Supplement Combinations

[*Star*]

1) What are the most common supplement combinations that I need to pay attention to when dividing my daily vitamins into doses?

For example, I know that you need vitamin D to help absorb calcium, so it would probably be best to take those together, right?

2) Is there any supplement which should NOT be taken with a certain other supplement?

3) Is there any supplement which should be taken at a certain time of day for maximum absorbsion?

4) Is there any supplement which should definitely be divided into doses because the body can't deal with it in large doses?

I should probably clarify that I am interested in 2, 3, & 4 as they pertain to the more common daily supplements - not every single supplement under the sun!


My current supplements include:
calcium
vitamin D
fish oils
potassium
slow mag (magnesium + calcium)
ALA
CLA
Cinnamon

I will possibly be adding Bs and L-glutamine in the near future.

Thanks for your help!! :)

[Nancy LC]

It's more like medications you should be wary of taking with vitamins. For instance, taking thyroid meds with calcium prevent you from absorbing the thyroid.

So I take my D3 and calcium at night and the thyroid meds in the morning.

[FatJessica]

I'm actually really curious about this stuff as well. I'm really OC about taking a handful of pills at one time, I just feel like it can't be good on my stomach. Right now all I'm taking is a multivitamin, calcium, and iron (I'm chronically anemic). I'll probably start adding more once I get more money, but does anyone have any suggestions for what I NEED at this point?

[Gostrydr]

There is a growing consensus on mineral consumption and what minerals cancel each other out and should not be taken together..I don't want to open a can of worms so I'll avoid the topic for now..

But take your aminos on an empty stomach..

B's and glucose disposal agents should be taken with food.

I like magneisum before bed

fish oils with meals..

and calcium has been shown to have better absorption taken after a meal.

I feel supps should be taken throughout the day and one should not blow his wad in taking them once a day.

But I feel B vitamins should not be taken any later than 6 hours before bed. I have seen insomnia in people who take them late in the afternoon.

good ruck

[Kristine]

What they said, except I would think the calcium could inhibit the absorption of certain other supplements, too, not just meds. If you were taking herbs for specific conditions, for example.

[cs_carver]

OTOH--Find something that you can sustain, because they're all better if you take them regularly.

If a supplement comes with more than one pill per dose, divide up the pills over the day.

If you can find a routine that separates them easily, go for it. No way I can add another dosing schedule to my already-strange 5x. It was hard enough to fit a month of twice-a-day doxycycline in around the calcium, and then the yogurt to keep my intestines healthy from the doxy.

I take all the 1-pill doses with breakfast, because that's the one I am most likely to always get right. Sometimes the lunch and dinner doses get overlooked (although rarely both in the same day), so I set them up to be the rest of the 6-pill calcium, and 7 pill Vitamin C and flax oil doses.

I lay out 10 days at a time in 30 film cannisters, labelled 1/2/3 for each day, btw. That works for me. I take the aminos from their own bottles when I brush my teeth.