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Hi everyone,
I'm really excited, got a BFP today! I'm 4 weeks. Just wondering what brand of vitamins are the best value for money? I want something with EVERYTHING ie folate as well as iodine plus oil and other main vitamins. Elevit doesn't have iodine and from what I can see its necessary?
Any help would be great!
Thanks!
Roquen
I am taking elevit as I was told this is the best tab to take. I do find though that I get a little more constipated from it (TMI).
Ask your OB what is best.
Sorry I can't help much more.
Oh and by the way CONGRATS on your BFP:dance:
I would agaree that iodine is necessary and you are right it is not in Elevit. Iodine is deficient in many of our diets and has been found to be necessary for healthy development.
I would recommend Blackmores - it has all of what you are looking for. I have taken it with all of my pregnancies... :hug:
I recommend Blackmores Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Gold too. I have started taking it now before we TTC #1.
You need to take two tablets per day for it however... so don't forget the 2nd tablet.
I think Elevit is really good but it's also a very marketed product so ppl think it's THE BEST but doesn't mean it is the best KWIM??
Congrats on your BFP!!!!!!!!!! :)
I agree Renstar and it is marketed by Roche a drug company with Mega zillions. This is why some obs recommend it. Others recommend either all - my cynical side wonders it depends how much they like there perks! ;)
Congrats on your BFP.
I also use Blackmores Gold Pregnancy and Breastfeeding vitamins. if you can, price them out at a discount chemist, as they can be loads cheaper, and if you are planning on b/f, and they have them on special, then stock up!
I also take an extra magnesium tablet for cramps etc, some peoples do take a magnesium & Calcium mix.
You will be rattling by the end of your pregnancy!
Hello, congratulations. I take cenovis formula for pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is not too expensive (I get it at chemist warehouse) and I am still taking it. It has everything you need.Good luck with your pregnancy.
I'm taking Elevit along with fish oil capsules each day. Had a bit of constipation in teh first couple of weeks but that's settled down nicely.
I didnt realise Elevit doesnt have iodine in it. I do use a little iodise salt though anyway.
I agree Flowerchild!! ;) Silly marketing....
Hi Roquen.
Congratulations on the BFP. Hope you have a wonderful pregnancy!!
Personally, I'd go for Elevit because it does not have the iodine and get iodine from dietary sources. Calcium and magnesium is great for cramps as others have mentioned. You might want to check with a DR before taking anything.
I lost a baby after taking Blackmores and possibly because of a sensitivity to iodine in supplements (and there was no indication I would have a problem prior to pregnancy. Blackmores is really conservative with its vitamin levels). Don't want to go into all the details here but there are some women (ultimately probably less than 1% of the population who can't take iodine - the other 99% probably can with no problem. I have no problem with dietary forms of iodine.
ALL THE BEST and GOOD LUCK.
My GP said not to take the supplement with iodine in it (and from what ticklish is saying, it sounds like she was justified in her decision). She said I could get enough iodine from eating fish 2-3 times a week (but if you google iodine in food, you will find other food sources too). But, my GP is in favour of a balanced, healthy diet, rather than supplementation - so I guess that's the way she recommends. I have been taking folate since before being pregnant, and in the last week or so I have started taking Iron (Blackmores Bio Iron), to help with energy levels.It doesn't make you constipated (like other iron tabs do) - so I guess the Blackmores pregnancy formula is probably the same.
Hi Roquen
Congratulations on your pregnancy!
I took elevit tablets throughout my pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding as well, I also took an iron supplement during pregnancy. These were both recommended by my obstetrician.
Good luck with everything, I hope you are enjoying your pregnancy.
Firstly, congratulations on your BFP ... this is a very exciting time for you, so enjoy the journey ahead and I look forward to seeing you regularly on the forum.
I am pg with my 2nd (due 19 Aug) and have taken elevit for both my pgs when ttc, during pg and when bf. I had have no problems with anything eg ms, constipation, low iron levels and such - both pgs have been a dream thankfully.
Both my ob and gp recommended elevit to me and I have to say, its by far the best of the market, not to mention the only clinically proven pg supp available. check them out on-line and see for yourself.
As long as you eat a well balanced diet in conjunction with your pg supps, you'll be getting everything you and bubba need.
Good luck :)
I would gently dispute that Elevit is the only clinically proven supplement. That is how it's marketed by a very wealthy and clever drug company - however as you will see below the values are really not very different. Blackmores has much that Elevit does not. Fish Oil for example has been proven to be beneficial to developing babies and b/feeding Mamas.
It is true that a very very small amount of the population react to iodine but the percentage is small (no consolation if that's you). In recent studies the depletion in iodine has been shown to cause neurological deficits in babies - because women often decrease their consumption of fish (due to the fear of mercury poisoning) this depletion it is believed has become more prevalent. Of course many folk eat lots of dietary sources of iodine but many more don't.
Anyway my point is to provide the info below and then women can make an informed choice. Certainly if you react to non organic iron badly like I and many other women do then Elevit will likely make you more constipated.
I think there are a number of good supplements on the market but I think particularly Elevit is cleverly marketed... (In my opinion!)
Elevit - one tablet a day
* folic acid 0.8mg
* iron 60.0mg (as ferrous fumarate)
* Vitamin B1 1.6mg (as thiamine nitrate)
* Vitamin B2 1.8mg (as riboflavine)
* Vitamin B5 10.0mg (as calcium pantothenate)
* Vitamin B6 2.6mg (as pyridoxine hydrochloride)
* Vitamin B12 4.0µg (as cyanocobalamin)
* Vitamin C 100.0mg (as calcium ascorbate)
* Vitamin D 12.5µg (as Vitamin D3 - cholecalciferol)
* Vitamin E 15mg (as dl - α - tocopherol acetate)
* biotin 200µg
* nicotinamide 19.0mg
* calcium 125.0mg (as calcium hydrogen phosphate, calcium pantothenate and calcium ascorbate)
* magnesium 100.0mg (as magnesium oxide, magnesium hydrogen phosphate and magnesium stearate)
* manganese 1.0mg (as manganese sulphate)
* copper 1.0mg (as copper sulphate)
* phosphorus 125.0mg (as magnesium hydrogen phosphate and calcium hydrogen phosphate)
* zinc 7.5mg (as zinc sulphate)
ELEVIT is used to reduce the risk of having a baby born with defects of the brain and/or spinal cord (neural tube defects). Neural tube defects are a group of abnormalities caused by failure of the neural tube to close during the unborn baby's development. The most common neural tube defect is spina bifida, where part of the spinal cord shows through a gap in the backbone.
ELEVIT is also used to prevent dietary vitamin and mineral deficiencies due to increased needs that may occur throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. In particular, ELEVIT can prevent dietary iron deficiency during pregnancy.
Ask your pharmacist, midwife or doctor if you have any questions about taking ELEVIT.
This medicine is available only from a pharmacy.
Blackmores - two tablets a day so you get double the listed amount (also be aware that some of the values for Blackmores are listed in micrograms as opposed to milligrams for Elevit - this can be confusing.
Omega-3
Fish oil - natural (Tuna oil)
containing omega-3 marine triglycerides 160mg as:
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)125mg
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) 25mg 500 mg
10 Vitamins
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine nitrate) 500 mcg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 750 mcg
Nicotinamide 7.5 mg
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine hydrochloride) 750 mcg
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) 1.5 mcg
Folic acid 250 mcg
Vitamin E (d-alpha-Tocopherol 3.5 mg) 5.2 IU
Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 30 mg
Vitamin D3
(Cholecalciferol 6.25mcg) 250 IU
Mixed carotenoids
(as Dunaliella salina (natural source) extract equiv. to fresh cell 72mg) 2.88mg
6 Minerals
Calcium* 59mg
Phosphorus*
*(as calcium hydrogen phosphate anhydrous 200mg) 45.6mg
Magnesium
(as magnesium oxide - heavy 49.8mg) 30mg
Iron
(as ferrous fumarate 15.7mg) 5mg
Zinc
(as zinc sulfate monohydrate 22.2mg) 8mg
Iodine
(as potassium iodide 164mcg) 125mcg
Medicine Interactions
* Iodine may interfere with treatment for thyroid conditions. Consult your healthcare professional before use if being treated for thyroid diease.
* If taking tetracycline or quinolone antibiotics, bisphosphonates (osteoporosis drugs), thyroid hormone, methyldopa, carbidopa or levodopa or penicillamine separate doses by at least 2 hours. Calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron may decrease absorption and efficacy of these medications.
My GP rang me personally after I left my appt with her and told me to get Elevit. I've been on it since I found out I was pregnant.
I just compared the values of Elevit and Blackmores. Taking into account you take x2 blackmores compared to x1 Elevit, and they are both bacically the same. I have heard the tablets in Elevit are smaller and easier to take, but Blackmores is Australian made and owned, where are Elevit is made and owned overseas.
I don't think it would make much of a diference. Blackmores is also a little cheaper, dispite having to take x2 tabs.
I hadn't even thought of the point that Blackmores is aussie owned - good point!
Yes, that's also why i take it :)
I believe that lots of docs recommend Elevit because they get "kick_backs" from it... KWIM? they are a huge drug company (like Flowerchild said)
Just remember that not all the supermarket brands of vitamines include the recommended daily intake of folate - .4 mg (or 400ug). make sure to check. And also most average, healthy diets will contain adequate intake of iodine, and too much iodine can cause problems (unlike most vitamins which are dispelled from the body if not needed, iodine is absorbed, as are vitamins A, D, E and K).
Hi there,
I take Blackmore's Pregnancy Gold -I was initially going to take Elevit however
after having a test of my iodine levels (urine test) I was shocked to find that
I was extremely deficient even though I eat a healthy diet.
Iodine levels are very important for baby's brain development and unfortunately
we don't get as much iodine in our diet as we used to because it used to come
inadvertently in our milk supply because dairy farmers used to clean their milk vats
with iodine and we used to salt our food a lot more in years past and there
is just not as much iodine in the soil that our vegies grow in these days.
So I have decided to take Blackmores Gold because it has iodine - Elevit does not
which is unfortunate. I hope that Elevit does consider changing its ingredients
in the future.
Oh I also have made sure I buy Iodised Salt for use if I cook or add it to my food.
Which is only now and again as too much salt in your diet is not good as we all
have been told.
I hope that is of some help.
AnnaBelle: