Calcium

[4youreyesonly]

Good morning, I have osteopenia, been prescribed Accrete D3 twice a day . I do suffer bowel problems and my diet is good. Would it be sensible just to take one tablet and an extra singl vit d 1,000iu . Many thanks

[Fruitandnutcase]

I started off with Accrette and didn’t feel at all well, my doctor then prescribed Ad-Cal which was nice ti take but just as bad for my gut - Ive had IBS for years.

Both products are both calcium carbonate which I have since discovered isn’t the kindest one to take. I spoke to the osteoporosis support nurse and we decided I was probably getting enough dietary calcium so I did that then thought I’d ‘top up’ with some calcium citrate just to be sure so I bought that. I now use a calcium derived from seaweed to top up and it’s ok for my gut.

I take vitamin D3 capsules separately. I test my vitamin D3 regularly throughout the year because I’ve found that I need to take much more than I was getting with the Ad-cal to keep my levels up. I also take K2-Mk7 and magnesium.

The ROS has a good leaflet about dietary calcium and vitamin D theros.org.uk/information-a...

[4youreyesonly in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Many thanks, I too have ibs and seaweed would not be forme because of thyroid but will look into citrate instead .

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to 4youreyesonly]

Gosh, I hadn’t thought of it as being seaweed but I suppose it must be. I’m in remission from Graves and fortunately I’m fine with it.There are other types of calcium other than calcium carbonate - I used to call Accrete ‘concrete’ - suppose it was in a way 🤣

Good luck, hope you find something that suits you.

[Erylg in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

I've read lately about the aortic stenosis with taking calcium supplements, since needed with Prolia, totally upsetting. Check Prolia magnesium and iron. And of course D3 very important and now suggest K2. I take any supplements hours and usually 12 apart from my thyroid med but get cold still next day so I can't take every day. But D doesn't seem to cause issues. I wish I had never started bone meds.

[LM100 in reply to 4youreyesonly]

I don't imagine the source of the calcium citrate matters as long as it has been purified?

[Pte82 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Fruitandnutcase what form of magnesium are you using and how many mg do you take a day?

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Pte82]

Well for a long time I’ve been using Future You but I’ve stopped using that - it contains pyridoxine hydroxide( vitamin B6 ) which I don’t want so I am now taking xSpan Labs magnesium citrate which seems ok and agrees with me. I take one capsule a day

X Span Labs magnesium citrate

[Pte82 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Fruitandnutcase, according to the product label your getting 150mg of elemental magneium a day the 500mg from magnesium citrate buffered is not included because it is a vehicle to carry the elemental magnesium. Magnesium is needed to balance calcium on a 2 to 1 or 1 to 1 ratio so if your using 700 mg of calcium a day 350mg of elemental magnesium is needed to balance it to prevent calcium from going to soft tissue. Also search on "nothing boring about boron" Boron offers wonderful benefits for bone building and arthritis to name a few. Check with your health care professional before using any supplement.

grassrootshealth.net/blog/i...

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Pte82]

Yes, I realise I’m only getting 40% of my daily intake from the capsules, I also use magnesium flakes in my bath, magnesium spray or body cream to rub / spray on and I eat a lot of magnesium rich foods. I take boron and Omega 3 - Algae Oil, 90 Small Capsules (250mg DHA/Capsule) the later of which has had the added bonus of an unexpected but amazing effect on my dry eyes.

[lawdog]

Hello. With my bone density care and EOE I tend to be very conservative about changing anything prescribed by my physicians without following their orders for awhile long enough to see if there is any reason to vary. I’m in the US and am older than you, so because of that, my view may be different than yours. My specialist is a rheumatologist and teaching professor in the medical school at the university in my city. Because working with him over the last 7 years my osteopenia has been improved so well, I trust his collaborative approach with me enough not to substitute or modify without his input. I wish you continued success as you appear to be more knowledgeable about alternatives in the vitamin supplements and brand contents that can vary. 😊

[Mavary]

Hi! If you were prescribed these I would take them. Don’t. Reduce the dose. Your Dr will know and understand your bowel problems. I’m taking calcium tablets and I’ve had major bowel surgery. I’ve still go problems. The calcium does not affect mine. You don’t want to end up with as many debilitating fractures like I’ve got.

[Met00]

NICE recommendations in the UK are to get calcium from diet if at all possible, and only supplement to make up any shortfall. Despite this, many GPs still prescribe a combined calcium/vitamin D supplement as a matter of course! You're more likely to need a calcium supplement if you're having bisphosphonate infusions or prolia injections, but otherwise it should be possible for the vast majority of us to get sufficient from diet. There's some good information on the ROS website, including advice to see your GP if you've been prescribed a supplement but are getting enough from diet: theros.org.uk/information-a...

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Met00]

Exactly- without being asked too much about my diet - I was prescribed the ‘standard’ dose calcium/ vitamin D tablets - in my case Accrette. That was changed to Ad-Cal when I began to have gut pain etc. the annoying thing for me was that it didn’t come as a surprise to my medics that I couldn’t get on with calcium carbonate, seems that’s not unusual but it’s the first thing they offer.

At that point I spoke to my osteoporosis nurse and we worked out that I was pretty much getting enough dietary calcium.

The trouble with the combination I was prescribed was that combined with what I was eating I was getting too much calcium - I couldn’t reduce the dose or I wouldn’t have been getting enough vitamin D because i was taking a calcium / vitamin D combination and to top it all the calcium was calcium carbonate which really didn’t work for my gut.

Not only that the combination I had, even if I were to have taken the full amount, wasn’t giving me as much vitamin D as my body needs to keep my vitamin D level where it should be - I know because I test my own several times throughout the year to be sure.

So here I am, mostly dietary calcium, a tiny daily top up with my algae based calcium and I buy my own vitamin D capsules plus I do regular vitamin D checks with City Assays.

[Met00 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

That's similar to me. My GP is happy for the practice nurse to check my D and calcium levels a couple of times a year, so I monitor that way. The only reason I check calcium is to bring to light any problems (with parathyroid glands for example) as it isn't a measure of absorption. At one point my D level shot up well above the top of the recommended range, I think due to a dietary change that improved my IBS, but I take K2-MK7 too so fortunately it didn't lead to hypercalcemia! I've had to halve my D3 intake to a level that previously wasn't sufficient!

[4youreyesonly in reply to Met00]

Hello , would you recommend taking k2 and magnesium along side vit d

[Met00 in reply to 4youreyesonly]

Yes, they're both recommended. I'm not convinced that you need to take as much magnesium as some say though as, like calcium, it's possible to get plenty in your diet and too much magnesium can cause stomach upsets. I believe that K2 is essential if you're taking anything more than the basic dose of D3, as calcium absorption will increase with extra D3, so the K2 is needed to help direct it to the bones.

[Kaarina in reply to Met00]

Doctors do not think outside the box. It is also much quicker for them to dish out a script than ask the patient what their diet is like and if they take in enough calcium per day. I did it the other way around. Went to my doctor and asked the question. He ran off a quick questionnaire there and then and after completing it at the appointment, agreed I did take enough calcium daily and we ditched the calcium/Vit D combination and he prescribed me Vitamin D only. We have to think outside the box, doctors do not bother for whatever reason.