I don’t THINK I am soliciting medical advice but if I am, and this is against the rules, please shut it down and glare at me.
Anyway, as a female in my early 40’s, I would really like to take a multi-vitamin every day but they make me feel like I am going to throw up. My last attempt was with One-A-Day (women’s formula) and unless I had a rather substantial meal with the vitamin, I felt awful. I’m at the point where I don’t want to chance it anymore.
Can anyone recommend a good alternative?
Most vitamins do suggest you take them with a meal. They are intended to supplement your food intake, not replace it.
Perhaps another pill would work better. So you could, ahem, ask your Doctor.
If you can’t take it with a meal (you should anyway, it helps the vitamins absorb) you can try taking it at night, before bed.
Ask a Pharmacist. They really know their stuff. Maybe there’s one that has a coating on it so it dissolves in your intestines.
Nausea is a common side effect of iron supplements. You might try a men’s formula without iron to see if that helps and then be more careful about getting enough iron in your diet with iron rich foods.
I am a 50-something female who also takes a big horse pill every day, and who has struggled with the same problem, and I have found two solutions, both of which work for me:
Cut the pill in half with a pill cutter, then take each half of the pill by inserting it into a bolus of masticated bread and swallowing the whole thing. You can just bite a mouthful of bread off a roll, chew it until it’s ready to be swallowed, then pop the half-a-pill in your mouth, stuff it into the bread with your tongue until it’s completely enfolded by bread, and gulp.
Mash the pill, either with a pill crusher or with a soup spoon against a saucer, and dump it into a small juice glass (which is 6 oz.) of either orange or tomato juice. It won’t dissolve immediately because of the filler, but it’ll be in small enough form that you can gulp the drink down, tiny blobs of floating smashed vitamin pill and all. Note: If you use orange juice and let it sit, it will all dissolve into a sludge at the bottom, so don’t let it sit. If you use tomato juice (or V8) it mostly remains suspended, but it will eventually make the juice somewhat bitter. Anyway, just drink it fast. I call it my “vitamin drink”, grimace, and drink fast. Six ounces isn’t too much to drink at one go, and you probably could use the fluids anyway.
Generally speaking, if you’re the sort of person who has a stomach that’s annoyed by dropping a vitamin pill into it when it’s empty, there isn’t going to be any way you can take vitamins on an empty stomach. Even timed-release vitamins generally say to take them with a meal. You’re probably just going to have to resign yourself to the fact that your daily vitamin-taking isn’t going to be “on the fly” on your way out the door, that you’re going to have to go out to the kitchen and either find a piece of bread or pour some orange juice, and spend a minute or two with a gadget.
I’m a post-vitamin puker. I’ve never been able to keep ANY brand of multi-vitamin down, even with a meal. (Maybe I’m allergic to some of the ingredients. Who knows?"
My answer: Children’s chewables. Usaually, the box lists the dosages for adults.
I had a similar problem until I figured out that it was the mineral portion of the multi-v that was “sickening” me. I switched to a plain multi (vitamins-only); no more nausea.
I never could isolate which mineral was doing me in.
Seconded. I’ve thrown up after taken iron supplements as well, and I’ve heard about it from others too.
OTOH, besides chewables, have you tried the vitamin tablets that dissolve with bubbles (I don’t know the English word, sorry)
Same problem. For me, the culprit seemed to be zinc.
Effervescent.
I’ve had the same problem (female, mid-40’s). Taking my daily vitamin made me throw up about 25% of the time and feel slightly to very nauseous the other 75%, no matter what kind I tried. I recently started taking Viactive, which is one of those chocolate-flavored chewies. No problems at all, and I actually look forward to my morning vitamin.
Chewables, and those that dissovle in water might work. Otherwise, figure out what part of a multi-vite makes you nauseous- it could be the Iron, B Vitamins (B1, 2 or 3 usually) or even the zinc, but I doubt that last. Do you get a nasty tasting “burp” that is “vitamin” tasting? If so, it’s very likely B1, 2 or 3.
In other words, go to a good vitamin store, and get a anti-oxidant pill, a multi-mineral pill and a B-complex. It’s not impossible you can get a free sample of each.
I am pretty certain it isn’t the anti-oxidants (Vit C, E, and a few others). But anyway, take one different each day, and see which makes you queasy. Usually, it’s best to take these with food, but not here, since you are testing.
Once you determine its (for example) one of the B-vitamins, then get a Niacin, B-6 and then B-12 individual supplement, and see if it’s any of those. Similar if it’s a mineral causing it.
Let’s say you find it’s B-1. Then, get an antioxidant sup, a Multi-mineral complex, Folic acid, then B-12, Niacin & B-6.
For women, here’s what you may want: Iron, B-12, B-6, Calcium & Magnesium, Folic Acid & Anti-oxidants. YMMV, depending on diet, age, smoking, and so forth. You may not need anything else, so why take it? Don’t take mega-doses, either.
Note that eating a balanced diet may well be better. You can also consult your personal MD.
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen bottles of liquid vitamins at Walmart. Maybe you could mix a dose with juice and drink it down fast.
try a children’s vitamin, or a liquid one (and start off with a very small portion-say 1/4 of the usual adult dose and see how you do) I look a vitamins as a supplement to a good diet, not full replacement.
B vitamins make me sick
Just goes to show it could be any of them; I think DrDeth has the right approach.
Male, late 40s. One-a-day brand multivitamins roil my empty stomach a lot. Taking one after a full breakfast is better, but still uncomfortable.
Switched to Target’s house brand multivitamins. No stomach upset ever, even on top of a hangover & no breakfast. Besides, they’re cheaper.
Give it a try.
I am an iron puker too.
I have the same problem… and I found that taking it with a half a glass of orange juice seemed to solve the problem for me. I don’t eat breakfast so I needed something to deal with the nausea.