn's. My doctor recommended that I continue to take MIV as an adult.

I've tried a few different kinds. There was a One-A-Day with Iron that I used to take. I needed something + iron and iron supplements alone have always made me sick to my stomach. However, these were coated, I found it almost wholly passed in my stool with some regularity.

Currently, I take a chewable, non-gummy children MIV w/Iron most days. The label has most all the same stuff as a One-A-Day brand vitamin. I ocassionally mix in a One-A-Day men's MIV. It is not coated, but it does not contain iron either.
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exit 4
Regular Member
Joined : Apr 2009
Posts : 163
Posted 10/11/2011 7:37 PM (GMT -7)
I take UltraInflamX - it is medical food that provides nutritional support for people with IBD.
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meshuganeh
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2003
Posts : 42
Posted 10/14/2011 11:32 AM (GMT -7)
I have taken Forvia off and on for a few years.  I feed noticeably better when on it (energy), but notice that sometimes vitamins upset my stomach generally.
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Admin
Forum Administrator
Joined : Jan 2003
Posts : 10197
Posted 10/19/2011 1:13 PM (GMT -7)
I take Forvia also. I swear by it. It definitely helps with my energy levels. Only problem is it is kind of expensive.
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honestwoman50
Veteran Member
Joined : May 2009
Posts : 833
Posted 10/19/2011 4:15 PM (GMT -7)

Hello, get the gummy vitamins from costco, they work really well.  As I have had a total colectomy and everything goes right through me.  So these disolve and tast really great.

best of luck to you.

Leslie

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IamCurious
Veteran Member
Joined : Jan 2010
Posts : 3558
Posted 10/19/2011 4:40 PM (GMT -7)
I take Forvia also. I swear by it. It definitely helps with my energy levels. Only problem is it is kind of expensive

Forvia claims to be the multi that was specifically designed for Crohn's and IBD. But when you look at their ingredients it appears that they might be an expensive gimmick. Their multi consists of a mediocre formula with enormous amounts of B12 added. B12 is important because many with Crohn's have trouble absorbing it and are subsequently deficient. But I believe their supplement is overpriced for what you get.

I would rather choose a more comprehensive and less expensive multi, (I prefer Rainbow Light because it is easy on the stomach), and add B12 separately. Since I have a chronic condition I regularly check my blood levels of B12, folic acid, iron, and vitamin D to see where I stand.

Forvia has the cheap versions of vitamin E and selenium and they claim to purposely omit magnesium. Yes massive doses of magnesium can cause diarrhea but most people are deficient, especially those with IBD who have difficulty absorbing it.

I recommend comparing labels.
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conmire
Regular Member
Joined : Jul 2011
Posts : 245
Posted 10/20/2011 3:08 AM (GMT -7)
Probiotics/vit D/cod-liver oil
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njmom
Veteran Member
Joined : Apr 2006
Posts : 1885
Posted 10/20/2011 2:38 PM (GMT -7)
There are plenty of studies that show multivitamins are a waste of money. 

The important thing to do is to find out what, if anything, you are deficient in. And that means a lab test.

Vitamins are medicine, and have can have detrimental consequences: as just one example, let's say you think you are low in iron, even though you haven't had a lab test done to confirm it, so you decide to take an iron supplement - because iron dosages interfere with zinc absorption, you can create a zinc deficiency.

First check your B12, zinc, iron, and other vitamins and minerals by lab test and then decide how to supplement.

I'm a big believer in evidence-based medicine. Supplements need to be approached carefully. Don't take anything unless you know you need it because if you don't, it can hurt you. Of course, vice versa is true. If you are low in something, then you need to know and after supplementing that something for a month, you need to do another lab test to make sure you are supplementing enough (and not too much). 

My daughter had a gazillion lab tests done the past few years to check the effects of meds, vitamins, and mineral supplements on her system - we saw her zinc depeleted by iron supplements but if she took too much zinc, then her iron went down. 

Told she was deficient in Vitamin D, she with the blessing of her doctor tried different dosages - beware, because too high a dose for her resulted in hypercalcemia and other issues...now she takes 600IU daily of vit D, no more and no less - I agree with the US government study done last year which found that the way labs that routinely diagnose vitamin D deficiency has no science behind it. If your PTH and D2 in your body are normal, then it is unlikely you are deficient in vit D, no matter what the lab said...specialists in the US like endocrinologists tend to know this but the regular GI or GP is clueless. And the science in that study (which was actually an analysis of hundreds of studies done so far on vit D) suggests that 600IU daily is more effective than 1000IU or higher.    

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Llemy
New Member
Joined : Apr 2010
Posts : 1
Posted 10/25/2011 7:44 AM (GMT -7)
Please ditch the Centrum etc. I recommend Source Naturals Life Force Multiple. Not too expensive especially if you take one or two daily. I would think starting with one daily then increasing if you can or need to would be a wise way to go about.
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