According to Axcan pharmaceuticals, AquADEKs were supposed to be ready for purchase online by February. I checked out their website just over a week ago and they were not yet set up for online orders. So I went to SourceCF and ordered the competitor's product. So far I'm REALLY happy with it.
The water soluble ones cannot be chewed (unless you want a REALLY nasty taste and a stained mouth). They're about as long as the traditional ADEKs, but slender. Almost like a skinny Creon. MUCH easier to swallow than the nasty dry ADEKs. They are VERY deep orangish-red. They smell vaguely similar to traditional ADEKs, but that's only noticeable if you've got the whole bottle opened under your nose.
I've been taking them now for over a week, and this may be just a coincidence, but today I noticed that my stools have been almost normal in color, which indicates that I'm definitely getting the nutrients I need from somewhere.
I'll keep y'all posted.
Just to clarify, I'm taking the SourceCF(tm) version of the multivitamin which has zinc added, not the AquADEKs (r)
Here's a link to the SourceCF softgels:
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://sourcecf.com/store.htm#softgel
">http://sourcecf.com/store.htm#softgel
</a>
and here's one for AquADEKs
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.aquadeks.com/order_online.php
">http://www.aquadeks.com/order_online.php
</a>
By the way, the "order aquADEKs online" function is STILL not working. I have called the company to ask if they could tell me which pharmacies in my area have them. The do not have a database with that sort of information and said I should just call around on my own.
Here's a link to SourceCF's page that has a cross comparison of the amounts of each vitamin/nutrient in the softgels as compared to others.
Here's my own list (may be repeat info...my apologies)
SourceCF Softgels (ABDEK + Zinc)
A 9000 IU (40% Palmitate, and 60%beta-carotene)
C 100mg
D 400 IU
E 200 IU
K 500mcg
Thiamin 1.5 mg
Riboflavin 1.7mg
Niacin 20mg
B6 1.9mg
Folic Acid 200mcg
B12 6 mcg
Biotin 100mcg
Pantothenic Acid 12mg
Zinc 10mg
AquADEKs
A 18,167 IU (8% Palmitate, and 92%beta-carotene)
C 75mg
D 800 IU
E 950 IU
K 750 mcg
Thiamin 1.5mg
Riboflavin 1.7mg
Niacin 20mg
B6 1.9mg
Folic Acid 200mcg
B12 12 mcg
Biotin 100mcg
Pantothenic acid 12mg
zinc 10mg
beta-carotene 10mg
The biggest difference is in the amount of Vitamin A. Personally, since I already have a bit of liver damage, it's in my best interest to stay away from high concentrations of vitamin A. I guess it's a toss up between SourceCF softgels and AquADEKs on that front. I think the ultimate deciding factors will be price and taste. (Isn't everything? ha!)