Prescription vs. OTC

[dshields]

My first m/w appt. is Oct 20 (10 weeks) and in the meantime they are mailing a prescription for prenatal vits. I've been taking otc vits all along. Anyone see any reason to take one vs. the other?
thanks!
ds

[starlein26]

here's what i found for you...hope it helps!:

Prescription Prenatal Vitamins

by Elisa Ross, MD
reviewed and revised by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D.

Prenatal vitamins come in many formulations, but most have a few things in common. Prescription prenatal vitamins have more folic acid, iron, and calcium than the usual daily vitamin supplement. The exact ingredients are listed on the packages.

Prescription prenatal vitamins usually have 1 mg (or 1,000 micrograms) of folic acid in them. The extra dosage is not needed for protection of a fetus' spinal column, but is thought to help the baby make DNA building blocks and allow the mother to produce new red blood cells faster. Before pregnancy it is not necessary to take prescription prenatal vitamins, but it's not harmful either. Over-the-counter multivitamins or folate supplements are also fine.

The reason a prescription is needed for these higher folate prenatal vitamins is that the extra folic acid could possibly mask anemia caused by a rare disease that leads to deficiency of vitamin B12. If you have a family history of pernicious anemia, it is probably best to avoid more than 0.4 mg of supplemental folate until you are checked for anemia, a regular part of the blood tests you'll receive early in your pregnancy.

Different kinds of prescription prenatal vitamins
Different brands vary their product slightly to appeal to certain groups of mothers-to-be. Formulations are constantly changing, so ask your practitioner or pharmacist for up-to-date information. Here are some recent examples:
Prenate Advance contains a stool softener, and is kosher certified.

Obegyn is a powder to be mixed with water or juice.

NataChew is chewable. It has no calcium, and is kosher certified.

Nestabs FA is small, odorless, has no aftertaste and is kosher certified.

Natafort is small, doesn't contain calcium, and is kosher certified.

Prenate Elite is smaller and film-coated to minimize smell and taste.

[dshields]

Thank you starlein, that was so sweet of you! It sounds like it makes sense to switch over to the rx brand.

thank you again!
danielle

[starlein26]

no problem...i love doing google searches!
i'm glad to have helped you!

[dharmama]

i've decided to stick with my prenatal i buy at the natural food store (much to the annoyance and confusion of the nurse i talked to who *insisted* that i need to get an rx prenatal).

i like it because it is food-based and well...i've been taking it since we started ttc-ing dd so probably like 3 years now and i just feel comfortable with it.

the rx ones that my midwife offered me last time around had a purple gel coating and i just didn't feel good about taking something with dyes in it.

my dh thinks that ob's generally push rx prenatals because not everyone would know to be careful and make sure they are getting enough folic acid in their vitamin.

i feel like it's just the whole medical/pharmacutical=better/safer....women can't be trusted to know what they need mentality. : (aren't i a hormonal, crabby cynic tonight :LOL)

anyone else have any thoughts about which is better?

~Erin

[Naughty Dingo]

I get el cheap OTC ones. I eat a well balanced diet and make sure the vitamin has appropriate levels of the nutrients.

I think the docs make deals with the pharmeceutical reps that come around and then push the drugs that those reps are peddling. Of course those are the expensive RX ones.

It has been a few years since my pharmacology lectures, but there isn't too much magic that goes into making Rx vitamins vs. OTC ones KWIM? The expensive Rx ones may have a narrower range of how much of an active ingredient there is, but even the OTC ones have to have the appropriate amounts.

In the end, so many women get so sick, that they have to search around and try a bunch of prenatal vitamins that work out for them. If you find one that you can tolerate, then good for you, no matter if it is RX or OTC.

ND

[crazy_eights]

Originally Posted by dharmama

i've decided to stick with my prenatal i buy at the natural food store (much to the annoyance and confusion of the nurse i talked to who *insisted* that i need to get an rx prenatal).

The OBGYN nurse practitioner that I see for GYN needs told me 'it's not a big deal if you like your OTC prenatals. The only difference is folic acid and you can buy that separately to bring it up to the 1 mg level.'

But then again, maybe they don't trust people to figure out the dosage .

I have to admit, personally, I didn't bother. 800 mcg was the standard rec. until recently.

[Elowyn]

I take a generic OTC (Target or Walgreens - same pill) plus an extra 400 mcg of folic acid, for a total of 1.2 mg. No problems for me, I'm tolerating it nicely, and don't see any reason to pay extra $$ for essentially the same nutrients from a prescription. (Natural food-based vitamins are a different story altogether - they're worth the $$ IMHO.)

[dshields]

Elowyn,
Where do you fing the extra folic? My OTC has 800mg and I'd stick with it if I could find the folic booster!

[mamacatsbaby]

Well this certainly helps me. What's the most recent folate rec? The vitamin I'm taking now I got from my sister and has 800 mcg. I was debating the rx vs. otc question myself and had pretty much decided that my next batch 'o vits would be bought otc for some of the reasons I see you ladies listing here. No worries dharmama, my crabbyness has it's own thread! :LOL

[Peppamint]

:

I'm with ya 100%! Food-based or whole food all the way. Why take a vitamin with constipating iron it anyway? :LOL

[mamaGjr]

Originally Posted by busybusymomma

:

I'm with ya 100%! Food-based or whole food all the way. Why take a vitamin with constipating iron it anyway? :LOL

ITA! I took a whole food pre natal and my midwives were cool with it . I work in the supps dept at a store and SOOOO many women come in b/c the Rx prenatals completely upset their stomachs and cause constipation.

[Peppamint]

Just thought I'd add.... my : that was in reference to Erin/dharma's post. I tried and tried to edit it and my 'puter just kept freezing.

[ChattyCat]

With my last babe, I took 2 Flintstones everyday, and my perinatologist was fine with it. This time my RE gave me a Rx for chewable prenatals. I'm taking one of these a day this time around. It has higher levels of the vitamins and minerals, and it's actually cheaper for me. Our insurance picks up prescriptions with a minimal copay. My copay for the Rx is cheaper than buying OTC.

[Elowyn]

I found my folic acid at Target. 400mcg. Cost about $2 for 100 tabs. (Last of the big spenders.)

[dshields]

sweet! thanks!

[merrick]

My doc said that it was fine to take the OTCs. She did say when I ran out though that she'd write me an rx for the prescription ones. She didn't seem to think it was any big deal though.