Injectable Vitamin A and Vitamin D can improve vitamin status post weight loss surgery. One of the common side effect of all weight loss surgical procedures is nutritional and/or mineral deficiencies. Patients undergoing weight loss surgical procedures are always instructed to supplement their diet with multivitamin, calcium, iron, vitamin D and other supplements or minerals. If you do not take your supplements regularly you can become deficient. The symptoms associated with vitamin A deficiency is night blindness. Chronic vitamin D deficiency may result in low calcium, osteoporosis and other health-related issues.
Vitamin A and vitamin D, both fat-soluble vitamins, are absorbed by duodenal switch patients only if taken and a dry formulation. An alternative to oral supplement, would be injectable form of these two vitamins. Both of these vitamins can be formulated and purchased from compounding pharmacies that are equipped and experienced with the interpretation of injectable vitamins and minerals. Your primary care WILL need to contact the pharmacy of their choice for the recommendations and be willing to make the injections available to you.
We will gladly be able to provide injectable Vitamin A and Vitamin D for patients whose data laboratory studies are available to us and see us in the office.Please be aware that these are compounded and are not covered by insurance.
We will not be able to provide prescriptions for injectable vitamins to be sent to your primary care or other physicians to provide the injections.
Vitamin D supplement has been discussed previously in my Blog .
The common dosing for the vitamin D is 600,000 IU, deep IM every 6 months till the levels are normalized. The patient then can take the oral supplements only.
Vitamin A supplements was also discussed in my Blog.
The common dosing for the vitamin D is 100,000 IU, deep IM every 2-6 months till the levels are normalized. The patient then can take the oral supplements only.
Vitamin A supplements was also discussed in my Blog.
The common dosing for injectable vitamin A is 50,000 IU, deep IM every 6 months till the blood levels are corrected, and the patient symptoms are resolved.
Just as a reminder, we have no financial interest in any of the vendors that are recommended on our website. Also, note that this is not in any form or fashion a substitute for an evaluation by your primary care physician or your surgeon. This is for information only, and is not to be taken as a recommendation for any particular patients’ condition.
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It will take a lot of sun exposure to get the vitamin D levels up. If a patient is recommended to take vitamin D or A supplements, it can not just be ignored and substituted with sun exposure and increase sources of vitamin A in diet. One has to assume that because of the weight loss surgery, there is decreased absorption of these fat soluble vitamins.
If someone already takes 150,000 IU of Vitamin A, would the 50,000 still be worth injecting? Or would it be necessary to have a significantly higher dose (like the 600,000 IU of D).
Hello,
The decision on injections should be based on the response of the previous injections.
As a patient who was injected with Vitman D by Dr K prior to a revision surgery to fix malnutrition (original DS surgeon made my alimentary and common limbs too short because he did cookie cutter and didn't measure my total small bowel) I can tell you my D was in the low 30's prior and I was taking 200,000 IU dry D3 daily (biotech) and three months after surgery my D was in the 90's. I am now trending down as I am only on oral, so I will need another injection. CLEARLY, the injections works.
My Vitamin A is also dropping so I am going to link copy this page and see if I can get my GP to give me an A & D injection.
Thanks again Dr K for your great work, both surgically and educationally. You are NOT the typical Bariatric Surgeon in this regard as you provide great information regarding nutrition to your patients and it is obviously you care deeply about your work and your patients.
I’m looking for injection vitamin D. I have no energy. I can’t afford a $50 dollar shot. I want to administer my own shots. I need to know how much is the vile? Thank You 56yr old male
Please contact your bariatric surgeon or your primary care, Thank you