Offer ends March 18, this Sunday. Below is a link to a printable coupon good for the 28 count of either the Mega Man's or the Ultra Mega Woman's multivitamin.

There is NO UPC code to scan so you can do like I did and go to multiple GNC's and get both bottles free!!! I went to 3 GNCs today and got one of each. That's $60 worth of vitamins....and we're talking megadose vitamins, for free.

I've always gone with GNC products for one simple reason. Unlike the other multi's out there, GNC also has a multi-million dollar retail business. If the FDA ever got around to testing any of their products and it came out that they were bogus, their whole world would crumble. Unlike other multi's, GNC has too much to lose not to make a quality product.-

Also, if you don't see any on the shelf ask for them. The one GNC I went to had them hidden behind the counter.

I hope this helps you out and if it does, please bump this thread so it may help others out too!!!

http://gnc.promotionexpert.com/appre...r/success.html

Printed out the coupon and took it to my local GNC store. The fellow asked me if I would like to have one of both and I said, sure. He mentioned that I was the first person to bring in the coupon and they had plenty.

on most items. With my heavy supplement use, I cut corners on the net
and save as much as possible.

You will want to check the expiration dates on those freebees. They might
be short dated.

One expires 11/08 and the other 12/08. I do not buy from GNC either - also because of price. Will be used up way before then - only 28 in the bottle and take two a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. So, a 14-day supply. Thanks much, mrsd, for the advice.

If anything, MAYBE they are slightly overpriced but don't forget, you're getting MEGADOSES of the vitamins. These ain't your normal crappy Centrums. You'd have to take 4 Centrums to equal one MegaMan's mulit so the price is appropriate.

Also, like I described in my first post, GNC has more to lose than other multivitamin manufacturers in that, if they EVER were found out to be bogus, their whole retail business would go bust.

You can't compare the price of Centrum multi's to Mega Man's multi's as Mega's are 10 times more loaded.

In my teens my back was FULL of acne. Like, my entire back and nothing worked. Nothing OTC or prescription.

Out of desperation, I took 2 Mega's a day plus a crapload of water and in one month, my back was completely clear. Those multi's ARE the real deal and worth every penny.

experience with your choice of vitamins.

However, GNC is expensive.

This is what I take:
http://www.puritan.com/pages/file.as...=1290#siblings

one tablet is equal to 4 of yours, at 1/2 the price. It is important to look carefully at labels... GNC MegaMan lists 50mg of B's in TWO tablets.
The supplements listed at the end of the GNC product after the dark separating line are very small and
subpotent...probably not providing much for you.

The zinc in it is most likely helping the acne. Folic acid and niacin also.
You can buy zinc monomethionine 30mg separately for about $10.00 for 240
http://www.iherb.com/store/ProductDe...&pid=SNS-00176
The zinc oxide in your multi is less bioavailable than the OptiZinc form.

Centrum is not designed to be a "mega" dose vitamin. It is a RDA taylored product and made to appeal to doctors and pharmacists. "Safe" to recommend, since many of them are not really well trained in vitamin support.
Centrum's selling point is that it is providing a complete range of nutrients not just "some".

I don't really care where people shop....If you like GNC, fine. However, many people would find the price daunting.

Consumerlabs does testing on virtually EVERYTHING. Like a virtual FDA. Unfortunately you have to pay to see the results of their testing.

After reading your post, tablet for tablet, your Puritans have my GNC beat hands down.

For $9 each of my GNC tablets contain 2,500I.U. of Vitamin A whereas for $11, Puritan tablets contain 10,000I.U. of Vitamin A. Pretty much the same with all the vitamins. Seemed a little TOO far outta whack so I did some Googling and ended up on the Consumerlabs site.

They tested 39 multivitamins and 12 of them FAILED and one of the ones they tested was Puritan Pride. Like I said you have to pay to see results but there is a 32% chance Puritan is one of the ones that failed.

http://www.consumerlab.com/results/multivit.asp

Puritan's prices are a little TOO cheap for me Christ, you're putting this stuff into your body. Don't you think this is a time NOT to go cheap???

Below is a quote from the Consumer Reports website:

"According to testing by Consumer Reports, buying super-cheap multivitamins in close-out and dollar stores is a gamble not worth taking. Nearly half of the 18 brands tested failed to contain the labeled amount of at least one nutrient, and several did not dissolve adequately. Even if cut-rate products were reliable, they offered savings of only about $3 to $21 a year over name-brand products; even less, if any, over major store brands."

All Puritan does is make pills, that's it. GNC also has a HUGE retail business that would be gone tomorrow if ANY of their products tested bunk.

Vitamins are one of those things we'll never notice their effects. Like changin oil in our cars......we don't notice any difference after we do it but we know it's good for our cars. Referring to my acne story when I was a teenager, I for one DID see the results from taking vitamins and they were GNC's.

After seeing positive physical results myself, knowing the company DEPENDS on their products to be legitimate I will gladly pay a few extra pennies to ensure I am taking REAL vitamins.

I'm not going cheap when it comes to my health and well being and what if Puritan FAILED the ConsumerLabs test?? Will it be worth the few extra pennies you saved?? Just for the fact alone that Puritan MAY have faild the test would be enough for me to stop buying them!!

Good luck, and may the force be with you!!

Consumer labs site... you will see that Puritan is always on the "pass list" . I used to have
a membership, and read many of their lists. One thing they do is NOT reveal the name of failures. They only post who passes.

People who do find relief from discomforts in life/illness often become very
enthusiastic. So I think that is what is happening to you here.

There are many high potency formulas out there. My first experience was with
Genesis nutrition's Super 100. But it became locally unavailable, and I stopped using it. It is still on the net however. I have also used RiteAids Whole Source...which is much less expensive than MegaWoman, and lower in the B-department, but very good in chromium and selenium. It is far less expensive than GNC also. And BTW GNC and RiteAid have a partnership in some locations. (a combined store layout).

The one I am using now by Puritan's is just excellent. In fact it is a bit too strong for me, so I don't have to take it every day... 3 or 4 times a week suffices. I get a bit hyper on high B complex. That is something you should watch out for too!

I have been using Puritan's for ages...they are very very good. I buy my basic stuff there. Soon the buy one get 2 free sale in late spring will come. That is when I buy our needs for the whole year and also for my son.

Here is a link to the list that was published that does not require membership:
http://www.consumerlab.com/results/vitaminb.asp
Notice several b-complexes from Puritans-- 100mg, and 50mg included.

I'm also not crazy about being forced to take 10,000 I.U.s of Vitamin A at one time in one tablet.

Your over excitement about your basement priced multi's leaves a lot to question. How can Puritan's vitamins be "excellent"? Based on what?

How does one get "hyper" by taking too much B vitamins? Sounds more like you are describing narcotics then multivitamins.

Bottom line is there is only ONE test to determine vitamin's real worth which is a blood test to see how much did the human body absorb into it's system. That's it.

"People who do find relief from discomforts in life/illness often become very enthusiastic. So I think that is what is happening to you here. "

Wrong. The GNC Mega Vitamins I took CURED my acne problem TOTALLY. It proved itself to be what it said it was cause a placebo isn't going to clear up that much acne on anyone's back!!

I agree, this isn't an ego contest but we are limited in ways we can ever verify we are taking real vitamins. I go by my acne clear up problem, by the fact GNC unlike Puritan and other multi's out there have an entire retail empire behind their products so if ANY of their products came back bunk, they would go out of business.

After reading your reply, you seem like you are trying so hard to convince yourself that, even though you bought the cheapest multi's out there that, they still compare to all the other multi's out there.

Since this subject has come up... I thought a bit about it last night.

Because of my training and experience I only suggest things that I know
work and have data behind them.

For example this attack on Puritan's is interesting. Here is their
biography:
http://www.puritan.com/house/company...34C41B0CA7797E
Another company with the GMP stamp is NatureMade. I also use their products. (SAMe and D3, evening primrose)

GNC's website does not have any detailed information at all, about themselves , except for investment opportunities.

My impression is that the running of a retail business with its resultant overhead (payroll, rent, electricity) is added into the prices of the items that they sell. By using careful internet shopping one can save alot of $$, and
receive quality. Some internet places really charge alot for shipping...using a graduated scale. So if you buy alot, then you pay alot just for shipping and handling. Puritan's does not do this, they charge a flat fee of 3.95 for whatever you choose.

Over the years, we have in this house, used supplements alot. When you need many things, you have to consider cost. That is why I include quality suggestions and alternatives to high prices. (and that is why many people use iherb.com as well). Puritan's does not have everything we need. But I do use them for my "basics". I use Costco (carries NatureMade), Sam's Club, and occasionally RiteAid (for the buy one get one free sale semi-annually for my SAMe), and iherb.com for my B12 and P5P. I have also purchased things at WalMart, which is becoming one of the best selections of nutrients I have seen lately-- far better than drug stores, and with good prices.

I stopped my membership at Consumers Lab after two years. Why? Well, they automatically billed my charge card without my permission for the yearly
renewal. I found that reprehensible. I did not sign a permission or request for them to do that. After that time, I found that after reading them for 2 yrs there was not much new for me to learn, so when our card changed to BP, and the number changed, they were thwarted..they sent me several emails which I ignored. I now apply that twenty some bucks to my supplement budget!

NJPain... please read more carefully.... I did not say CHEAPEST anywhere. I said lower cost and value.
No one is saying your GNCs do not work... no where did I say that.
And I would add that your product is not technically a "multi vitamin". Multi vits typically are in the RDA range in strength like Centrum and OneADay.
The high potency formulas with high dose ingredients are typically called therapeutic. (at least in the medical arena where I live).

I am no longer going to respond to this thread.