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AR15.COM
3/9/2008 7:09:25 AM EDT
I generally feel like shit more often than I should I'm too tired as well.  My brother suggested vitamins.  

1. Are vitamins needed, or are they a waste that you piss out later?

2. Does anyone here take them and believe that the feel better because of it?

3. Anybody have a suggestion of a good vitamin that isn’t $5 a day or something goofy?  
3/9/2008 7:17:51 AM EDT
[#1]
My opinion is that most foods we eat are already fortified with vitamins to make them more health-marketable.

Waste of money, I say, unless you have a specific medical reason to take something specific.  Of course, my wife has a medicine cabinet full of them.  She has a reason/excuse for every one of them too.  She probably takes 10 pills a day.

Plus, there have been some studies that show a possible link between multivitamins and higher risk of colon cancer.
3/9/2008 7:18:39 AM EDT
[#2]
Waste of money IMHO.
3/9/2008 7:19:07 AM EDT
[#3]
I've been taking a vitamin every morning for years now.

I feel like I have more energy when I take them than on the days I manage to forget.

I stopped taking them for a week once and could tell a difference.

Whether or not this is a placebo effect, I have no idea.

Equate Once Daily work for me...much cheaper than the "One a Day" vitamins and include the exact same things.


Also trying some "Life's Fortune" vitamins from the local organic shop the fiance picked up for me.  They include Guarana and Ginseng for a bit more energy.

Neither are expensive.

I've heard from both camps that say "they're good" or "they're shit" re: vitamins.
3/9/2008 7:19:43 AM EDT
[#4]
1. Are vitamins needed, or are they a waste that you piss out later?

That depends upon your diet.  If you're feeling tired all the time, are you eating plenty of fruits and vegetables or are you a 7 day a week burger & fries guy?

2. Does anyone here take them and believe that the feel better because of it?

I once researched the heck out of this, then created a $50 a month program for myself.  I had so many supplements on the regime I faxed it to my doctor to approve it--he did.  The standard answer is, if you are deficient in a given vitamin, you will notice a difference when you have taken it for a few weesk or so.  I didn't, but I eat well.

3. Anybody have a suggestion of a good vitamin that isn’t $5 a day or something goofy?  

Everthing I have read states that most supplements are the same.  Try taking a generic house brand for a month, then try taking a higher end GNC for a month and see if you can tell a difference.  I take a generic, merely as a safeguard.  Don't take a single vitamin, such as the famous B-12.  The B vitamins compete for absorption in your body.  High doses of one cause a deficiency in the others.

You don't say how old you are, when was your last physical?  You should see your doctor to test your cholesterol, blood sugar, etc.
3/9/2008 7:21:11 AM EDT
[#5]
I suggest exercise and a good diet. Vitamins won't magically make you start feeling better.
3/9/2008 3:15:11 PM EDT
[#6]
If you are curious about how your diet may be lacking, track your diet for a couple weeks at www.fitday.com. You can sign up for a free account there. Just add everything that you eat throughout the day and it will calculate everything for you. You start to see patterns after a few days.
3/9/2008 3:18:06 PM EDT
[#7]
Ever seen how hard a vitamin pill is...and you expect your stomach juices to break that down and your bloodstream to carry it aorund before you crap it out...
Many of those pills wind up at the local sewage plant due to not breaking down in the gut soon enough
3/9/2008 3:28:44 PM EDT
[#8]

Quoted:
I suggest exercise and a good diet. Vitamins won't magically make you start feeling better.


Yeah I agree
3/9/2008 4:25:52 PM EDT
[#9]

Quoted:
Ever seen how hard a vitamin pill is...and you expect your stomach juices to break that down and your bloodstream to carry it aorund before you crap it out...
Many of those pills wind up at the local sewage plant due to not breaking down in the gut soon enough


Interesting point.

I forget if it's the FDA or the vitamin manufacturers who use two grinding discs to crush the pill to test it for being absorbed.

Obviously not a real life scenario.
3/10/2008 6:25:13 AM EDT
[#10]

Quoted:
Ever seen how hard a vitamin pill is...and you expect your stomach juices to break that down and your bloodstream to carry it aorund before you crap it out...
Many of those pills wind up at the local sewage plant due to not breaking down in the gut soon enough


by that same token, aspirin, pain killers, etc. shouldn't work at all in tablet form.

my vitamins have to be swallowed quickly otherwise the saliva and water in my mouth begin to break it down making passage down the esophagus a bit tricky.
3/10/2008 6:26:40 AM EDT
[#11]
How's your diet?  If you aren't getting a good mix of vitamins and minerals a good multi vitamin would supplement it.  I've been using the Costco brand multi for years on the recommendation of my doctor.
3/10/2008 6:37:59 AM EDT
[#12]
I take Synergy 2 from Vitacost. They give me energy, improve mood and help me focus. It’s the most complete one a day I’ve found.
3/10/2008 6:53:03 AM EDT
[#13]
GNC Mega Men

I have a GNC gold membership which gets me 20% off, which isn't bad because I buy for two people... however, last week I ordered from Drugstore.com during a 25% sale and got:
GNC Men's Mega Men, Timed Release Tablets - 180 ea $22.49
And thats with free shipping.

If you shop around a little, and time reorders carefully, they're not that expensive.
These are two a day, so its a 90 day supply.