Thanks for all the contributions to this question.
As there seems to be incomplete information about this I decided to go and ask a pharmacist I’ve known for some time, who is familiar with my drug regime, about what advice he has about when I should take my Adcal-C calcium supplement. There’s nothing in the box or other sources specifically about its effect on Pred.
He said that because the Adcal-C forms a calcium emulsion in the stomach, if it is present at the same time as one takes the Pred tablets (or any others) it will coat it/them and make the absorption of the drug less effective . This phenomenon is purely “physical” and not some mysterious chemical interaction between the Adcal-C and the Pred, so to ensure I get the maximum benefit from the Pred I need to take the Adcal–C 2 hours before or after it.
Based on his advice I shall stop taking my 2nd Adcal-C at bedtime at the same time as I take my evening dose of Pred. I’m still going to avoid taking it within 2 hours of those mentioned foods. Need a degree in maths….. Adcal-C not within 2 hours of Pred or wholegrains, spinach/foods rich in Oxalic acid. Lanzaprazole an hour before food. Pred with some food.
As we are all so concerned that we get the maximum benefit from the steroid it is in my opinion vital that we don’t do anything that inhibits this. Doing something, as I have been, that could make the Pred less effective could mean I am taking more than I need to compensate and hold me back in getting down to my optimal minimum dose.
Just hoping today's strong pong of pig manure doen't have any similar effect - joys of living in an agricultural area!
I hope this helps in our quest for the Holy Grail.
Written by
Roltuba
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If this forum didn't exist I would have innocently continued taking my calcium supplements at the same time as my pred dose, simply for convenience. I still don't understand why my rheumy didn't make a point of telling me to take them separately. Still, although I had learned the need to do so, I never really knew why, so it's interesting to read what your pharmacist told you.
Not much pig manure where I live (north London) but sometimes a strong smell of diesel fumes, spoiling the weather when it's warm. At least the pig muck pong won't shorten your life!
Roltuba
Thanks for this, with your permission, l’d like to edit the post to just the explanation & pin it for future reference?
MrsN
• in reply to
I was told by my first Consultant (so long ago) not to take the Calcium with the Pred that l have had a Reminder in my phone since then, but to be honest l never asked why, l just did as she said & have always done so.
Thanks to Roltuba’s Pharmacist & to Roltuba for wanting to know why!
On the other hand my pharmacist didn't tell me not to take calcium with my pred and I didn't know I needed to ask. Admittedly calcium is not on prescription here. Only a label saying to take pred with food, plus the lengthy printout of side effects, etc. Consequently until I happened to find out about the contraindication through one of the forums I took both things together during the months my pred dose was at its highest.
Somewhere I've read that pred also interferes with the action of calcium so it's a double whammy.
I wouldn't have known about this if it hadn't been for this forum either. To start with I took it in the morning at the same time as everything else. Now I take it at lunchtime instead - in fact the reminder on my phone reminds me that it's lunch time too.
It is difficult to take our medication in the correct order,l have to take Leverthyroxine first,and wait an hour to take the pred.,with food,two hours later .The Adcal C two hours later,and again about Seven pm.l sympathise with you regarding the pig manure ,the smell must be very off putting for you,,the problem smell l get here is from a recycling plant that recycles food waste,it is like having a very smelly dustbin lorry parked outside my house ,and the smell gets into the house when any windows are open,it really turns my stomach !l do not know which is worse!
Just to get a word in - ALWAYS ask whether meds should be taken before, after or with meals. ALWAYS ask whether any foods should be avoided or chosen. ALWAYS ask whether it's best to take certain meds together or take them alone...and how long a gap between taking one or the other. And TAKE NOTES.
And ask EVEN WHEN IN THE HOSPITAL. Doling out food is on one schedule and doling out meds is on another, done by different departments, and they don't consult one another.
Ask a doctor and ask a pharmacist. Their educations are different, and if you get differing opinions, ask for another. Make sure everyone knows all of the meds you're taking. And when I say meds, I mean prescribed medication, vitamins, supplements, herbs and all. Ask about caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and other "recreational" substances, too.
Also, ALWAYS check your dosage on the package, and always check the contents to see if anything looks different. My husband was discovered taking double the dose because the wrong pills were loaded into his prescription bottle, whose label reflected what was prescribed but whose contents was the wrong strength. He thought he had picked up a bug, when actually he was overdosing.
No matter how hard people try, mistakes are made. You're your own last line of defense in stopping problems.
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