Calcium supplements, side effects

[Glasgow22]

Have been taking calcium 1500 mg since fracture of vertebrae about 18months ago. Now have constipation wind and bloating. Have just read calcium supplement can be causing this. I have ms so dont have dairy. Does anyone else have this problem?

[Glasgow22]

I'm stopping calcium from tomorrow. My digestive system is dreadful. Never had problems before supplementing. Thankyou.

[Bocara66 in reply to Glasgow22]

Hi Glasgow22, I too questioned the amount of calcium supplement prescribed to me as well. I fractured my T6 & T7 in April May and then T9 in June. I didn't have any falls, I was just picking something up from the floor! I have stopped taking the calcium although I am taking D3 because my digestive system is also dreadful and this has only happened since I started to take the calcium . I have a very healthy diet including calcium enriched foods and no osteoporosis in my family. My bloods all came back ok but I am now awaiting results from 24 hour urine analysis. I have never had any digestive problems in my life until now.

[MCW22]

I was prescribed calcichew twice a day and they made me nauseous and constipated so I dropped down to just one which eased the situation yet was enough to improve my calcium levels when it was next tested

[Glasgow22 in reply to MCW22]

Thankyou that is an option. Stopping today and see if my symptoms improve.

[Dorsetlass2300]

Hi Glasgow 22 It might be worth asking for a different calcium supplement. I felt very nauseous and bloated taking Calcichew Told my GP who put me on Adcal which is fine. But I only take half the dose my doctor prescribed because she took no account of the calcium rich foods I also eat. As wbiC says you can take too much calcium which creates its own problems. I take Vitamin K2 to direct the calcium to the bones and away from the arteries.

Hope you are able to get this sorted. All very difficult at the moment☹️

[Fruitandnutcase]

Hi, not surprised you are feeling awful. That was a lot of calcium you were taking. Too much isn’t good for you.

I was given Acrette - instant gut problems, changed onto AdCal, more pleasant to take but still had gut problems. Spoke to my fracture liaison nurse and it was decided that I was probably getting enough dietary calcium - I don’t drink milk, don’t like dairy and although I can take cheese I don’t love it so don’t take much.

I was given an ROS leaflet about calcium containing foods - see link below- and discovered quite a lot of calcium rich foods that I actually liked. So I eat lots of them. I eat a lot of green leafy vegetables though as a base, then top up throughout the day with an orange, dried figs, almonds and other nuts and seeds. Then recently I bought my own calcium citrate tablets and take one a day with no obvious problems. I’m thinking of moving on to vegetable based calcium next and giving it a try.

Make sure you retake D3 with it, I take K2- Mk4 Natto and magnesium as well plus omega 3 algae oil and a few other things but take D3 and K2 at least.

theros.org.uk/information-a...

[Glasgow22 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thank you for the information, will try. A much lower dose . Plus more dietary supplementation.

[8fractures]

Hi, I was told by the osteoporosis consultant to take 1200 mg calcium daily, after 8 rebound spontaneous vertebral fractures caused by the hospital stopping denosumab and putting me on a drug holiday. After a blood test showed I was close to top of "normal" range, with her agreement I reduced to 1,000 mg daily. I read that the body can only absorb 400-500mg at a time so the 1,000 mg supplement in one tablet prescribed for me was useless. I also take Vitamins D3 & K2. I'm currently taking Forsteo (teriparatide) injections - one side effect is kidney stones. In June having experienced abdominal pain, I was diagnosed with an 8mm kidney stone, which I eventually managed to flush out by drinking lots of parsley tea. As a result, the consultant advised me to halve the daily calcium dose to 500 mg which I take spaced out over the day. Meanwhile, I found out about another supplemen,t which claims to be better absorbed, called Density. It's very expensive, and I buy it on ebay. A recent blood test showed that I was in the middle of the normal range - and that's on 500 mg daily. The tablets are 200mg and best taken on an empty stomach so I take 2 and a half a day.

[Corrina97]

I take calcium and have theses problems too. I had thought it might be caused by the Denosumab I have just started taken. Hadn't known calcium can cause this.