Step Up Your Vitamin Regimen: Transitioning from Pills, Capsules, or Soft Chews

Article By: Maria Tucker, MPH, RDN, LDN, CDCES

Maria Tucker is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator with over 20 years of experience assisting patients with diabetes, obesity, and nutrition-related conditions. Maria is also the Founder of MyBiyaya.com, a site dedicated to healthy recipes and kitchen shortcuts.

Bariatric surgery alters the anatomy of your gastrointestinal tract and can result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) recommends that patients who have undergone bariatric surgery supplement with vitamins and minerals throughout their life due to the long-term risk of nutritional deficiencies post-surgery.

In the first three months after bariatric surgery, chewable, quick dissolve, or liquid vitamin and mineral supplements are recommended by most bariatric surgery centers and dietitians since these forms are easier for patients to tolerate immediately post-op. The BariMelts Multivitamin with Iron fast-melting tablets are a great-tasting option for post-surgery vitamin supplementation. These tablets quickly dissolve in the mouth so you won’t have to chew, swallow, or use liquid droppers.

Some patients are ready to switch to a capsule or caplet form of their multivitamins that can be swallowed. The Step Up™ by BariMelts (once-daily multi caplets with iron) can be a great option because of the smaller size, special formula to avoid dose-dumping (no stomach discomfort), and smooth coated exterior which makes the caplets easy to swallow. Taking your bariatric multivitamins daily for the rest of your life may help prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which may not happen right away but rather down the road.

What’s the safest way to transition to an ingestible multivitamin form? First, ask your Registered Dietitian if it's OK for you to make the switch.

When you are ready to make the switch, try taking The Step Up™ by BariMelts caplets gradually — once a week while continuing to take the BariMelts Multivitamin with Iron fast-dissolving tablets the rest of the week. Do this for two weeks. If you tolerate the caplets after 2 weeks, you should then take one caplet every other day (for one week) alternating with the fast-dissolving tablets.

Finally, you should fully transition to taking The Step Up™ by BariMelts caplets daily. Voila! You have successfully made the switch!

BariMelts provides general recommendations, not to be construed as medical advice. Please consult your doctor.


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