Muliti-vitamin Recommendations

[RueFang]

Just wondering what brand of multi-vitamin people take in Thailand? Do you get it from the pharmacy or from the big supermarket chains? How much for a bottle? Any other info regarding mulit vs are surely welcome Thank you muchly.

[Andiamo]

Hey Rue!

We use Centrum brand - the white packet, 90 tablets.

I think they cost about 699bt. Can be bought from Boots, Tescos, Watsons etc. Some packs in Boots have promotions and you get 2 extra bottles containing 10 tablets each - handy for travelling!

[desi]

Just wondering what brand of multi-vitamin people take in Thailand? Do you get it from the pharmacy or from the big supermarket chains? How much for a bottle? Any other info regarding mulit vs are surely welcome Thank you muchly.

Centrum here too. Stress tabs.

[peanut]

another vote for Centrum - because it's the cheapest. No idea how much good it actually does to you. I've been quite safe from colds and flus for years though, with centrum and vitamin C.

[RueFang]

Looks like Centrum is the winner

[deejah]

try V TOP

tell us what you think

[JSixpack]

Cheaper solution is Viterra-M Multi-vitamins and minerals, by Pfizer, 100 caps for B360 in Fascino pharmacy.

The only Fascino branch I know is in Pattaya on North Pattaya Road across from Lotus, but there must be others . . . .

[deejah]

sorry

its called vitop

they are gel caps

10 caps cost from 30-50 baht

can even bite them and chew them and eat them

i think this is a better delivery system then tablets

also you can read the box and see what's in them

looks good to me

what do others think about vitop?

[AlexLah]

I use Megamen (Multi Vitamin) and Redox (Vitamine C and Zinc) all from Tesco Lotus.

I dunno about price.

[RueFang]

Thanks for the replies, haven't been out to buy any yet! Must go into town one of these days and get out of the boonies!

[deejah]

vitop is available at any Thai pharmacy

i also recommend sambee

little pink vit b pills

cheap and good for a pick me up or general health

my only concern is about taking just 3 kinds of b

vitamins and not the complete mix as found in proper

food

what do you all think?

i think this was addressed in 'eat right to keep fit'

by i think Adele Davis

(who, what?, died of cancer? oh the irony)

i have been reading about the importance of high

levels of anti oxidants and other supplements but

am still learning

[kawikasudo]

Cheaper solution is Viterra-M Multi-vitamins and minerals, by Pfizer, 100 caps for B360 in Fascino pharmacy.

The only Fascino branch I know is in Pattaya on North Pattaya Road across from Lotus, but there must be others . . . .

There's a Fascino on Soi Thong Lo (55) off Sukhumvit about a 10 minute walk from the Sky Train on the left hand side of the road on Soi Thong Lo.

[mrtoad]

I just by the multi vitamins from Boots, 130 bht.

[Trevor]

Nearly all these commercial vitamins are made from petrochemicals and are toxic. The body was never meant to ingest artificial vitamins piecemeal like this. Far better to get from raw-food sources. Spirulina, a green powder made from algae, is grown in Thailand, and will supply most vitamin requirements far more safely than store-bought vitamins. Add in some coconut flesh, raw seafood and fresh fatty fruit like durian and avocado, and you'll have all the vitamins you need! Don't be lazy ... you have to put a bit of effort into eating correctly, not rely on pill-popping !

[JimmyTheMook]

Spirulina, a green powder made from algae, is grown in Thailand, and will supply most vitamin requirements far more safely than store-bought vitamins. Add in some coconut flesh, raw seafood and fresh fatty fruit like durian and avocado, and you'll have all the vitamins you need! Don't be lazy ... you have to put a bit of effort into eating correctly, not rely on pill-popping !

Raw Seafood ?

I buy Blackmores at Watsons , they seem to be from Australia and are good.

[justin54]

Just wondering what brand of multi-vitamin people take in Thailand? Do you get it from the pharmacy or from the big supermarket chains? How much for a bottle? Any other info regarding mulit vs are surely welcome Thank you muchly.

Centrum Strong has more than most will absorb. Remember to take regularly. Many people make the mistake of not taking multivitamins consistantly. This will affect how much your body absorbs.

JL

[mel2surf]

I am 47,and have been taking multivits and C,zinc,E,Calc etc. since I was 19.

It's bloody expensive here in LOS,but I find that if I stop for a day or 2 I feel tired and listless.

Especially C makes me feel better (1000mg 1x/dy) also I drink a metric butt ton of water

every day...almost a US gallon. I have read that over 70% of major diseases could be

prevented by hydrating your organs with water...makes sense too,as they are mostly

made up of that stuff ;-)

have a great day!

mel

[peanut]

well, I've just had a healt check and turns out I'm anemic. So much for Centrum (which I've been taking for many, many years...)

Taking these all-in-one things is probably not sthe best thing, as some of them don't get absorbed well together. But it's the most convenient for lazy people like me...

[Sheryl]

well, I've just had a healt check and turns out I'm anemic. So much for Centrum (which I've been taking for many, many years...)

Taking these all-in-one things is probably not sthe best thing, as some of them don't get absorbed well together. But it's the most convenient for lazy people like me...

Not all the brands of Centrum contain iron, but if the one you were taking did, you should perhaps look into the anemia a bit further. Anemia can have many causes other than insufficient iron/vitamin intake, e.g.:

hookworm (which will not necessarily show up in stool exam)

blood loss: execssive mesntruation (women), occult (not aparent) blood loss thriough the stool, often an early warning sign of cancer

failure of the body to produce enough red cells due to other systemic disease

etc etc

point is, an "anemic workup" to find the cause may be in order, especially if you are certain you were regularly taking a supplement which contained iron and folic acid.

[deejah]

how can hookworm be detected?

[Wrong Turn]

Just wondering what brand of multi-vitamin people take in Thailand? Do you get it from the pharmacy or from the big supermarket chains? How much for a bottle? Any other info regarding mulit vs are surely welcome Thank you muchly.

As suggested Centrum has a good reputation.

So does Kirkland brand, and it's USP stamped.

I keep my multi-vitamins in the fridge to keep them from corroding in SEA.

Taking minerals only at night is a good idea if you sweat a lot.

[deejah]

vitop is good but i stopped using them for now

they have iron

and i think the iron can create constipation

[ono]

I take one w/o iron due to my damaged liver. Too much iron can cause cirrrhosis.

My doctor suggested Essential w/o iron, found at most pharmacies.

[deejah]

there is also a 'gentle' iron

that won't cause constipation

don't know about the effect on the liver

not sure if is available in Thailand

[Sheryl]

how can hookworm be detected?

A stool test but if negative needs to be repeated a total of 3 times and even then there is about a 50% chance you have it even if all 3 tests were negative.

Which is why many people opt to just treat empirically. Fugacar (albendazole) 400 mg single does, available everywhere.

[Heng]

Centrum, mostly because I've been taking it since age 18... now 33. Rarely get sick (maybe one cold or fever a year, but usually only after staying soaked for a few hours at a time), but I'd attribute that more to regular exercise and not drinking much or smoking.

[deejah]

my doctor told me albendazole is only 70% effective for some parasites

some develop a Resistance or something

he recommend the one that begins with m

sorry i am out of town, dont know the name off hand but sounds similar to albendazole

400 mg 3 times a day for 5 or 7 days

but i have yet to undergo this

not sure its necessary, heard has bad side effects and am trying natural approaches first

[Sheryl]

That would be probably be metronidiazole (flagyl). It is active against giardia and amoeba as well as some other intestinal parasites but not against hookworm. And yes, it is an unpleasamt drug to take. An alternative is tinidazole (Fasigyn) which is a shorter course of treatment and usually has fewer side effects. Neither of these will help with hookworm, though.

Albendazole is effective for hookworm (and roundworm and a few others), is a single does and side effects are very rare. Mebendazole is also effective but needs to be taken for 3 days so albendazole (single does) is usually preferred.

My mention of hookworm was in regard to a poster who said he/she was anemic. since hookworm is quite common in LOS and can cause or contribute to anemia.

It sounds like whatever symptoms you have led your doctor to think you might have giardia or amoebiasis, or perhaps an anaerobic bacterial intestinal infection, a;ll of which are totally different problems.