Prenatal Vitamins - Oxford,MI

Hi T.,
Congratulations!! Do you have a Meijer near you? I have been getting mine there for free. It is a special they have. Prenatal plus is free. They seem to work well when I can take them.(I have trouble taking prenatals) I hope this helps!

I bought mine over-the-counter at Costco. It was $12 for 300 pills or something like that. My OB said they were no different than the prescription pills.

I used the Meijer ones and they worked great, and they were cheap. It seems like they are free now too!

I took over the counter prenatal vitamins since they were WAY cheaper. My doctor compared the ingredients with what she prescribed and agreed that the OTC was just fine. The main concern was the amount of iron and folic (acid?) - make sure the percentages are roughly the same as the Duet or the Stuart that you've previously taken.

My doctor explained to me that the cost and the brand name mean very little - it matters what's in the vitamins and the percentages. I also talked to my sister-in-law who is a Registered Dietician and College Prof. - she basically said the same thing. Pay attention to the contents and recommendations. Right now Folic Acid is so important to help your baby's vital organs develop properly.
I tried a number of different brands (including Stuart), but preferred GNC. GNC offers a vitamin with iron and without (depending on how well your body tolerates it). I was able to get the vitamins at Rite Aid for about $9 (much better than $30- for Stuart). There are a number of generic or store-brands available over-the-counter that are perfectly fine and will provide you and your baby with the extra nutrients you need. Congratulations and good luck!

Hi T.! Congratulations on Baby #2!!

There are some very specific things to be asking for in a supplement, especially with the little one inside.

How committed is the manufacturer to purity?

Is the manufacturer committed to scientific research, on their own products as well, to show that the nutrients are available in the blood stream, at the cellular level,in a form that they can be used?

Are you looking for the best option for you and Baby?

If you are curious about this ask me about Folate.

Blessings in this wonderful time!
M.

You can try Trader Joe's Prenatal vitamin. Its $12 for 60 capsules.

Meijers advertises free prenatal vitamins in their circular. You could contact the pharmacy to see the specifics and ask doc to right rx for one that is free

Hi T.,
I know this was mentioned already but I was in Meijers yesterday and heard their add over the intercom that they offer free prenatal vitamins. Sounds like something to look into. Good Luck.

Hi T.,
I used prenatal vitamins that I purchased from the health store. I forgot the name of it, but I believe is was by Twin Lab. It did not have any dyes in it, like the prescriptions that I received from the dr.'s office did. The cost was between $20.-$30., and it lasted for more than a month. Reminder what's really important is to have folic acid in the vitamins, somewhere between 400-800 mcg.
I don't know where you live, but if you live near Roseville, Michigan, the health store that I went to was Vitamin Warehouse.
Good luck,
K.
Good Luck.

I work in an ob/gyn office and our patients always say that Target has a good one.

you can call your insurance co. and ask them what ones are covered/cheaper and then call your ob and they will call in a different script for you. hope this helps...

Hi,

I see you got a lot of responses. I too used Duet. Outside of this prescription I used Solgar Prenatal Supplements. Solgar vitamins are high quality supplements and work very well (I got mine at Whole Foods). Keep in mind to avoid 'cheap' supplements...some companies are not as high quality and you may be wasting your money.

T.,

I agree with the Flintstone vitamins (w/ Iron)!
I take one at night and one in the morning they are perfect for Pre-Natal and after. They are easy on the stomach and inexpensive.

-M.

P.S. I had twin girls.

I know Meijer is currently offing free prenatal vitamins. Maybe check out what kinds are part of the deal and see if your dr will prescribe one of them.

I do not know a specific brand, but if you call your local pharmacy and ask to speak to a pharmacist, THEY will have the answers you need. They can recommend a quality generic, and tell you the name for it, and they will know what each insurance company does and doesn't pay for. Then, you can call your Dr. with all the information you need.
Good luck with your pregnancy. Good thinking to save money with generics. L.

I take the Kirkland brand prenatal vitamins from Costco. When I first started, I brought them in to my ob/gyn and she said if I tolerated them, to go ahead with them. My current ob/gyn (moved) wants me to also take a folate supplement so that I'm at 1200 mg instead of 400 mg, but I would have needed the supplement to get there no matter what brand I took.

Wishing you a happy/healthy.

Hi!

I was at Meijer yesterday and I noticed a sign saying they are now offering prenatal vitamins FREE on top of some of their other free or reduced perscriptions. It is worth checking out.

I think that with my first I took Prenate. There must have been a generic available, because it seemed like I only paid $10. I've also heard that they sell some over the counter, not sure on the quality though. Meijers also offers some generic prenatal vitamins for free. If you have a Meijers in your area, you may want to see if there is a list those vitamins on their website. Then you could print that off and give it to your doctor for his recommendation and prescpription.

Meijer's offers several brands for free now. I took natsl care plus with my last and it is on the list.

Prenatal Plus Tablets

Hi T.!
I was allergic to all the generic they gave me! Some they thought because of the coloring in them-sooooThey told me to take 1 flinstone a day! The Doctors all said it was the SAME thing! And cheaper! They worked great! and I still take them! haha

Meijers will give prenatal vitamins for free..

But if they dont have one that has DHA and ARA included in the vitamin

You can buy expecta by enfamil - they sell it at Walmart for 10.99 for 30 capsules.

The expecta is just dha and ara so you need the prenatal vitamin also.

-- every box of expecta hasa coupon for $2 off - so it is only 8.99 per box.

I asked my dr for samples and he gave me enough samples so I never bought any...becuase my vitamins would have been $30 a month - and I didnt think I needed to spend $1 per day on vitamins..

Hi
My daughter was on different prenatals for 7 years straight, due to pregnancies and nursing. Well, she felt terrible for those 7 years, and has now switched to taking Shaklee Vita Lea Multi vitamins and feels great. Also, she was always anemic before, and the iron made her sick. She is pregnant now and her blood work is great and she called me one day just to tell me how much better she feels on the Shaklee vitamins. These are very reasonably priced and are much more digestible and bioavailable than commercial brands. Many vitamins do not even break down in your body and they are pooped right out without doing anything for you. If you don't know a Shaklee representative, feel free to check out my Mamasource business 'M. Goes Green"
Best Wishes to you and your babies!

I took the Meijer brand pre-natals with my son which my doc said were fine and I didn't have any issues with them.

Check out Meijer. They have expanded their free children's antibiotics program to include free prenatal vitamins for women as well. I don't know if it's just select kinds or not, but it's definitely worth checking out!

Myself (and many others) have taken Flintstone vitamins. I usually took two a day to get enough folic acid. You can also take one Flintstone and supplements. This worked great for me. I hated swallowing those huge prenatal vitamins and they made me sick.

at meijers u can get them for free....

Where are you? If you are in Traverse City, you can get a bottle of prenatals from the Munson hospital pharmacy for a FEW BUCKS. Honestly, since vitamins/supplements are regulated in the US, if I were you, I'd get a list of the nutrients in your current script and go looking for a cheaper alternative. They should all have similar ingredients. Before I discovered the prenatals at the hospital pharmacy, I took Natalcare which is script only, but that was only $12 or so per month. Your Dr./Midwife can prescribe a less expensive alternative. Good luck!

i used a brand at walmart OneSource prenatal... very good and easy on the stomache....

I see you have a billion responses, and I didn't read them, however, I just wanted to make you aware, Mejier gives free prescription prenatal vitamins! Just bring your prescrip. there and it will be free, no strings attached.

I took flinstone chewables complete - seriously (everyone laughs when I tell them) it started when I couldnt keep a pill down in my first trimester then I showed them to my doctor who looked at all the ingredients and said they were absolutely perfect! LOL I had a 9 pound baby!!!

Good morning T....

I have always had problems with swollowing large pills. With my first pregnancy, I was chewing prenatal pills. The taste was nasty...but I got through it. I have decided with my last pregnancy (eight months ago) that I could not take any prenantals period. My OBGYN told me to take Flinstones chewable vitamins. I thought it was weird at first...but I looked at the ingredients and compared it to the prenantals. Oh my gosh! The Flinstones had way more folic acid and nutrients than the prenatals. It ended up working great for me. Sam's Club has the large quantity bottle for cheap.
Perhaps you can try those???

T.

If you have a Sam's club around you go there and get the prenatals big bottle was I think $15.00 quanity is 350 that is what I suggest. It's cheap, last a while and no rx required.

Hi,
I use the Natures Made Prenatal vitamis and they have been working great. You can get them at Costco or Wal Mart. I took them with my daughter who is 8 mnths and still am taking them thru nursing.

Contact Meijer Pharmacy or go online to get the listing of the prenatal vitamins that they offer for free, then talk to your doctor about your options.

Meijer offers free prenatal vitamins now. Mine are covered called Natalcare Plus.

I used Natafort, and while I don't think there is a generic they were really cheap (10 a month of less). This might be the generic name and if so, you might be able to get for $4 or free.

I would also call Sam's and Costco. Prescriptions often coss MUCH less there and I'm pretty sure you do not have to be a member to use the pharmacy (at least at Sam's).

Hi T.,

I have seen advertisements at Kroger and Meijer for Free Prenatal Vitamins. Maybe ask one of the pharmacists at those places which vitamins are included and then check with your doctor.

Many times doctors promote what they are asked to promote by the drug companies, when a cheaper alternative may work just as well.

Good luck!

T.,

When thinking about vitamins and what you are giving your baby and yourself, what do you think is best? We know that folic acid is important for brain development, caclcium/magnesium for bones and nerve support, vitamins A, D, E and all B vitamins are essential for all women. What happens is the baby takes from the mother's body the nutrients to develop. So it is crucial to get a good amount of all vitamins (from diet as well) into the body.

So with all that said, do you think it is possible to get all of that from one vitamin? Have you ever tested to see if the prenatal is being absorbed into the body? Here is a test the the pharmecutical companies use. Take 1/2 cup room temperature water. Put the prenatal vitamin into the water. If after 30 minutes it does not dissolve, it is not being absorbed into the body. So it is going in the mouth and, well coming out the other end in the same form.

Good diet, natural supplements, the right amount of purified water, will give you a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby. To find out what others have found successful, you can email me.

M.

Check at Meijers. They are offering free prenatel vitamins. Find out which ones and have your dr write a prescription for those. Free is free. :)

I had the exact same problem.... Ask your pharmacist which multi-vit. your insurance covers, then call your doc and ask for the script. Or, you can call your insurance and ask which ones they cover, but usually your pharmacist is the best one to start with. good luck. Stuart is a good vit too.

If you are near a Mejier store...they have about 5 prenatal vitamins that are prescribed by your doctor that are free...check it out.

Hi,
I am the mother of a 21month old... While I was pregnant for her I took the Target brand prenatal vitamens. This was the only one that didn't make me feel bad. I took it at night, and if needed a zantac. They were cheap and worked great.
TS

My doctor had me take on Flinstone in the morning and one in the evening. They say prenatals have such a large dose of vitamins that your body can not absorb it all and you end up peeing it out. That is why he had me do the Flinstones. I have heard of other women that were given the same advice. Ask you doctor if it is okay if you do that too. Good luck.

Not sure where you get your prescriptions filled, but Meijer now offers free Prenatal Vitamins. I'm not sure which ones but they are prescription. Might be worth checking it out.

Call Meijer's pharmacy, they do free pre natal vitamins but I'm not sure which ones or if you need a prescription. If you find out which ones they do you could get a new prescription for that one.

I took those too. Fortunately it only cost me around $20 a month though w/ my ins. You can always find great prenatal vitamins at the health food store-and usually the people working in that dept are quite knowledgeable. You can always double check with your Dr.

Hi! Congrats on your pregnancy. I just wanted to mention that I use Natalcare and prenatal vitamins are now FREE!! at Meijer. You might check their website to see if there is a restriction on brands. I just got my natalcare for the first time free from there. Good luck!

I used the Meijer brand that is OTC and my doc was fine with it. The script they gave me wasn't covered either.

Congratulations! I am a big fan of Prima Care One and experienced a similar situation so you have a couple of options. Find out what is the maximum your insurance will allow you to get dispensed at a time and have your OB write the prescription for that amount. I found out I could get a 90 day supply so I asked her to write it for 90@ a time. You can also ask your health insurance to provide you a list of prenatal vitamins that they cover ( and the maximum supply @ a time/ copay)and ask your OB if they have samples. If they don't send an e-mail to the companies themselves and let them know you are considering their brand and could they send you a sample.

Also if in the MI area Meijers is offering a list of free prenatal pills. You can call to get the list and get a reccomendation from some moms as to what they would suggest.

Lastly, CVS sells there store brand prenatal pills, which are often buy one get one free or buy one get one 50% off which would help with the cost. Hope this helps! Peace & Blessings!

Congrats on the pregnancy! Target & Meijer have a generic pre-natal that is equivalent to the Stuart. It costs $5-6 for 100.

If you want to drink your vitamins, I know of an isotonic prenatal vitamin that rocks!

S.
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MEIJER'S!! My insurance changed from one baby to the next and I was prescribed Duet DHA the first time around. Now, my prescription coverage is terrible, but my doctor was able to look into the FREE vitamins Meijer's has to offer, and all she said I was missing was the DHA supplement. So by fixing that, I take omega 3 supplements. WAY cheaper than last time around anyways. GOOD LUCK!!!

I took 'Just 1 once' by Rainbow Light. A bottle of 50 at Target is $9.99. I liked that they were all natural and you only have to remember to take one. My doctor said they were a good choice.

I agree to check on Mejier. I am pregnant with my second child due in October (also have a DD who is 3) and the Mejier brand prenatals compare quite well to the Stuart and are a good price!