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When i was pregnant the prenatal vitamins made me sick
my obgyn gave me 2flinstones (children vitins)+ fish oil omega 3 enteric coated.
Hope that helps

They made me sick too. I would cut them in half and take one half in the morning and the other at night with a big glass of water. Good luck.

Yes, find something else. My prenatal vitamin made me sick b/c of the way the iron had been processed. Once I switched (to Flinstone's chewables), my morning sickness symptoms dropped by about 2/3.

I had the same problem with my prenatal vitamin. It was one that I only had to take once per day, but it really upset my stomach.

I switched to a gel cap prenatal vitamin with ginger in it and it was a smaller dose so I had to take 4 per day (two with breakfast, two with dinner).

I would suggest trying a different brand or mixture of vitamins.

Folic acid is the most important. If you have a standard daily vitamin that doesn't make you sick and you add some folic acid, you should be a-ok. And the daily vitamin isn't really necessary, either.

On another note, if you've been trying unsuccessfully for three years, it might be time to try new things. Do you track your basal temperature to know when you're ovulating? Even better would be to use an ovulation kit.

Good luck!

Hey there, You are sooo not alone in the tummy trouble due to the prenatal vitamin! I would recommend either taking it at night with some milk, or get yourself a big 'ole bottle of chewable flinstone kids viatamins and take the adult dose. They have a great amount of folic acid Viamin B's and iron and you really probably get more because so much of the process of digestion starts with the chewing. They are actually what I take just because I like them and I don't have to worry about my tummy. I would try that and then when the time comes or at your next gyn appt talk to the dr and get his/her thoughts on the best. The Flinstone vitamins worked great for my friend that could not handle the prenatals. Good luck!~C.

Prenatals did that to me, too. Which told me (and my doc) that the dosage was way too high for my body to put to good use. (And this was while I was pregnant, it's actually a fairly common complaint).

Instead I just munched children's chewables throughout the day. Got the exact same nutrition out of them, with non of the nasty side effects. (Headaches, nausea, vomiting, mood changes, dizziness, no sex drive, numbness, tingling, neck pain... *poof* all gone as soon as I stopped taking the nasty things. Bleck. I only found out on accident, too. Thought it was just being pregnant that was doing it to me, then I forgot to take the blighted thing one day, felt great, but didn't tie them together. I had to forget a couple of times before I linked being sick with the pills). Like our bodies need one more stress on an already stressed out system.

Most of our vitamins end up in the toilet, though (the water soluable ones just get flushed out of our system... most people absorb less than 1/10th of what's in the pill/liquid). If possible, try and get most of your vitamin/mineral needs met via food sources (veggies, mushrooms, fruits, meats, etc.)... where 70-100% of the nutrients get absorbed.

You can either take it at night or maybe with food. But they made me sick too.
I took a multivitamin and added folic acid and calcium pill instead so I didn't get sick.
I also tried a long time too and wanted to be healthy from the beginning.
Best of luck to you.

You have had this answer already, but take that vitamin with food and you should feel lots better! What I also wanted to say is to get this book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" because its wonderful! I ordered it on Amazon.com for a good price. I already had my daughter when I got the book, I wish I had it sooner, I learned a lot!

Good luck to you!!! Keep trying!!!

Sounds like it's the iron in the vitamin. It's always best to take a vitamin with food, if that doesn't help, then take it right before bed with a full glass of water. This way you'll be asleep when the pill dissolves and your "sickness" will be when you're sleeping.

Pre-pregnancy, the most important part of the prenatal is the folic acid to prevent birth defects; that is assuming you generally eat a pretty healthy diet to begin with. I doubt the folic acid is making you feel sick but iron can cause nausea and stomach upset. Try taking just the folic acid for now. If you become pregnant, discuss prenatal vitamins at your first office visit.

I take it right before I go to sleep (literally the last thing I do before I turn off my light) and am usually asleep before it starts to break down in my stomach. This has worked for me for several years!

Don't take the prenatal on an empty stomach. Be sure to eat first. I took mine before bed. that way it didnt' make me sick. If it still makes you sick, try a different one or talk to your doctor. If you've been trying for 3 years you may have other things going on.

Always take those things with food. I understand what you are doing, I starting taking prenatals about a year before we even tried to get pregnant with my 2nd child. I'm not sure if it is necessary but unless your doc says not too it can't hurt. Jocelyns suggestion of before bed is good but I would still eat something with it 1st. Then go to bed. Hope this helps :)

M.,

I had the same problem with both of my kids. Over the counter, or prescription prenatals just didn't work for me. There is something in them that gave me horrible nausea. With my Doctor's approval I switched to the children's chewable flintstones vitamins. After the switch there was no more nausea. Some I've talked to say it's the iron in them that was making me sick, others have said it's some other ingredient. Either way the children's vitamins worked for me.

Hope this helps,
M.

M.,

Good luck with ttc. It can be really frustrating at times. Three years is a long time to go at it on your own. I'm wondering if you are in tune with your ovulation patterns and if you've checked to make sure your tubes are clear and your partners count and mobility is okay. If you ovulate regularly and you'd like to keep trying without intervention, I totally understand and respect that.

Anyhow, to your question, you need to be on a prenatal if you're ttc. Certain B vitamins help make an optimal environment for conceiving. Additionally, the baby's brain and spinal cord are developing far sooner than you will even know you're pregnant. If it's making you sick, first, make sure you are taking it with a meal. Most vitamins should be taken with food because it can help it absorb and make your tummy not get upset. If that doesn't work, try a different brand or even talk to your doc about a prescription prenatal.

Again, good luck! Sending you lots of baby dust........

Are you taking the vitamin pill with food? The pill probably contains calcium which can upset the stomach. Many years ago I vomited every morning after taking my vitamin pill. The doctor said it's the calcium causing that. I switched to taking it after breakfast and I was fine.

It is recommended taking any vitamin supplements with food, anyway. Not only because it's easier on your stomach but because the pill is digested along with food which is more natural.

Yes, iron in the pill will also make one sick if taken on an empty stomach.

have you tried taking them at bedtime?

The most important thing that you need to have in your body prior to getting pregnant is folic acid. You can get that in a prescription on it's own, or you can eat lots of things rich in folic acid like fortified cereal.

I couldn't take the prenatal so I did a dose of folic acid I think 400mg and a flint stone chewable.

Pre-natals have high amounts of iron, folic acid and other such nutrients (some in large doses can make you feel sick and others will mess with your hormones) that a baby would otherwise suck right out of you...it is designed to help you meet the mark of what it takes for the body to produce and develop a fetus...so you really don't want to be taking it...you should look into a good bio-available multi-vitamin (go to the co-op to find one that is not full of synthetic fillers and is bio-available) and pay close attention to the folic acid - that is the real one you want to worry about if you are going to become pregnant...once you are pregnant, then you will want to start back on the pre-natals (but only with a doctors, nurses or a midwifes advice.)

I took mine right before bed, and that helped so I was sick while sleeping and didn't notice. Taking it with food also helps.

Hello M.-

Taking prenatal vitamins before pregance is a great idea. I learned that from an OBGYN I worked for, and then recommended the same to my best friend, whoes OB recommended as well.

If the vitamins are making you ill, I suggest you talk to your doctor. Most prenatal vitamins have the same vitamins, so if the vitamin is making you sick, you should know, but it's probably a filler/ coating the maker uses. I would also suggest you take a pregancy test, you never know.

Good Luck-

R. Magby

is it an over the counter? I took one prescription prenatal that made me feel sick, but was fine with the otc...

I took one prenatal vitamin while I was pregnant and it gave me the nastiest gas I ever had! I ended up just going and getting singles of all the main vitamins (a plain vit. C tablet, a plain iron tablet, folic acid, B-complex, calcium, magnesium and a liquid form of trace minerals that I would add to my water) and took various combinations of those through my pregnancy. It worked out great! If you need help knowing what you should take together, consult a nutritionist or probably an ND would know. These sorts of people might be helpful to you in trying to conceive anyway. Best of luck to you!