Favorite B-complex and iron supplements?

[matrips]

What brands?  Thanks.

[drjuliadc]

Xymogen’s multivitamin has an excellent b vitamin in it, so you don't need one separately. It also has many other positive things going for it. The b vitamins in it are phosphorylated, which helps them give you energy. You will actually feel energy from taking them, unusual for a multi. 

Iron Complex by Now Brand. It is pretty cheap but very effective. A very similar formulation, only with 80mg iron glycinate, is a $400 a month prescription. 

MDs usually prescribe ferrous sulfate which should all be thrown into the ocean. Iron Complex and the $400 prescription have iron glycinate. I can take two iron complex pills at one time and no stomach issues at all. 

[PeterPan]

What's your methylation status? If you don't know that, you could just be making expensive pee with the B vitamins. 

As far as the iron, what about food sources like molasses? I eat it straight out of the jar.

Edited December 22, 2020 by PeterPan

[matrips]

55 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

What's your methylation status? If you don't know that, you could just be making expensive pee with the B vitamins. 

As far as the iron, what about food sources like molasses? I eat it straight out of the jar.

How do I find out methylation status? My teens and I take the B

[PeterPan]

1 minute ago, matrips said:

How do I find out methylation status? My teens and I take the B

You would run genetics like 23andme and run the raw data through an engine like knowyourgenetics.com. 

I don't know, I've taken expensive vitamins a long time, so I'm just kind of half cynical on the whole thing. If you ask some people (like a nutritionist I used) it should be food based, cell grown. Well it's fine. But sometimes they're just popping synthetic cheap stuff in yeast and having it grow, meaning cheap synthetic stuff works the same. 

I've been using a MegaFood multivitamin for women for a while now and it's fine. That's a lot of money to spend on teens. Are they having issues? If they're having symptoms and odd issues, again you might want to run the genetics and actually see what is going on. I am mixed for my methylation status, so methylated B vitamins are bad voodoo for me and too much regular bothers me too. I end up needing a special form (P5P) for my B6. My dd is the total opposite and does great on methylated vitamins. 

What you can do is eat brown rice 3-4 days a week. It's high in B vitamins and then you skip over the whole issue of what form. Unless they're having issues, then run the genetics and get the right form.

[sbgrace]

I use Solgar Gentle Iron (it's a bisglycinate form--well absorbed, so gastro effects free). I always take with vitamin C. NOW brands has a ferrochel/bisglycinate form in a lower dose--18 mg. vs 25 mg for the Solgar. 

I use Douglas Labs b-complex w/metafolin. I think it's a really good one. It's a form of B vitamins that will work if you do have a MTHFR mutation. 

[gardenmom5]

Emerald laboratories B-healthy.

 

have you had all four iron tests to determine your need supplementation?    depending upon results will give you a better picture of what is actually needed (that can have nothing at all to do with iron.)  

Ferritin, serum iron, % saturation, TIBC

 

If you have MTHF - you can drive up your iron levels in a bad way by supplementing.  about 50% of the population is thought to have at least one copy of the defective gene (some people have three - as there are two different genes they track that are MTHF.)

 

If you even suspect you have even one copy of the defective gene - stay away from folic acid.  Folic acid is 100% synthetic, and it will interfere in your ability to use real folate.

Edited December 22, 2020 by gardenmom5

[MercyA]

Thorne Research Stress-B Complex and, for iron, Floravital (vegan, gluten-free) or Floradix (contains honey, not gluten-free).

[Soror]

Iron biglycinate is the best form; gentle and brings up levels fast.

Conezymatic form of b's work best for me (I have some fancy stuff in there now supposed to be ideal for methylation and absorption but it makes me jittery). Labdoor tests vitamins for purity and strength (independent company) they rate Country Life as the best B complex.

https://labdoor.com/rankings/b-complex

[drjuliadc]

Iron complex has the bis glycinate form of iron. Phosphorylated=coenzymated=activated. P5p is the phosphorylated form of b6.

The Xymogen multi has iron in the bis  glycinate form (but only 2.5 mg) and b vitamins in the activated form (except for thiamine).

It is good to note that you can take too much iron too. A menstruating female who has a period on the heavy side will need to supplement usually. Men and postmenopausal women usually don’t.

I have a degree in medical technology. Back in the mid 80’s, when I learned labs, a person’s hemoglobin had to be above 12.5ish to be in the normal range. The normal ranges lab for anemia indicators have gotten broader over the years. A few years ago I had a patient with every symptom of anemia with a 10.9 hgb and it was listed on her lab report as being in the normal range. 

The normal lab ranges of things that vitamins, minerals and nutrients treat have gotten broader and the normal lab ranges for things that expensive drugs treat have become narrower.

Never underestimate the financial influence and tremendous reach of big Pharma. 

Because the brain always requires oxygen, and a lot of it, anemia is FAR worse than the vast majority of doctors give it credit for. It is largely missed now too.