prenatal vitamins? which did you use?

[sntm]

Did most people use the prescription kind or OTC? what about the health food store type? I can't actually find much data to suggest one type over the other.

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)

[all4sanity]

My doctor told me to take any that I could tolerate. I asked her if the prescription ones were any better than over-the-counter, and she said as long as your taking one it really doesn't matter which brand. I found the best one for me is the Target brand. They are comparable to the Stewart's name brand which sells in my drugstore for $25! I think the Target ones were no more than $7 for the economy size. They are VERY VERY easy to swallow.

[kathsmom]

Shannon,

I am taking prescription prenatal vitamins called Nestabs. They are kind of large, but I tolerate them pretty well. I can't remember which prescription vitamins I took with DD, but they made me so sick when I took them in the a.m., that I had to take them right before bedtime.

Before getting pregnant, my OB told me to take folic acid.

HTH and good luck!

Toni - mom to Katherine (5/19/96) and Andrew (scheduled for 9/23/02)

[ct]

I too am taking Nestabs (or the Rx generic equivalent - whatever I happen to get). However, I highly doubt whether there is any value to the Rx as opposed to the over the counter, other than the Rx ones tend to have some other 'benefit' - some have a vanilla taste so they are supposed to be easier on one's stomach (I think they're called Prenate - that's what I took with my 1st pg), some - like I believe Nestabs do - have a mild stool softener to help with constipation, etc. My OB told me during the early months of my pg that if I was feeling queasy and couldn't tolerate the Nestabs to take 2 Flintstones chewable vitamins instead - too funny :)!!! He also has me taking 2 Calcium + D vitamins daily to ensure I am getting enough calcium (I hate milk and with my last pregnancy my dentist could actually see that calcium was being leached from my teeth!!). You definitely want to start taking vitamins now, although prepreg I just took regular Target Women's vitamins and the Calcium + D vitamins. Best of luck to you....

ct

[cara1]

I don't think the OTC ones have as much iron. I also like the ones w/ stool softener. Prenate just came out with a new gel tab...perhaps easier to swallow on those queasy days.

You are right to start looking into this now. I think you are supposed to build up folic acid for 4 mos prior to coception. Good luck.

[KathyO]

I did the generic OTC kind too. An ingredient-by-ingredient comparison of the OTC with the fancier behind-the-counter brand came out pretty much the same. As well, I imagine you are also eating a reasonably balanced diet, so really, this is just "insurance", or "top-up".

I suppose that it becomes more important if you end up with really really violent long-term morning sickness, but at that point you'll be consulting with your OB anyway, and can ask whether something different is required.

Cheers,

KathyO

[mamahill]

I took drugstore.com generic prenatals up until they discontinued them (grrr) 2 months before I delievered. At that point I switched to a regular multivitamin and took a couple folate, as well as another calcium. I heard that having prenatals actually perscribed for you is cheaper (just the copay) so I had my doc perscribe them for post-pregnancy. She gave me Ethex - YUCK! When I have a little air come up, it tastes like the smell of burning tires (does that make sense?). Anyway, it's just gross. I practically gag. I have to take them at night for minimal offense. I just found it interesting that they only time the vitamins bothered me was AFTER I had dd. LOL.

[egoldber]

I used prescription prenatals, because my insurance copay was cheaper than buying OTC. I used Prenate Ultra. My second OB (we moved during my pregnancy) also recommended that I take extra iron because my 2nd set of bloodwork came back slightly anemic. I just used generic CVS brand for that. She also recommended ADDITIONAL calcium. (Ditto on the CVS generic.)

HTH,

[ecarley]

For my first pregnancy I took Prenate advance, with the extra nasty burping formula :) I would take it at bedtime so the yucky burps didn't bother me too much.

This time as soon as I found out, I got a bottle of Kroger brand, which are doing just fine. I can take them in the middle of the day and no problems. I haven't seen my doc yet, but I suspect she'll agree they're fine.

[luvbeinmama]

I use the NatureMade ones available in a HUGE bottle at Costco. I tried the samples of the Rx ones from my OB, but they all made me feel nasty, so I went back to the NatureMade. Bonus is, one bottle lasts the whole pregnancy, and beyond!

[Momof3Labs]

I took WalMart generics for a while, and recently switched to OneSource (I think), also available at WalMart. They seem pretty equivalent to most other prenatals, but the OneSource prenatals are labeled with the USP (?) certification, which has to do with how well they are absorbed by the body. The WalMart generics do not have this labelling. I know that I saw an article a while back in one of the freebie baby magazines about prenatal vitamins (that's where I read about the USP thing) - I'll have to see if I can track down the article. I know that it included recommended levels of each vitamin and mineral!

Calcium is very important - 1200-1500mg/day recommended. Prenatals don't have much calcium in them, so if you need a supplement, try Viactiv. They are like little chewy chocolate candies, and are actually pleasant to take!

Lori
due 10/12 w/ #1

[JMarie]

I also use the OneSource vitamins and haven't had too much of a problem so far. I started taking just one a day about three months before getting pregnant as recommended and then switched to two when the test came back positive. I do have to say though, taking two made me feel really nauseated. My doctor recommended taking them right before bed with a couple crackers - helps some of the minerals absorb better - and since I've started that, I've had no problems with nausea. I really like that they're not "horse pills" - they're no bigger than a Tylenol caplet. My sister's prescription pills were ENORMOUS!

JMarie
EDD 2/28/03

[spu]

I take StuartNatal Plus - prescription vitamins. They have a website that tells you what's exactly in them. Apparently, alot of the prenatals on the market have toxic amounts of iron which can also lead to nausea for the mom. GNC's had something like 2000% the us rda... I've been on StuartNatal's since about a year prior to becomming pg. and I'm still taking them while nursing my 9 wk old twins. I never had any nausea nor did I become anemic during the pregnancy (though, I did indulge in the occasional steak and hamburger.)


susan

twin girls 7.20.02
charlotte & else

[blnony]

I used Natafort vitamins. they are precription and do have a pretty high amount of iron in them. I have never had any problems with them. I took them for about 3 months while we were trying to conceive, while I was pregnant and now that I am nursing. I do take a OTC calcium suppliment as well. The Natafort tabs are very small, even smaller than most OTC prenatals.

Brianna
SAHM to Audrey Claire
8-19-02

[lesliepear]

I was using another kind before pregnancy - but switched to Prenate GT with stool softner when I found out I was pregnant. I'm also now on Iron...but after one expensive box (9.99) of the Slow FE, am using the Target brand and will use the Walmart brand when that's used up (I just happened to be in Walmart not Target when I remembered I needed more).