timing of multivitamin

[David Dalton]

If one takes a multivitamin once a day, do you know if it is better to take
it at bedtime or in the morning? Also should it be taken with or just after
food or on an empty stomach? Also should it be taken with prescribed
medication or a few hours away from the prescribed medication?

[deT notsuH]

Most likely you do not need to take a multivitamin at all, with certain
exceptions related to specific conditions. Are you actually deficient?
Having said that, taking vitamins (and minerals) WITH food will very
often help with absorption. For example, vitamins A, D, E, K require
fats for absorption. Stomach acids activated by food will help
absorption of minerals like calcium and iron. So "time it" to when you
are eating. WRT medications, it really depends on the specifics.
Typically, you take a medication on an empty stomach, so that answers
that part of the question. And more often than not, it is the minerals
in the vitamineral that cause an interaction with the medication. An
example here would be iron or calcium reducing the absorption of thyroid
meds. Methotrexate and folic acid play off each other in a complicated
way. Vitamin B12 deficiency is likely autoimmune related (unless you
are a vegan), in which case taking more from a pill just won't help; you
need injections to avoid the whole digestive process. Lastly, keep
doses of vitamins close to daily values, no more than 2-300% of daily
value. Vitamins A and K can be esp dangerous at high doses, and high
doses of folic acid can mask B12 deficiency. More than 500mg of calcium
at one dose simply shuts down absorption of more.

Post by David Dalton
If one takes a multivitamin once a day, do you know if it is better to take
it at bedtime or in the morning? Also should it be taken with or just after
food or on an empty stomach? Also should it be taken with prescribed
medication or a few hours away from the prescribed medication?