Here's what I'm currently taking:

Morning dose:
B-Complex, sublingual liguid
Super B-Complex (includes 400mcg Folic Acid)

Lunch:
Fish oil cap (1000mg)
Garlic oil cap (1000mg)

Evening (usually shortly after supper)
2 B-12 (2000mcg)
1 Folic Acid (400mcg )
Fish Oil cap (1000mg)

I also take Rolaids for calcium and heartburn. At least two a day.

All the above brands are Spring Valley sold at Walmart. Yesterday I found the Slow-Mag. Has added Calcium.
Calcium 212mg
Magnesium 128mg
Chloride 373mg

How should I be taking the Slow-Mag and is there anything I shouldn't take it with, at the same time?

I also take:
Atarax 10mg as needed for itching (usually taken sometime in the evening if I need it)
Tramadol HCL/APAP 37.5-325 mg (Taken an hour or so before bed if needed for PN and related pain)
New drug added that I haven't started yet is Indocin. I have pain in the ball joints of my big toe. It may be gout so my NP decided to treat it as if it were, hence the Indocin. The dosing for the Indocin is, 2 caps 3 times a day for the first day, 1 cap three times a day, then 1 twice a day thereafter. I have 1 refill on this drug. Not sure if I want to take it because it's very hard on the stomach. I have issues with NSAID's and stomach pain.

Drugs I've discontinued in the past two weeks:
Ibuprofen 800mg an hour before bed
Effexor XR (13 days completely off)


Supplements I have and was taking:
Vit-E 400 iu
Vitamin-C 1000mg
Not sure about these cause I remember reading something about not taking the C at the same time as either B-12 and/or the Fish Oil? And the E with the Fish Oil?

Help! Can someone please help me with a dosing schedule and what not to take when and/or with what? And if there are any adjustments I might could make to the individual doses of all of the above for maximum effect?

I'm going to have to get a container for daily pills to keep up with all this. I had a handful sitting on my desk last night for my evening dose. This might be a good way to lose weight. I'm taking what looks like a snack size helping of pills.

Right off the bat (and Rose will correct me if I'm wrong), you should be taking the B-12 on an empty stomach. Better absorbtion.

I do this right when I wake up. I don't eat anything after dinner. So by the next morning (maybe this is all in my head), but I have an empty stomach so I think I'm absorbing more!!!

Anybody else??

Mel

Ok, that makes sense but for some reason I was thinking taking it with food helps the absorption by keeping it in the digestive tract for a longer period of time as well as there being enzymes and other things in the food we eat that assists in absorption.

We're both waiting for Rose, I think.

taking vitamins with food is not an issue. Since they occur in food and that is what we are geared for.

But for B12 absorption, assuming failures of normal systems, B12 should be on an empty stomach.

I take mine at night before bed, because I don't eat after dinner.

But you can choose a time convenient for you. Microgram doses of anything in the drug/nutrient world, are best absorbed on an empty stomach. Fiber and other buffers absorb these tiny doses and remove them from the GI lining.
Thyroid meds, and digoxin are examples of drugs that have been found to be not absorbed when food is present. B12 is also a microgram dose...so it follows that empty stomach is best.

Thanks, MrsD! I'll keep that in mind when setting up the new schedule. The morning dose I take on an empty stomach. Tonight I'll wait and take my second dose just before bed.

I'm not sure if this is because I have osteoporosis or for everyone but is your calcium with vitamin d? I used to take tums but the endo said to take 1000 mg I think of calcium with vitamin d.

As answered above , you'll get more B12 on an empty stomach.

rose

I haven't added the D yet. I'll be getting some this evening when I replenish my B and other supplies. I'll have to see what the amount of D should be for the amount of calcium I'm taking. But thanks so much for this reminder!

OK, thanks! I've switched when I take my B-12 so that it's on an empty stomach in the morning at least as empty as possible in the evening. I eat a bowl of cheerios most nights because I have to have one bowl a day and in the evenings is when I'm most likely to crave carbs.

Any ideas about the Magnesium?

with food... as on an empty stomach it may act as a laxative.

It is absolutely not necessary to take the B12 in divided doses. You could take it once in the morning if you wanted.

Calcium, zinc and mag are controlled by cellular active transport mechanisms, so dividing up the doses is better. Dividing up water soluble vits like C and B complex also is better since they are excreted quickly.

But B12 in large doses is passively absorbed in the small intestine, like a drug.
Less of a critical thing for timing or dividing up the dose.