should i even take a multi vitamin?

[DJFL77I]

https://www.glutenfreeliving.com/blog/multivitamin-necessary-celiac-disease/

After speaking with Welstead, I asked Dr. Guandalini whether taking a supplement is necessary and, if so, which brand he would recommend. “Once in full remission on a strict gluten-free diet, celiac patients can be considered just as healthy as individuals who do not have celiac, with no additional needs for vitamins or other types of supplements,” he said. “If the patient chooses to supplement, a general multivitamin preparation would be more than adequate.”

Many people need to supplement because they consume a great deal of packaged gluten-free food, which is highly processed and stripped of most minerals and vitamins. If you do choose to take a multivitamin, a one-a-day like Rainbow Light is fine and no different from vitamins marketed toward celiac patients, such as CeliAct and Alorex.

Overall, following a strict gluten-free diet and eating nutrient-dense foods like those mentioned above are the most important steps you can take. After the gut has healed, patients who follow a healthful gluten-free diet don’t need any supplementation. As it turns out, at the end of the day, food truly is the best medicine.

 

 

most recently, about 2 weeks ago , I had B12 and Iron checked...  both seemed normal..    does that mean i'm absorbing ok?

I want to get a full vitamin + mineral panel done...  if that would come back normal , do I even need to take a multivitamin?      I've been taking one for about 3 days... 

[cyclinglady]

See my other response to you.  
 

Take the multi.  You bought them.  They will not hurt and they may make you feel better.  
 

You are under a doctor’s care and seeing a dietician.  Lucky you.  If they were really worried about your health, they would have done more.  Maybe you are pretty healthy and you do not need additional care.  You are young, right? 
 

If you are not deficient in iron or B-12, you are able to absorb your other vitamins and minerals.  Whether you are consuming good foods that contain vitamins and minerals is a different story.  If you live on junk food and never go out into the sunshine, you could be deficient in vitamins.  That will happen to non-celiacs too.  
 

Please  consider talking to your doctor about your mental health.  You are really struggling.  A new celiac disease diagnosis and a pandemic.  Hard to deal with so many new things.  Do you live with family?  

[knitty kitty]

B12 can be stored in the liver for two to five years.  Most of the eight B vitamins are water soluble and must be replenished every day, but B12 is the exception. 

Other B vitamins, such as thiamine, can become depleted in as little as nine days.  (Ever watch television show "Naked and Afraid"?  The people on that show develop vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  It's not just about calories.)

The liver also stores iron.  Iron stores can last from six months (if you're a menstruating female) to three years (if you're a male).  

There are four stages of anemia before changes in red blood cells occurs.  By the time you get changes in the size and color of red blood cells, you've been deficient for a while.  

 

Here's some informative articles that might help you decide for yourself.  

https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/disorders-of-nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-b12-deficiency

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamin-b12-or-folate-deficiency-anaemia/causes/

https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/iron-deficiency-anemia-a-closer-look

 

[DJFL77I]

  On 7/25/2020 at 2:33 PM, cyclinglady said:

You are under a doctor’s care and seeing a dietician.  Lucky you.  If they were really worried about your health, they would have done more.  Maybe you are pretty healthy and you do not need additional care.  You are young, right? 
 

If you are not deficient in iron or B-12, you are able to absorb your other vitamins and minerals.  Whether you are consuming good foods that contain vitamins and minerals is a different story.  If you live on junk food and never go out into the sunshine, you could be deficient in vitamins.  That will happen to non-celiacs too.  
 

Please  consider talking to your doctor about your mental health.  You are really struggling.  A new celiac disease diagnosis and a pandemic.  Hard to deal with so many new things.  Do you live with family?

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Young.. I dunno. I'm 42..     i'm just not used to being sick in any way.. I literally went for 15 straight years before this without even having a common cold.

I haven't been eating any junk foods.. I'm only eating meats and potatoes and some veggies and fruits ..  Bryers vanilla Ice cream is the only thing I've been having as a snack..  I do have walnuts but haven't been eating them..

 

[Awol cast iron stomach]

  On 7/25/2020 at 11:03 AM, DJFL77I said:

most recently, about 2 weeks ago , I had B12 and Iron checked...  both seemed normal..    does that mean i'm absorbing ok?

I want to get a full vitamin + mineral panel done...  if that would come back normal , do I even need to take a multivitamin?      I've been taking one for about 3 days... 

Expand Quote  

It sounds like they did the blood draw and looked for the big concerns iron and b-12. Since they didn't specifically point one out. I would consider as a patient that to mean I was not deficient and within the normal range value. 

I'm in the Midwest so before proper  diagnosis I was tested and found to be vitamin D deficient. Not unusual K suppose for my undiagnosed state and geographic location. The times western med Dr wanted me on a specific supplement or vitamin they gave me a prescription. The times I was prescribed specific supplements by a western med Dr was when I was vitamin D deficient and during my pregnancies. One Ob had me on extra folic acid in addition to my prenatal multi. The other OB wanted me on a specific prenatal multi. In the past I had a beloved chiropractic/naprapathy Dr who monitored my calcium/ magnesium. 10 years ago I had the Dr who discovered I was D deficient.It depends on the Dr. and where I was stage/ health wise. They were upfront about it and prescribed it like they would a prescription. 

Do you have access to your online reports of lab blood test? You can request them . The medical system my current Dr's are in post my results in my online portal within a few days of my blood draw. She reviews them and leaves me a note at the bottom. My last report showed my value in one column and the normal range off to the side. 

 

[DJFL77I]

  On 7/25/2020 at 5:38 PM, Awol cast iron stomach said:

Do you have access to your online reports of lab blood test?

 

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here is what my bloodwork looked like early March when I first went in about 3 weeks after symptoms started

 

 

 

 

[Kate333]

Your tests are all normal and your diet is great, so you probably are getting enough V/Ms from healthy, natural food.   

I also recently had complete vitamin/mineral blood tests and my results were also normal (although my vitamins D and magnesium were on the low end of normal).  But my PCP doc recommended I take supplements, including a high dose vitamin B (all the Bs), to boost those vitamin levels but primarily because of my chronic fatigue/sleep/anxiety issues to see if they help me feel any better.

CL's advice about considering the effect of stress on overall health is spot on!  Speaking for myself as a "newbie"  (on gluten-free diet for only 6 months), 2020 has been the hardest year of my life, trying to cope with the twin, sudden gut-punches of both celiac disease diagnosis and pandemic has been overwhelming to say the least.  

[DJFL77I]

  On 7/26/2020 at 12:00 AM, Kate333 said:

Your tests are all normal and your diet is great, so you probably are getting enough V/Ms from healthy, natural food.   

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not sure how if they found my villi are blunted...

[DJFL77I]

  On 7/26/2020 at 12:00 AM, Kate333 said:

I also recently had complete vitamin/mineral blood tests and my results were also normal (although my vitamins D and magnesium were on the low end of normal).  But my PCP doc recommended I take supplements, including a high dose vitamin B (all the Bs), to boost those vitamin levels but primarily because of my chronic fatigue/sleep/anxiety issues to see if they help me feel any better.

Expand Quote  

I wanted to have vitamin and mineral panel just to see but the Dr said I don think we need too.  I'm still going to get it though...

there's a complex B multivitamin:

https://www.amazon.com/Now-Supplements-Vitamin-B-50-Capsules/dp/B0013OSL5S/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=now+b-50&qid=1594130906&sr=8-3

and just B1:  https://www.amazon.com/NOW-Vitamin-B-1-Thiamine-Tablets/dp/B0009P3DRS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=now+thiamine+100mg&qid=1594130844&sprefix=now+thiamine&sr=8-3

[docaz]

  On 7/26/2020 at 9:45 AM, DJFL77I said:

not sure how if they found my villi are blunted...

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Blunted villi can range from mildly blunted to almost flat. If your villi have only lost the tip and are rounded (blunted) instead of greatly reduced in size, the absorption is mostly unaffected. If you want to go into more depth you could ask the pathologist to reviewed the slides to send you an image of a typical section that shows the damage and you can see for yourself because that is actually easily evaluated even by a lay person. What is more difficult to evaluate is the white cell infiltrate because not all of them are diagnostic for celiac disease and also not all blunting is caused by celiac disease. Here is a diagram of the extremes but most celiac patients have something inbetween 

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-coeliac-disease-or-celiac-disease-small-bowel-showing-coeliac-disease-176992313.html

This is what it looks like under a microscope

https://celiac.org/about-the-foundation/featured-news/2015/03/biopsy-samples-diagnosis-celiac-disease/

The many dark dots in the flattened celiac sample are the white cell infiltrate. 

[ravenwoodglass]

You have gotten some great advice on this and other posts. I do have one thing to add. You mention in another thread that you are eating lactose free ice cream and cottage cheese. You may want to drop all dairy until you are doing a bit better. There are some good dairy free ice creams (although personally I would avoid soy based for now) as well as sherbets and other non-dairy frozen treats. It is not uncommon for celiacs to have an issue with dairy until they have fully healed and when you reintroduce dairy start with hard cheeses like cheddar which have much less lactose. Some folks will have an intolerance to casien the protein in dairy not lactose which is the sugar. Once you have healed well go ahead and add back in dairy and see how it goes. I hope you heal quickly but have patience as it can take some time.

[DJFL77I]

  On 7/26/2020 at 12:00 AM, Kate333 said:

Your tests are all normal and your diet is great, so you probably are getting enough V/Ms from healthy, natural food.     

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did you ever ask your DR what your dizziness might be coming from