Should you take them? Is it recommended? Which form? When should I start? Are they safe? These are just some of the questions I receive about taking vitamins after sleeve surgery.

You body is adjusting not only after bariatric surgery but to the weight loss that will occur as a result of the procedure itself, so yes, I highly recommend some form of vitamin supplement to your diet after being sleeved.

When to start your vitamin regimen?

The answer is well…it varies. You see different doctors have their own opinion on the matter and some say “right away” and others say “wait a few weeks”. In my practice, based on helping almost 10,000 vertical sleeve patients, I recommend starting your vitamins one week after surgery.

Here’s why…

After surgery your new sleeve is swollen and bombarding it with vitamins on top of the prescribed medications can irritate the stomach lining and make you feel uncomfortable. Can it damage your sleeve? No! But it can make you feel nauseous, bloated and frustrated, and nobody likes feeling that way. So, it’s always safer to take the medications first…then after about week your body is ready for the vitamins.

Medications?

Yes, after VSG (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) surgery you will be prescribed an acid blocker and an antibiotic. These medications help reduce the swelling and allow you to get back in the groove of life again. However, combining vitamins with your medication right away especially the first week is just not a good idea.

No big pills!

During the first 90 days after sleeve surgery I recommend you only take soft vitamins…not those big horse pills. Those things are too upsetting to your sleeve. When I say soft vitamins I’m referring to liquid, chewable and gummies.

Which one is preferrable?

It really depends on the brand and your personal preferance. I prefer the gummies, as they are easy to chew and swallow and come in fun shapes that make taking them more enjoyable over the liquids or pills. Some of my patients actually prefer the liquid form of vitamins as they can just mix it into their smoothies.

What to use after 90 days?

Well you are free to continue to use the soft vitamins (chewables, gummies or liquid) or switch over to regular big hard horse pills. Yep, after 90 days your sleeve can take those bigger pills.

If you’d like to know more about weight loss and how the gastric sleeve procedure could benefit you or to get answers to questions like vitamins, health, exercise or even what to eat after having the surgery I invite you to visit my YouTube channel and watch The #AskDrA Show. We answer fan submitted questions every week on the show. You can also submit questions directly to me via SnapChat (username: gmoalvarez) or through our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You can also visit the Endobariatric website and discover tons of successful before and after patient pictures, testimonials and even more blogs to educate you. And just like my slogan “Changing lives…one sleeve at a time”, we educate fans…one question at a time.