Best vitamins to take for adults and kids?

[Nohea]

Hi

I've looked (or tried to look) in the supermarket for vitamin supplements, they're are hundreds and with a screaming baby, I always end up leaving it and thinking I'll look next time.

 

Not exactly sure what we need maybe a multi vitamin? Since arriving in oz my hair started falling out, I'm really tired and have no energy, and not a great diet compared to what we had in the uk, think that's just down to lack of choice and not great fruit/ veg choice, so thought it might be an idea to try vitamins and hopefully feel better. My boys age 8 and 12 seem to feel fine but both have mouth sores and ulcers constantly, so maybe a child vitamin for them, I wondered if we were all just abit run down and need a pick me up, my boys and husband are out in the sun a lot but me and my daughter haven't left the house in over 2 months so wondering if maybe lacking in vitamin d, anyway, if anyone has any recommendations of what to try and where to buy etc. that would be great, thank you

[Mummy Mann]

I get bioglan kids gummies for my son, they are in a bottle, taste nice and have lightning McQueen so they appeal to him. I've just started taking swisse women's ultivite and immune tablets as I've been pretty run down lately just got over a cold now i've got the flu. I Can't comment on how good the swisse ones are as I've only been taking them a couple of days but my son is an active happy little boy with no recent health problems (touch wood).

The cheapest place I have found is the chemist warehouse.

[newjez]

You shouldn't need vitamins if you have a balanced diet. I do give my two youngest a kids multi vitamin with calcium, as they are both non dairy. But I'm not religious about it. I take a multi vitamin, as I have immune deficiency, and it was recommended by my doctors, (although it makes sod all difference).

 

Could you be suffering from stress or depression? It's not always as obvious as you would think? You could try a general multi vitamin for a month or so and see if it makes a difference. It won't do any harm. But if you are still suffering, a visit to a good GP wouldn't hurt. There could be some other underlying cause.

[Nohea]

I was thinking maybe multi vitamin but wasn't sure, I'm not depressed, I'm thinking my iron is probably low as well as I'm short of breath all the time, I've just switched to a new mouth ulcer gel for the boys which seems to be working the pharmacist said this one was stronger so maybe that's why, but she said when I bought it that I should think about vitamins to help but I've not had any time alone since to get back there and ask, and with my toddler having tantrums every 5 mins I don't fancy going back with her in tow!

[Peach]

think that's just down to lack of choice and not great fruit/ veg choice,

 

Out of curiosity what food & fruit / veg choices do you think Australia is lacking? Why wouldn't you leave the house in two months?

[Nohea]

I get bioglan kids gummies for my son, they are in a bottle, taste nice and have lightning McQueen so they appeal to him. I've just started taking swisse women's ultivite and immune tablets as I've been pretty run down lately just got over a cold now i've got the flu. I Can't comment on how good the swisse ones are as I've only been taking them a couple of days but my son is an active happy little boy with no recent health problems (touch wood).

The cheapest place I have found is the chemist warehouse.

 

Thanks for that I'm going to MSG my oh now and ask him to pick us some up on his way home from work, my boys are also very active and my 12 year old started a new school at the beginning of this term and has lost so much weight, he wasn't fat before but he's like a stick at the moment, he's so active and doing lunch sport at school he's barely eating or having time to eat, I think also when it's so hot you don't always fancy eating, I think some extra vitamins on top of their diet can't hurt. My 8 year old has also had constant colds, temperatures, hand foot and mouth, and god knows what else over the last 8 weeks, were definitely run down, let's hope these help

[Mummy Mann]

My son sometimes comes home with food left in his lunch box. When I ask him he says he doesn't have time. Think he's too busy playing though. It does worry me cus he needs to eat to keep his energy up. He's always starving when he gets in from school so at least he eats all his dinner ;0)

[Regbaron]

I cant understand why your diet should be any worse here,have been in Aus 27years and have found the quality of food very good but maybe your husband if you have a garden could start a vegi patch,can't get fresher then that and maybe the kids could help.As far as the ulcers and mouth sores checking the water maybe an idea,i take Vitimin D during the winter here in Melbourne but you sound as though you live in a warmer state.

I do get the impression that you are a bit down and moving to a new country can be very stressful especially with a young family,we found it hard going when we first arrived with our 2 girls and it takes a few years to finally call it home.

[Guest littlesarah]

For most of us, the ideal is to get the nutrition we require from food, because often the combination of nutrients is such that is absorbed more effectively than in the forms that are present in multivitamins. If you think you may have anaemia, you really should have your ferritin level checked because that requires treatment with an appropriate dose of iron tailored to your needs. There is no reason why anyone living in Australia should have a lack of nutrition from the food that is available - much of it is the same as in the UK, and there are local and seasonal alternatives that are packed full of vitamins and minerals. True deficiencies are best diagnosed, because the amounts required to correct a deficit are often higher than those present in standard supplements, and additionally there is evidence that some nutrients may contribute to longer-term health problems if consumed in excess (e.g. folate, which is added to flour so is present in many foodstuffs).

[Nohea]

My son sometimes comes home with food left in his lunch box. When I ask him he says he doesn't have time. Think he's too busy playing though. It does worry me cus he needs to eat to keep his energy up. He's always starving when he gets in from school so at least he eats all his dinner ;0)

 

Haha this sounds so familiar!

 

yesterday was the first time they've eaten it all, I did wonder if they'd binned it to stop me nagging. mine usually don't touch it at school and eat it as soon as they get home, I even resorted to cutting the crusts off my .8 year olds ham sandwich and chopping it into little cubes, because aparently sandwiches are boring and take too long to chew and there's just no time when your desperate to play football

[dmjg]

Go see a doctor.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

I haven't been able to eat for months now so my only way to get things is via vitamins and liquid or under the tongue ones so it has been hard. You can get a liquid multi vitamin, liquid D and liquid B12 and soluble iron.

Personally I think your first call is to get yourself to the Drs and get some bloods done. I have to go every two weeks and they tell me what's low. Was chatting with my Dr today and he was saying how low my D is and that I need 5000 (something) each day and mine only had 180. My protein is low and that's not helping with my hair loss right now but we know this and there isn't a lot we can do right now, I keep trying the Enlive Plus it it is soooo sweet but is high in protein.

[Nohea]

Go see a doctor.

 

 

Are they cheaper on prescription? Not sure how the dr here works as none of us have ever been I usually just get over the counter medication and I also bought a shed load from England. In England my iron prescription was £7.70 or I could buy the exact same ones, same dose etc in the chemist for just over £1 so much cheaper to buy in the shops, plus the vitamins in boots for example were quite easy to work out as there was barely a choice compared to here, I thought they must be popular over here as there seems to be hundreds to choose from, that's why I asked for recommendations of what people find good.

 

Just because I asked this question not sure why people would assume I'm depressed/ stressed/ or anything similar, as my oh tells me regularly 'only an ass assumes'

 

I've actually never been less stressed, the move wasn't stressful the most stressful bit was the 28 hour flight with screaming baby but that was more of an annoyance than stress that was brief lived. Reading this site helped me a lot as everything so far had exceeded my expectTions, it's much cheaper than I expected, kids school better than I expected, job search and work no problem, house rental, car, and tbh everything else sorted out with ease and so much easier than any other country we've lived in. The most stressful thing for me right now is wondering exactly when terrible twos finishes so we can venture out without tears every 30 seconds, haha, but actually before I get advice on this in reality it doesn't actually stress me, it's just a phase that doesn't last, and honestly it's not my favourite stage I've got 3 older children who unfortunately all went through it too. It's 32• on my thermometer today so I doubt I'm missing much by having a day in the shade, having fun with my little one. When I said I'd not been out in a couple of months I meant not really been in the sun that's why I was wondering about vit d as I'd seen in the media Australians had a problem with it, and really only being here a short time I don't know that much about it. I'm not actually a hermit, lol, I venture out for 2 school runs a day, sport clubs every night apart from Friday, pub on Saturday night, nails and eyebrows Thursday night, etc etc in reality I am knackered and I do feel run down, but I'm busy, never stop, there's not enough hours in the day at the moment just sorting the house and children, that's why I think a few extra vitamins will help I will give the ones recommended a go, and if they don't suit think I'll just google for reviews!

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Are they cheaper on prescription?

No you don't get vitamins from a Dr but he will organise blood tests to check things like your iron, Vit D, B12, proteins etc You may not be able to absorb vitamins through food so therefore vitamin tablets aren't going to help either.

You mentioned hair loss, there are a number of causes for this, from stress, chemo, lack of protein, major ops etc hence why people were trying to help. I've lost my hair totally before, this time I'm bald on top but its still falling out in clumps so may end up like before.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Oh and calling people an ass when they are trying to help isn't nice either

[BeeBoDee]

Hi

Since arriving in oz my hair started falling out, I'm really tired and have no energy

 

It might be worth having your thyroid levels checked. I have an underactive thyroid and had all of these symptoms when I was diagnosed, as do a lot of people.

[northernbird]

Are they cheaper on prescription? Not sure how the dr here works as none of us have ever been I usually just get over the counter medication and I also bought a shed load from England. In England my iron prescription was £7.70 or I could buy the exact same ones, same dose etc in the chemist for just over £1 so much cheaper to buy in the shops, plus the vitamins in boots for example were quite easy to work out as there was barely a choice compared to here, I thought they must be popular over here as there seems to be hundreds to choose from, that's why I asked for recommendations of what people find good.

 

Just because I asked this question not sure why people would assume I'm depressed/ stressed/ or anything similar, as my oh tells me regularly 'only an ass assumes'

 

I've actually never been less stressed, the move wasn't stressful the most stressful bit was the 28 hour flight with screaming baby but that was more of an annoyance than stress that was brief lived. Reading this site helped me a lot as everything so far had exceeded my expectTions, it's much cheaper than I expected, kids school better than I expected, job search and work no problem, house rental, car, and tbh everything else sorted out with ease and so much easier than any other country we've lived in. The most stressful thing for me right now is wondering exactly when terrible twos finishes so we can venture out without tears every 30 seconds, haha, but actually before I get advice on this in reality it doesn't actually stress me, it's just a phase that doesn't last, and honestly it's not my favourite stage I've got 3 older children who unfortunately all went through it too. It's 32• on my thermometer today so I doubt I'm missing much by having a day in the shade, having fun with my little one. When I said I'd not been out in a couple of months I meant not really been in the sun that's why I was wondering about vit d as I'd seen in the media Australians had a problem with it, and really only being here a short time I don't know that much about it. I'm not actually a hermit, lol, I venture out for 2 school runs a day, sport clubs every night apart from Friday, pub on Saturday night, nails and eyebrows Thursday night, etc etc in reality I am knackered and I do feel run down, but I'm busy, never stop, there's not enough hours in the day at the moment just sorting the house and children, that's why I think a few extra vitamins will help I will give the ones recommended a go, and if they don't suit think I'll just google for reviews!

 

Personally I just take a berocca everyday. It helps me, if I don't get enough B vits I feel like you.

[newjez]

I was thinking maybe multi vitamin but wasn't sure, I'm not depressed, I'm thinking my iron is probably low as well as I'm short of breath all the time, I've just switched to a new mouth ulcer gel for the boys which seems to be working the pharmacist said this one was stronger so maybe that's why, but she said when I bought it that I should think about vitamins to help but I've not had any time alone since to get back there and ask, and with my toddler having tantrums every 5 mins I don't fancy going back with her in tow!

 

I've found it's trial and error. It's a matter of getting one that they will like. With mine, they don't even like the same type, so I get two different types.

 

You and your kids will be exposed to lots of new germs in Oz, and you will have reduced immunity for a time. Nothing you can do about that. It will pass with time.

 

You can't move to the other side of the world and not be stressed. You can't have ill children and a screaming toddler and not be stressed. Stress is a funny thing, and it often becomes the norm. You often only realise that you were suffering from stress when that stress has been relieved. You have probably lost much of you support network in your move to Oz, hence the inability to shop without distractions. You only need to read your posts as they scream stress - hence the reason so many people have mentioned it.

 

The easiest way to deal with stress is to isolate the cause and reduce it. No one is suggesting medication. But you may benefit from some childcare to give yourself some time for you.

[Guest littlesarah]

You can't treat iron deficiency anaemia properly very easily with over the counter iron supplements - most of them don't contain enough, and you need to know what your iron levels are before anyone can advise a dose. I really think it would be worth consulting a doctor so that they can rule out other causes of your symptoms. But since the rest of us are 'asses', why bother taking on board any advice? If you know best, then go ahead and diagnose and treat yourself...

[Nohea]

Thanks for the suggestions, I've heard of borocca too they have that in the uk but I never tried it as wasn't actually sure what it was, I've not got a thyroid problem I've had that checked before in the uk, as my symptoms do point to that the only symptom I didn't have was that I was underweight, I've had countless tests in the past and always came back the same anaemic and just needing a bit of a pick up, I've been fine for over a year, but since coming here the hair loss started again, at first I wasn't sure if it was just breaking off from the sun as its highlighted but I do have a couple of thin patches where it got thin last time, which last time was put down to low iron and other vitamins, I was advised then to just take whatever supplement I chose as they were cheaper in the shops, I'm sure it's the same thing now as I'm feeling exactly the same.

 

Sorry pon queen it wasn't meant to be an insult, it's just a saying, like 'you can't polish a turd', my oh says it to me alot as I assume alot of things, and I'm usually wrong as well. I'm not fussed I've had to tell my life story, lol, just kind of un necessary, and it reminds me why I rarely comment or post on here, even though I've got tons I want to know, I know if I ask one question I will get an answer to another, and then people start judging without having an actual clue what they're talking about. I know alot of people do it for a reaction, but it's not humorous (which I love) it's tedious and just make me want to shout GET A LIFE haha, I wanted to know a good vitamin, pick me up, whatever, as in, what it's called, how much roughly if they know, where do you buy it, is it any good, which I think the majority of people did read and understand, but then there's always got to be someone with the negativity! Suppose it does make it sound more interesting, but in actual fact it's boring, just a recommend for family vitamins

[Guest The Pom Queen]

 

Sorry pon queen it wasn't meant to be an insult, it's just a saying, like 'you can't polish a turd', my oh says it to me alot as I assume alot of things, and I'm usually wrong as well. I'm not fussed I've had to tell my life story, lol, just kind of un necessary, and it reminds me why I rarely comment or post on here, even though I've got tons I want to know, I know if I ask one question I will get an answer to another, and then people start judging without having an actual clue what they're talking about. I know alot of people do it for a reaction, but it's not humorous (which I love) it's tedious and just make me want to shout GET A LIFE haha, I wanted to know a good vitamin, pick me up, whatever, as in, what it's called, how much roughly if they know, where do you buy it, is it any good, which I think the majority of people did read and understand, but then there's always got to be someone with the negativity! Suppose it does make it sound more interesting, but in actual fact it's boring, just a recommend for family vitamins

I didn't see anyone judging just people concerned, but now we all know not to worry about you and you are fine we don't need to post again. By people recommending you to have some blood tests, I thought that was common sense, so not sure why you think they posted it for a reaction or need to get a life. :wub:

[dmjg]

Go see a doctor.

 

Are they cheaper on prescription? Not sure how the dr here works as none of us have ever been I usually just get over the counter medication and I also bought a shed load from England. In England my iron prescription was £7.70 or I could buy the exact same ones, same dose etc in the chemist for just over £1 so much cheaper to buy in the shops, plus the vitamins in boots for example were quite easy to work out as there was barely a choice compared to here, I thought they must be popular over here as there seems to be hundreds to choose from, that's why I asked for recommendations of what people find good.

 

Just because I asked this question not sure why people would assume I'm depressed/ stressed/ or anything similar, as my oh tells me regularly 'only an ass assumes'

 

I've actually never been less stressed, the move wasn't stressful the most stressful bit was the 28 hour flight with screaming baby but that was more of an annoyance than stress that was brief lived. Reading this site helped me a lot as everything so far had exceeded my expectTions, it's much cheaper than I expected, kids school better than I expected, job search and work no problem, house rental, car, and tbh everything else sorted out with ease and so much easier than any other country we've lived in. The most stressful thing for me right now is wondering exactly when terrible twos finishes so we can venture out without tears every 30 seconds, haha, but actually before I get advice on this in reality it doesn't actually stress me, it's just a phase that doesn't last, and honestly it's not my favourite stage I've got 3 older children who unfortunately all went through it too. It's 32• on my thermometer today so I doubt I'm missing much by having a day in the shade, having fun with my little one. When I said I'd not been out in a couple of months I meant not really been in the sun that's why I was wondering about vit d as I'd seen in the media Australians had a problem with it, and really only being here a short time I don't know that much about it. I'm not actually a hermit, lol, I venture out for 2 school runs a day, sport clubs every night apart from Friday, pub on Saturday night, nails and eyebrows Thursday night, etc etc in reality I am knackered and I do feel run down, but I'm busy, never stop, there's not enough hours in the day at the moment just sorting the house and children, that's why I think a few extra vitamins will help I will give the ones recommended a go, and if they don't suit think I'll just google for reviews!

 

Oh and calling people an ass when they are trying to help isn't nice either

 

 

I assumed nothing, that's why I suggested you see a doctor.

 

You quoted my post, so who is the ass you are referring to?

[Nohea]

Sorry I wasn't referring to you. Or tbh anyone specific its a saying that's all, and people assumed I'm depressed or whatever that was all, I quoted as I thought you knew about the prescription thing and that you were suggesting I got vitamins from the dr as that was my question, it's all my fault apologies, that man of woman was definitely right implying I have no common sense

[Guest]

Hi

I've looked (or tried to look) in the supermarket for vitamin supplements, they're are hundreds and with a screaming baby, I always end up leaving it and thinking I'll look next time.

 

Not exactly sure what we need maybe a multi vitamin? Since arriving in oz my hair started falling out, I'm really tired and have no energy, and not a great diet compared to what we had in the uk, think that's just down to lack of choice and not great fruit/ veg choice, so thought it might be an idea to try vitamins and hopefully feel better. My boys age 8 and 12 seem to feel fine but both have mouth sores and ulcers constantly, so maybe a child vitamin for them, I wondered if we were all just abit run down and need a pick me up, my boys and husband are out in the sun a lot but me and my daughter haven't left the house in over 2 months so wondering if maybe lacking in vitamin d, anyway, if anyone has any recommendations of what to try and where to buy etc. that would be great, thank you

 

First off, I'd get your blood checked for iron levels. You could be anemic. I say this as you mention 'baby' and its quite common to have low iron levels after having a baby. It happened on and off to me for 2 years after having my son. And I displayed symptoms of tiredness, lacking in energy and hair loss. Also hair loss can be normal after having a baby as your hormones settle down again. It can take a year or more to resolve.

 

I'd personally go see a Doc, get some blood tests run and improve your diet naturally over supplements. Naturally ingesting them is better than pill form. Also be aware that if taking iron tablets you should avoid other things with it as it stops is absorbing iirc. Your Doc can tell you.

 

I'd also think given its winter in Aus its normal to be a bit run down. I'd make the effort to get out when you can, especially on nice days even if its for an hour.

 

ETA - For the kids if they don't like swallowing tablets you should be able to get the chewable vitamin pills. Like chewing chalk but it can help alongside the natural diet.

[Guest]

FWIW, I am again currently anemic (son is 5 ).

 

I am again tired, lacking in energy and hair falling out more. I"m having bloods done to ensure they know what the levels are and am on prescribed iron tablets. I'm also ensuring I eat foods high in iron at least 2-3 times a week. Not a hardship as I love those ones :cute: Since starting the iron tablets I've already seen an improvement in how I feel overall.