I just found out that I am about 5 weeks pregnant with my 2nd! I am taking a prenatal called "Conceive" my Dr gave my when we were trying. It has 1mg of folic acid and costs about $30/month and ins doesn't pay. I have seen a few over the counter prenatal's (for about half the cost and almost double the supply) but most have about 800mcg folic acid. My one a day vit that I take anyway has about 300mcg folic acid, so I was thinking about taking that along with the OTC vit and it would equal what is in the Rx vit. Does anyone know about how much folic acid is reccomended? My son is almost 5 so it has been a while! My first Dr appt is mid Jan and I don't want to go that long without the folic acid. Thanks.
The recommended amount is 800 mcg. I was taking an extra folic acid pill in addition to the prenatal and my doctor said it was too much.
I use the Prenatal vitamin from Walmart by Spring Valley. Very economical. I showed my obgyn the label and he approved.
Hey K.,
I am six almost 6 months pregnant now, so I am pretty up on how much folic acid to get. My doctor didn't even give me a prescription for prenatal vitamins. I have been going to GNC and getting their prenatal vitamins. The March of Dimes Foundation recommends that pregnant women get 600mcg of folic acid per day. So 800mcg is more than enough. If you are over 30 years old, I would probably look into taking more, but if you are in your 20's, you should be more than fine with 800mcg. For a while, I was taking a prenatal with 400mcg and eating foods that are high in folic acid such as wheat pasta, whole grain breads, sun flower seeds, cereals, etc. There are so many foods out there that give you lots and lots! Also, I WOULD NOT take a vitamin that is not marked prenatal under any circumstances. There is way too much vitamin A. The vitamin A found in prenatals are lower in dose or comes in the form of Beta Carotin (sp?). Too much vitamin A while you are pregnant can cause birth defects (do some research on this to find out recommended doses). I hope any of this helps you out. Blessings to you and your baby!
400mcg is the recommeded daily amt for pregnancy.
You should be able to check the label from the vitamin the doctor gave you and find something similar in an over the counter supplement.
Also, ask your doctor for free samples, see if the product or maker has a website and log on to check for free offers, last but not least there are too many other choices and options out there; ask your doctor why they choose this particular supplement for you, if for no other reason than it's popular (or they may be getting perks for pushing the product) ask him or the nurse for something that works just as well and/or over the counter. Even if you have to buy a separate bottle of folic acid to go with it.
Hi, You can take as much folic acid as you want. My dr. told me it can't hurt you. It was recommended to me to take extra folic acid due to my neice having spina bifida and my sister-in-law having a baby with a related birth defect. You can take an OTC prenatal vitamin and buy the folic acid separate if your doctor wants to to take more than what is in the OTC vitamin (this is what I did and my son is healthy). Brain and spinal defects occur during the first few months of pregnancy, which they believe is caused by a folic acid deficiency, so you could even switch to the OTC one after your first trimester.
Hope this isn't confusing? Congratulations!
Hi K., COngrates! I'm pregnant with my 3rd. This time my Dr. has let me take an over the counter prenatal vit. I got it at walmart it's by spring valley. the folic acid you need now is at least 400mg.My vit has 800mg in it. You can try this, I have been on this since june i'm fine. Baby is due in feb. She is just great. I hope this helps.
Hi K.,
I am a Pharmacy student at the Univeristy of South Carolina and am also 5 months pregnant. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends a minimum of 400 micrograms daily (0.4 milligrams) to prevent neural tube defects in pregnancy. Doctor's recommend different strengths, but the OTC 800 microgram products have plenty, especially this early in your pregnancy. The doctor will let you know at your first appointment if he thinks you need more, but that will definitely be fine until then! It is actually not true that you can take as much folic acid as you want. The reason some prenatals are prescription and some are OTC is because taking too much Folic Acid can mask other problems like Vitamin B12 deficiency which leads to macrocytic anemia. You should definitely not take more than 1mg without MD supervision.
C.
I definitely recommend getting something cheaper, there are some very high quality vitamins that you can purchase at the vitamin shoppe or a health food store that will cost about 1/2 and will have the proper amount of folic acid. You should take 400mg per day, although more will not hurt you, but especially in these first few developmental months you want to be sure to take enough. Also get on a good calcium supplement most vitamins do not contain enough calcium and this is really important. I learned about 6 months into my pregnancy that I wasn't taking enough and that the baby was taking my reserve and so I had to go on a liquid form and take about 2000mg per day, all spaced as the body can only absorb 500 at a time. Congratuations to you and good luck.
