Over the counter prenatal vitamins NOT good??

bigbear · September 2010

I have been taking over the counter prenatal vitamins for about 2 years now. (just as a multi vitamin) But now my DH and I are TTC and I want to make sure I'm taking care of my body as well as possible. And a few weeks ago I spoke with a neutritionist and was told that over the counter vitamins are not really doing much. The body absorbs only about 3% of it. The prescreption strength vitamins on the other hand are monitored by the FDA and the quality and type of the ingredients is different and therefore able to be absorbed by the body.

So I called my clinic and the nurse is sending me a prescription for a prenatal vitamin. She did say right away that over the counter ones are just as good but then I wonder, why do you have prescription strenght and over the counter as well? Excluding the prescription ones that also have additional stuff like stool softeners, I can see why you would need a prescreption from the doc for those...

I guess I just wanted to see if anybody knows more about that, and if you've tried both, over the coutner as well as prescreption vitamins and if you've noticed any difference.

TIA!

mbgreenwalt · September 2010

As far as I was aware the OTC vitamins are just fine. I used the Target brand ones while TTC and my whole pregnancy.

MrsGo4Hockeychick · September 2010

there isn't a difference in strength of vitamins between OTC and Rx.

For some people, it's cheaper to get an Rx because the copay is cheaper than the OTCs are. But they are the same.

bigbear · September 2010

Thanks ladies!

I am just a bit sceptical because I had also tried a different OTC brand about a year ago and had to switch back to my usual one as I broke out all over my face.

The pharmacist there told me that it is due to different fillers that are in the OTC vitamins because they are not overlooked by the FDA and you may not get all the ingredients that are listed on the bottle....

But if the doc says it's ok I guess I should stop stressing

Denise70 · September 2010

My doctor said that some brands are different so I always took a prescription. I am aware that some do not have enough folic acid in them which would be the main concern. If they have enough then I would think it would be fine. One thing we considered was the cost of prenatal vitamins vs prescription and for us it was better getting a prescription, using our FSA etc.

JosiePosy · September 2010

I've been on the Target brand prenatals and DHA supplement and nobody at my clinic seems to care. They gave me a prescription for extra Folic Acid to take because of the twins, but that turned out to be an OTC supplement that they gave me at the pharmacy.

Janell's Nest · September 2010

*Flameful confession* I didn't take pre-natals...maybe a weeks worth my entire pregnancy, but he turned out just fine...and now there's research supporting increased risk of cancer from too much folic acid in prenatal vitamins as well...so I am not feeling all that bad about not taking them.

All my labs the entire pregnancy came out just fine and I think its because my diet consisted of of a lot of the nutrients you get from prenatal vitamins.

Kelly1109 · September 2010

For awhile it was only $2/month for RX prenatals for me. Then our insurance changed and I switched to the One A Day Prenatals with DHA. I get them at Costco for $15/bottle (when on sale) for a 90 day supply. I am still taking them even though LO is 4+ months.

FannieRae · September 2010

My Dr recommended the Target brand prenatal vitamins. I got a Rx when I also needed a stool softener for awful constipation. When that still didn't work, she switched me to Flintstones chewables w/o iron. Both girls turned out just fine and the Flintstones tasted a lot better.

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