If you supplement things like iron, vitamin D, B12, etc can you share your schedule?

[Absentmindedwoman]

I'm so overwhelmed trying to work out when to take all of these supplements. But I have to because I'm very low on them all and aiming at doing an egg retrieval later this year. Folate is really low.

I take thyroid medication first thing in the morning, half an hour before coffee or food. Then sip coffee throughout the morning, and tea until generally about 4pm. Wondering how much does caffeine really interfere with absorbing? People might say oh just cut out coffee and tea but honestly I can't face it - I'm type 1 diabetic and already have to practise so much discipline around food I really need to be able to have hot drinks I can have whenever.

I guess for B12 actually I should just suck it up and inject it? My doctor has prescribed vials of this but I think I'd rather try the methylated form as meant to be more bioavailable?

What is your vitamin schedule, and do you avoid caffeine (or other food?) either side of taking them?

I inject B12 every other day. Mine is hydroxocobalamin and I get it from a German pharmacy. I take 5mg of folic acid daily as it's a cofactor of B12 and the B12 will be useless without it. I also take a B complex 4 months on and 2 months off. You have to be careful with the complex as too much B6 can be toxic. I also take a D3 supplement with K2. The D3 needs the K2 to work. I follow the B12 protocol from a Facebook group for Pernicious Anaemia and B12 deficiency. I don't drink coffee though so I can't help you with the caffeine thing.

Is it just folate you're low on? You can take actual folate, rather than folic acid.
The D3 and K2 advice is good. Do you have a good balanced diet and get out in the sun? I take 3000 IU of D3 per day during winter in the UK and get postal blood tests once or twice a year.
I have heard about the caffeine thing but don't know how you'd quantify the effect.

Thank you both.

Yes I'd heard about B6 being harmful in large quantities, so ordered a B complex without it. When it arrived, it has added aloe vera which I don't want to take and had missed when buying it. What a waste of money.

Yes, the folate supplement I have is l-methylfolate as it seems to cover all bases, given that a sizeable minority of people have a MTHFR mutation that means bog standard folic acid isn't going to cut it.

It's folate and ferritin that are both really low in terms of iron, alongside B12 and vitamin D.

I find it all really confusing and difficult to work out - how they all interact and influence each other.

I dont worry about caffeine that much with my thyroid supplement as I mostly drink decaff!!
Soya is also impedes the meds from being absorbed so I do avoid that.

Yes it is really confusing! Did they do bloods that showed you were low in all those things or just the folate?

If you want a good alternative to caffeinated tea I honestly really like Roibos/Red Bush tea! Not a fan of the flavoured herbal teas but Roibos us nice and big standard tasting so you can drink loads of it.

Look up the company Cytoplan. Fill in the questionnaire and get them to advise you. You sound like you need a B complex, and chelated iron.

I take Thyroxine first thing with water. Then 2 hours later blood pressure tablets, water tablet, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B12, chewable Vitamin C plus Asthma inhaler. Night Asthma inhaler.