Multivitamins with Crohns

Are multivitamins needed when you are having mild Crohns disease? 

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

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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Co-Moderator for Crohn's Disease and Epilepsy forums.
Crohn's Disease since the 1990s.
Close family member has had epilepsy for more than 45 years.

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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First Resection July2011, Brain Aneurysn FIXED May2011, Crohn's, Migraines, Fibromyalgia, Hypothyroid, Polychondritis, Pericarditis, Depression, PTSD
Lacto-Vegetarian Low-Residue Diet,
Solgar V-75, GentleIron, Calcium, VitD, Flaxseed Oil, B2, Biotin, B12shot,
Pentasa, Toprol, Gabapentin, Synthroid, Omeprazole, BABY ASPIRIN, Flexerol, Zocor, Xanax, Fiorinal, Was on Entocort, INH, Prednisone

I take UltraInflamX - it is medical food that provides nutritional support for people with IBD.

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Always remember to forget the troubles that pass your way;
BUT NEVER forget the blessings that come each day.

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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Peter Waite
HealingWell.com
www.healingwell.com

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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Male/59 DX ulcerative colitis Feb08, possible Crohn's colitis DX Mar10.
No Meds, allergic to Mesalamine. Remission since Mar10. Psyllium seed mixed with VSL3 especially helpful. Food journal instead of SCD.

Watch gluten, lots of fruit & vegetables (but no plums or kale), no soda, no HFCS, no trans fat, tea instead of coffee, no shellfish, few processed foods, no carrageenan.
Probiotics, fish oil, multivitamin, extra D3, K2, high gamma E, glutamine, magnesium, phos choline, resveratrol, S. Boulardii, boswellia, curcumin.
Nature created all of the locks, therefore Nature has all of the keys

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.