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Thread: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

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    Veteran Member pink_staR's Avatar
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    Default Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    I want to purchase a good multi-vitamin, but I have no idea where to start. There's a few of the "One-A-Day" types that are catching my eye, but many people have been telling me that cheaper vitamins don't get absorbed as well as the expensive ones. I looked around the internet to find information that would back up the claims, and I found some confusion there too.

    So..I have 2 questions for you guys:

    (1) Is there any truth to that?

    (2) If you use a vitamin/supplement/multi-vitamin, which brand do you use?

    Thanks ! x0x <3

  2. #2
    Pamela
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    Good question at the pharmacy!!! I take Centrum, and One a Day on and off. Usually i forget to take my vitamin. But we don't absorb ALL of the vitamin anyway cheap or very expensive. So we have to make up the "extra" with our food.

    Pamela

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    Veteran Member pink_staR's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    Thank you so much! That definitely helps and it makes sense too.

    Which one do you like better? Centrum or One-A-Day?

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    God/dess Bridgette's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    There are only 2 real differences I personally know of in regards to cheap vs expensive vitamins.

    1. More expensive multis tend to have more extras (stuff like royal jelly, bee pollen, green tea extract, etc) that the cheaper ones don't usually have. Also they often have higher concentrations of the normal stuff - higher potency. If you want or think you need those things, go for the expensive stuff. I've also heard some brands also contain unnecessary fillers that you may or may not want. Read the labels for content.

    2. Cheap calcium supplements don't work for me - might as well not take any. The stuff that seems to work best for me is oyster shell or coral calcium. I've been on the coral stuff for quite a while now.

    When shopping for any vitamins, read the labels for potency, extras, fillers. If they all look the same, get the cheaper one. But especially when it comes to multis, some will have more of what you want and less of what you don't, so it pays to compare.

    Brands, I don't care about the brand. The multi I liked best is apparently discontinued because I haven't seen it on the shelves in ages. I've since switched to something similar, a high potency women's formula that has mostly what I want.

    Quote Originally Posted by pheno View Post
    When you lead a nontraditional life don't try to measure it with traditional milestones.

  5. #5
    madmaxine
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    Could anyone tell me if there's a multivitamin that doesn't reek and stays down? I stopped taking those because I always wanted to vomit them back up.

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    Veteran Member leebay88's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    You can go cheap with the vitamins that have been on the market for a while. Costco has a good selection

  7. #7
    Pamela
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    Quote Originally Posted by madmaxine
    Could anyone tell me if there's a multivitamin that doesn't reek and stays down? I stopped taking those because I always wanted to vomit them back up.
    Eat a meal before taking you're vitamin. I also will only take half at times!

    Something may be better than nothing, that's how i look at it.

    I like one a day with IRON, as i have heavy periods. And don't do meat, so i get iron from other sources as well as an extra vitamin during period time.

    It's called Slo-Fee Iron (sp)

    Pamela

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    Featured Member mercedez's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    sometimes the cheap vitamins take longer to dissolve....(or they don't dissolve at all).......I take the GNC mega women's vitamin....I can tell when I don't take it...I feel sluggish.....

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    God/dess whirlerz's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    I've run the gamut w/vitamins. The best ones I have found, & they're easily digestable, are Andrew Lessman's, avail. on hsn.com. They are powder inside capsules, not the compressed hard ones. Right now I'm taking Trader Joe's vitamins (from the grocery) cause I have to be low budget. but when I get back working, Andrew Lessman. Also I've gone to vitaminshoppe.com, they carry many name brands, they also have regular stores (in some states).


    MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP

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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    Personally i prefer dissolvable vitamins, because they reach your blood stream quicker. Most of the cheap vits that i have tried don't seem to work imo, my body isn't able to absorb them, and i think i just end up pissing most of it away. I have a condition which requires me to take calcium and vitamin D everyday otherwise i experience terrible pain and muscle spasms (i even suffered a seizure because i went without calcium and vitamin D for too long) so finding vitamins which are easy for my body to absorb is really important and in my experience i have found that you get what you pay for.

    Oh and taking your vits with meals adds to better absorption

    Seraya.


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    Veteran Member Gerina's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    Last December on the Discovery channel, I saw a special that claimed eating before taking a vitamin does not affect absorbsion. I don't know how comprehensive their study was, though.

    I just take generic Target brand prenatal vitamins, and they seem to make a difference just fine for my skin and nails. I used to take an expensive one-a-day from the chiropractor's office, and the only difference seemed to be how much was contained in each pill. Those things were like horse pills!
    ...and the day came, when the risk it took to remain closed in a bud became worse than the risk it took to blossom.

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    Featured Member DSUsb19's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    As long as the cheap contains the same aamount of goods as the expensive, it doesn't make much difference. If you take a pill, the better part of it won't get absorbed anyway. Best bet is to get a liquid vitamin. It gets absorbed fully. Also, sublingual B vitamins work well too. I can def feel an energy boost when I take them. I believe Walgreens offers an OTC sublingual b-12. It's pretty palatable too.
    *~If you play with reservation, you never play to your full potential.~*

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    Senior Member exoticxx33's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    THE CHEAPER VITAMINS WORK JUST AS WELL AS THE EXPENSIVE ONES, THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT THEY DO NOT LOOK AS NICE AS THE EXPENSIVE ONES THATS ABOUT IT.

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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    Last fall semester my nutrition teacher told us that if your vitamin dissolves in a glass of water in 30min its a good vitamin. If it doesnt then your vitamin is basically useless.
    you live like an ivy vine
    you can only survive by clinging onto trees
    that's your flaw
    put down some roots so you can stand on your own
    -Kenpachi



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    Veteran Member HoneyHITZ's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    As a nutrition major (although im definitely more of a "do as i say, not as i do" kind of girl), i believe that vitamins are vitamins. As one poster said (pamela, i think?) that most of the vitamin doesnt get absorbed, we have to supplement it with food... its the other way around in fact. Our diets should be our main form of vitamins, and a multivitamin should be used to supplement what we might not get enough of from out diets. However, someone also mentioned that more expensive multi-vitamins might have more of the ingredient in them-- thats not always good either. Consider we should be getting those vitamins from our diets anyways, and if we're increasing them even more with a supplement, we could be in danger of toxicity. Especially of fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K. Too much vitamin A is VERY VERY dangerous, and is known to cause night blindness. Im sure most of you already know these things, too much of anything is bad, even water, (i.e. water intoxication). Personally, I take flintstone vitamins, with extra calcium. Only thing they dont have enough of for me is folic acid, since there is only 300mcg of folic acid in them, and a 21 year old girl should be taking at leat 400mcg, i take an extra folic acid supplement. Not sure if this helps anyone, but since im going to be getting my degree in nutrition next year, i better use it for something and get my $80k worth


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    Featured Member exotica17's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    That's awesome, HoneyHitz! Keep it up--you can be stripperweb's resident nutritionist!

    I take those Wal-Mart Hair pills--1/2 tablet per day (I discovered it has too much niacin). They seem to work great for my hair and nails. They have other vites in them as well.

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    Veteran Member Citychick's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    My Nutritional Therapist did a hair mineral analyisis on me and although I was low in somethings, I was super high in others such as magnesium.
    SO what I did was stop taking my multi-vitamin and mineral tablet and take individual ones that I was low in.

    I don't know how much difference this makes but I read that it's better to bet Vitamin C from natural sources. So in addition to eating more foods rich in vit c I take "Pure Radiance C" which is supposed to be 100% natural vitamin C.

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    God/dess Bridgette's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    Yes def take the vitamins just after a meal, preferably breakfast I think. I will throw up also if I take them on an empty stomach.

    Quote Originally Posted by pheno View Post
    When you lead a nontraditional life don't try to measure it with traditional milestones.

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    Member hotSeraphina69's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    I use the equate womens one a day from Wal-mart and I love it! My mom always told me no name products are not good but personally if you compare the vit. content on 2 bottles they're the same .As far as absorption and quality- There are actually stricter guidelines(inspection) for the no name brands than the already established companies so I wouldn't worry there .

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    Veteran Member HoneyHITZ's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    Vitamin C is actually the easiest vitamin to get. Honestly, you don't even usually need to take a vitamin C supplement itself. Its in citrus fruits, like we all know, but its also in leafy green vegetables, like every other vitamin. In fact, dieticians would be out of work if everyone realized the answer to every "how do i get more of this vitamin" question is 'leafy green vegetables' . lol


    <Rhiannon_SW> :that's where Jimmy Hoffa went!
    * Rhiannon_SW gasps.

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    Veteran Member pink_staR's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    Thanks everyone! You guys were extremely helpful

    HoneyHITZ: I Hope you make the big bucks that you deserve after you get your degree next year haha x0x

    <3

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    Veteran Member HoneyHITZ's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do inexpensive vitamins work as well as the pricier ones?

    oh goodness, thanks but im not even staying in my field, lol. Im just getting the degree since im almost done, but i cant do anything cuz i wont be a registered dietician :/ thanks though!!


    <Rhiannon_SW> :that's where Jimmy Hoffa went!
    * Rhiannon_SW gasps.

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