question about vitamins and supplements

     I was just wondering if I am doing more harm than good.  I am bleeding a lot with urgency.   Since I have osteoporosis, I take Citracal with Bone density builder.  For a vitamin I take a Women's once a DAy which contains iron (because of the bleeding, afraid of becoming anemic), Powerdolphilus probiotic 2 x a day, flaxseed oil capsule one a day.  Do you think any of these or the combo of could be hurting my condition?  I wouldn't think so, but ya never know.

I'm pretty sure the combo of supplements isn't making you bleed more. You might, however, not be absorbing them as much because the GI tract is outta whack. But I've asked that question of mixing supplements with drugs before to my GI, nutritionist, and other members of my health team and they've all said it shouldn't be a red flag.

Didn't you just do Remicade? Sorry to hear you're flaring badly again.

I'm a huge fan of supplements. I think it kept me alive while I was flaring badly. But from what I'm seeing in your list, it's not enough. One flaxseed capsule doesn't give you enough dosage to make a big difference. I take a big tablespoon and put it in my hot cereal every morning. That's about maybe 5 + capsules worth. Usually, the oil forms give you more and is more pure.

You should have a better iron supplement that doesn't irritate the gut. Enzymatic's Ultimate Iron helped me out of my anemia last year. The iron in your multi-vitamin isn't enough and probably just passes through your system.

I'm picky about the quality of supplements also. I use Newchapter's Women's One a Day because it's not made from chemicals like the generic ones. It's made from plants. A lot more natural and more absorbable. The reason why the generic ones have to have thousands of percent of daily value in them is because most of it isn't absorbed and goes through pee. Pick better brands and quality. It makes a difference.

I take a lot of other supplements as well. Vit D - low levels linked to auto-immune disorder. CALCIUM/MAG - bone density (mine from the pred). VIT B12 and C - helps absorb the iron and build blood. FOLIC ACID - auto-immune. TURMERIC - anti-inflammatory. FISH OILS and VIT E - anti-inflammatory. I also get this stuff called VitaMineral Green. It's a greens powder with a lot of spirulina/chlorella, really helps with anemia and building blood. Drink Nettle Tea.

All of these don't seem to irritate the gut more, it should help. Hope this helps and hope you get the flare under control. It really sucks, I know...

I take tons of vitamins and supplements. The only one I can't take is iron supplements, even the slow releasing kind. So I get my iron from Cheerios.

It's also good to take B-12 if you've lost a lot of blood.