How do you get good deals on multi-vitamins? I have a friend who purchases multi-vitamins from Shaklee. She says that the multi-vitamins really help boost her immune system, but they are very expensive and she buys them on a monthly basis.
Hi, Charlotte! I take a multi-vitamin every day called SuperMom. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good quality but affordable vitamin.
I, too, would like to purchase good multivitamins as well, but there is no way I could pay what my friend pays for hers. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. -Charlotte
I took these vitamins faithfully up until I got pregnant with my last child. Because the pills are so large, I found I couldn't manage to swallow them as a result of being so sick to my stomach throughout my pregnancy (I had morning-noon-and-night sickness for the majority of my nine months of pregnancy! Ick!).
I struggled with severe anemia my whole pregnancy--even having to be hospitalized for almost a week and then being induced early because my counts were so low. During that time, we tried every single pill or liquid vitamin I could possibly get down, every single natural iron supplement known to man (okay, well, almost!), and anything else my midwife and doctors could come up with to improve my levels.
My body didn't respond at all to anything. However, as soon as our little Kaitlynn was delivered and my nausea went away, I jumped back on to taking my SuperMom vitamins. Within eight days, my platelet and hemoglobin levels were back up above normal.
I'm sure that the SuperMom vitamins didn't have everything to do with that, but I am quite positive they were a big help in allowing me to quickly recover and get back to normal. And, needless to say, I'm a bit of a believer in them! I'm also thrilled that they came out with SuperMom vitamins in capsule form so that I can hopefully manage to chug them down next pregnancy.
My favorite part about these vitamins is that--I'm sure you could have guessed this!--they are not terribly expensive. Having priced many other vitamins and knowing that you can easily pay upwards of $100/month on health supplements, I find SuperMom vitamins to be very reasonably priced costing you about $3/week. It's a price I'm willing to pay to have energy and health!
Oh and in case anyone is wondering, no, I was not paid to write the above endorsement; I just happen to like these vitamins (if that wasn't obvious enough already!).
So there's my spiel. What about the rest of you? Do you take vitamins? Have you found any reasonably-priced vitamins you'd love to recommend to us?
Monday, April 21, 2008
Ask the readers: Vitamins?
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44 comments:
I also love Supermom and consider them worth the cost.
Kim
I use Women's One-A-Day and have found them to be very affordable (especially when purchased at Sam's Club!) and I feel like I can notice a difference if I don't take them for a day or two...
I usually get Sundown vitamins. There are often $2/1 or $3/1 coupons for them in the paper, and our Kroger regularly has them B1G1. I get kids vitamins for about $.50 a bottle and prenatal vitamins for about $.75 a bottle, which is a hundred day supply.
We love all of the BeeYoutiful vitamins at our house! I take the Supermoms and the new Vitex (hormone help) and love them. My kids take Superkids and ask for it everyday. Which is nice cause I wuld forget ig they didn't :o) If you go to www.morethanalive.com you can get free shipping on your order!
We don't have fluoride in our water supply, so our pediatrician wrote a prescription for a multivitamin for our son which provides fluoride. Our insurance pays 80% of the cost, so it's pretty cheap for us (about $6 for a month's supply). Luckily we also have a flexible spending plan available through my employer and my husband's employer, so all of that is reimbursed with pre-tax money.
I've just been buying store brand prenatal vitamins. (Even with insurance, I would be paying $40 out of pocket for a month's supply of the prescription.) I'll have to check out the Sundown ones.
That's $6 for a 3 month's supply for my son's prescription.
I buy all my vitamins at http://puritan.com . They have great sales several times a year -- buy 2 get 1 free, but 3 get 2 free, and free shipping offers. They are a reputable company and ship very quickly. No affiliation, just a very satisfied customer.
On the advice of my doctor, I buy multi-vitamins and several vitamin supplements. I buy all vitamins at Puritan.com because they have great sales during the year including buy 2 get 3 free, but 1 get 2 free, free shipping, etc. No affiliation, just a very satisfied customer.
Believe it or not, I usually do the Flintstones Chewable just like my kids, except I take two. I compared the vitamin amounts on the back, and it was the same as the much more expensive Women's Health One-A-Day.
I also buy puritans pride vitamins, can't beat their buy 2 get 3 free sales.
I have found vitamins at www.Bodybuilding.com made by NOW Foods that seem to be the same as SuperMom. They are called Special Two. Their shipping is very reasonable and very quick too.
If anyone is in Indiana, Marsh Supermarkets are giving pre-natal vitamins away for one year with a valid prescription. Read about it here http://www.marsh.net/hl_pharm_prenatal.html
Where do you find the brand Supermom? I'm just starting to take a multi-vitamin and was able to get some priced low (FREE) at CVS when they were BOGO - but I really want a multi...TIA! :-)
I to take Supermom vitamins, and like them. As a first time Mom of a almost three month old. I need all the natural energy I can get. I am going to look into buying the capsule form I think.
I take supermom, too! Love them!! I finally got my husband to take his superdad!
I do take the Shaklee vitamins, and as your friend I am sure has told you they are wonderful. I would love to offer anyone a 15% discount. Take a look at www.naturalnhealthy.com.
I take a multivitamin called Vitalert. It is a higher potency vitamin and somewhat comparable to the Supermom vitamin when looking at the "Supplement Facts." At Wal-Mart a one month supply will be $9. However, I purchased mine through Amazon and recently paid $25 for six months (slightly over $1/per week - regular price - no sale). As someone who battles hypothyroidism, this vitamin is perfect for me and I can tell a definite difference when I take it. I tried Women's One-a-Day, Centrum etc. but none had the effect these did.
My recommendation to Charlotte is to find a vitamin you like first, then shop for the deals. Make sure the vitamin is one that your body can handle before buying in bulk.
I take Natrol's My Favorite Multiple with Iron (you can also get it without iron). I searched different sites online to find a good deal. I ended up at www.swansonvitamins.com. I was able to find bottles of 180 capsules for 7.70 or somewhere right around there. That's a one month supply for under $8! I ordered two bottles and with shipping I spent around $20. My husband placed the order for me and he must have transposed a number, the company actually called me to take care of the problem. I find that refreshing in today's email world. Plus, when my order arrived it came with a coupon for $5 off my next order. The order came pretty quickly, too!
We don't have a particular favorite, but our family practice is to use capsules if at all possible. Having a 10 year old daughter with Ulcerative Colitis, we've learned that the fillers/binders so often present in tablets make them much less effective, and therefore a potential waste of money. Capsules are more easily digested, and therefore more absorbed by the body. Our daughter currently uses Pure Encapsulations - and a myriad of other supplements. My husband uses Country Life's Beyond Food. The rest of us aren't consistent in vitamin usage :)!!
I'm a person who struggled with digestive issues in my teens and twenties, and I used to take Women's One A Day plus a calcium supplement each day during that time. Now that I'm in my 30's, I concentrate on eating as many "whole foods" as possible, I intentionally exercise a few times a week, and I am infinitely healthier (haven't had so much as a cold for at least 3 years) and more energetic than I was when I was younger. So, I'm not much of a believer in supplements for otherwise healthy people anymore.
I have been very happy with Nature Made multi-vitamins. They are generous with coupons, and have a points rewards program through their website to earn free vitamins.
I asked my doctor- and he said unless you have a specific deficiency- most people do not need supplements. Although since I broke my toe, I take a calcium/Vit D supplement- since I don't drink milk.
I concur with your Supermom assessment. We love all the Beeyoutiful products at our house. They have a new Supermom capsule that is wonderful, not nearly the odor and they are smaller and easier to swallow. I take two daily with a little yogurt since I have trouble with big pills and my hemoglobin, which has always been low, is at nice normal levels. I also love the Tummy Tuneup. I think they are a great high quality whole food vitamin, and the price is decent too. Walmart vitamins would be cheaper, but I haven't felt them work like Supermom.
I like really like the Nature-made prenatals and there are often specials for them.
I wait for Sundown to have a promo for B1G1 free in Publix, Win-Dixie, KMart of Navarro Pharmacy and stack it with $2/1 or $3/1 coupons.
I buy 10-20 coupons when I need them from various Internet sites.
Every day I take Sundown multi-vitamins, plus a number of Sundown supplements, about 10 different onces everyday! Each bottle costs me just pennies. I only buy when I can strike a deal, 25-50 cents per each bottle with the promotion + coupon.
I have an MD degree and I am way over 40 y.o. I believe it is imperative in my age to take supplements and antioxidants. It is free or almost free anyway, I might as well take a full advantage of it! LOL...
Thanks CVS and Walgreens (and big THANKS to this site, THANK YOU!) my skincare (wash and creams) comes free or almost free too!
Boy, no wonder people refuse to believe that I am almost 50 y.o. LOL
Our family uses Shaklee and I've seen a great improvment in my dc health especially in the winter. Anyway, Shaklee a multi-vitamin that you can buy that is the same price as the Supermom, your friend is probably just doing the Vitalizer, which is a bit pricey, but it has much more in it than the SuperMom or the regular Shaklee multi. Hopefully that explains it a little more.
Edwena
I take the Supermom vitamins per Crystal's recommendation and I love them! I can tell a big difference with them. I also take extra calcium and I've just started taking Vitex (chasteberry) for pms. The Vitex is a little expensive, so I'm trying it for several months to see if it's worth the price.
Religious vitamin taker here. I am taking the FREE multi-vitamin gel caps we got from Walgreen's and I guess they are okay (I'm not real sure about that quite yet tho)but I PREFER the Ultra Mega Green from GNC for the benefits. They have the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes that are important to me that do not come in standard multis. I hate taking them but my body so misses them when I stop....like now.... :-) I will be back to them when my free bottle is gone.
My 18 year old daughter and myself take SuperMom and really see the difference in how we feel :)
My doctor writes me a prescription for my daily vitamin. With insurance covering it it's less expensive for me than the OTC vitamins.
I used to just take a children's chewable vitamin once a day before I was pregnant. Through my pregnancy and while I have been nursing, I take a prenatal, usually Nature's Bounty. It has been free after coupons the last few times I bought them.
I always make sure to rotate through the bottles so that they aren't losing potency before I use them.
I absolutely love Rainbow Light prenatal vitamins (one a day, from Vitacost.) http://www.vitacost.com/store/basket/CartUpdate.cfm?ProductId=25457&action=add
They are $20.00, and they last for 150 (or around five months) I am always either pregnant or nursing, so it is wise for me to stay on a good prenatal. It is a whole foods vitamin, and it has red raspberry leaf in it to tone the uterus and help with milk supply. It also has ginger in it, to help with any nausea during pregnancy.It contains all of the vitamins and nutrients which a lactating, pregnant, or pre-menopausal woman needs. I have been on this vitamin for a couple of years now, and absolutely love it.Many prescription pre-natals have dangerous ingredients like aluminum in them, so it is wise to read all the labels on vitmains.
I couldn't live without Supermom vitamins! I too think they are well worth the cost. I hope they never raise it because I will buy them no matter what!
I don't know if it's all in my head but I have tried the Special Twos a couple times. The formula is exactly the same as Supermoms, but I didn't feel quite as good, so I splurge for SM's :-D Plus I like to support Beeyoutiful. They have so many great products.
One way to save a bit of money is to become an affiliate for them and buy them through your own link ;-)
I also do the childrens Flintstones vitamins, but just one for me. If you read the back, a child size dose is half a pill, and an adult size dose is a whole pill. I just couldn't swallow the one-a-days. I've been told that you can take two of these when you're pregnant as a prenatal vitamin, too, but check with your doctor first.
We also love Puritan's Pride. They are very economical. They actually own or sell wholesale to several major vitamin companies. Dr. Trust (recently bought by Puritan's) and Vitamin World are two other brands we like.
But we take more then just a multi. We take maybe 15-20 specific vitamins that the average multi just doesn't provide enough of. My husband takes care of setting out the daily vitamins. He will alter our vitamin schedule by week and season. For example, some vitamins like D you need more of in the winter. Fish oil is something I take a lot of, for my ADD. I defiantly notice a huge difference in my focus ability when I regularly take it.
So now you know our secret, we are a couple of vitamin nuts. :)
I also use the Special Two (like Super Mom, but 2/3 the cost) from www.thecatalog.com. Also their Super Kid version, cod liver oil, and GR8-dophilus (like Tummy Tuneup). Hubby used their Adam vitamins as well. They offer free shipping on purchases over $49. I am not affiliate with them in anyway, just appreciate a great product for an excellent price. Vitamins are one area where we don't skimp, although we still try to get the best price possible.
I use Supermom, and have changed in the past, but now I am back on Supermom. I definately can tell the difference! These are great and worth the cost!
Shaklee's multi-vitamin, multi-mineral w/iron costs $2.33 a week, so it's actually less than Supermom. I can attest to the tremendous difference Shaklee vitamins have made for us, plus I like how Shaklee has substantial research to back up their products.
I am still nursing, but even when I'm done in a couple of months, I plan to keep on taking NatureMade's OTC prenatal vitamins. A friend whose mom is a nurse recommends prenatals as a daily vitamin even if you're not planning to get pregnant (at least for women of childbearing age - not sure about older women).
Best prices on vitamins I have found are at Wonder Lab http://www.wonderlabs.com/ - in addition to a multivitamin, I also take sublingual B12 and PoliLipid to lower cholesterol. You have to order direct from them (they're not a store) but the discounts are incredible.
Crystal,
I'm glad you have a Shaklee friend! I love Shaklee and while I would love to take MANY more of their supplements, I find that there's usually room in our budget to at least get a 3 month supply of their multivitamin, VitaLea. The member price is only $40 for a THREE month supply, which is less than $3.40 a week for the quality that you're already familiar with.
I really like the CVS prenatal vitamins. They are fairly easy to swallow, as far as prenatal's go and when CVS has their brands on B1G1 it's a pretty good deal price wise.
I liked Supermoms when I was using them. Currently, I use multi-vitamins from Ultimate Living since I order several of their other products and my husband gets a nice discount. I would recommend both the Supermom/Beeyoutiful and Ultimate Living products.
My doctor said to taking any kind of prenatal or women's multi-vitamin since I am of childbearing age. I've noticed a big difference in my energy levels when taking something other than the cheap-o pills though.
I liked the SuperMom vitamins, but had to quit taking them because of the iron in them as I have high iron and it is bad for me to get any extra. I am looking for another one similar that has no iron, anyone know?
Thank you all for your responses. This helps me to make a good decision about vitamins. It is so good to hear what others are doing for their health.
I appreciate your time and consideration to post.
Charlotte
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