Adcal or not

[Pinkpeony]

Sorry I'm unable to cut and paste. A recent letter to a doctor in the newspaper asked about having taken Lansoprazole for a problem can cause bones to thin. Recently diagnosed with advanced Osteoporosis she has been prescribed AA and Adcal. The doctor suggests that calcium carbonate would be better changed to calcium citrate. I have been taking Adcal for 8 +Years and have an increasingly bad stomach and the GP has given me Lansoprazole. I have to say I haven't taken this. An attempt at Oneprazole gave me agonising stomach pains. Any thoughts. Pp

[Hidden]

Lanzoprazole is bone thinning. I have osteoporosis and until recently have been taking prescribed Calcium Carbonate with added Vitamin C. Like many others, I am intolerant of bisphosphonates which are the usual medication for Osteoprosis.

However, after 10 years of Calcium / Vit D, I am now very aware of the dangers of calcium to the arteries and kidneys, not to mention constipation. Doctors don’t seem to have any awareness of the risks.

I now take Vitamin D with Vitamin K (Better You Spray) which is safer and more effective.

ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/v...

Be aware that gastric problems are often caused by low thyroid levels. If you have to take Lanzoprazole or another PPI, take for two weeks only. It also interferes with absorption of thyroid hormones.

[Pinkpeony in reply to Hidden]

You sound very much like me . It's very difficult trying to handle your own illness because the only alternative are doctors who neither know nor care.I have no intention of taking Lanzaprazole and handle my symptoms as best I can. Best Wishes Pp

[Hidden in reply to Pinkpeony]

Best wishes to you 😉

[Pinkpeony in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. You too! Just a footnote. I have advanced Osteoporosis and refused Prolia etc. After failures with Levo and Liothyronine I take NDT, To say I'm surviving just about covers it. I take Apixaban so am wary of K2 Regards to All! Pp

[Hidden in reply to Pinkpeony]

They stopped Prolia in UK. I had a good six months on it before MRHA banned it. They’ve now reintroduced it for people who have no cardiac problems. I’m thinking of asking GP if I can have it again.

[Pinkpeony in reply to Hidden]

I wish you luck. I am too unwell to add the possible horrendous side effects some people were having. I had no idea it had berm removed. My rheumatologist was happy enough to offer me it 18 mths ago. Pp

[nellie237 in reply to Pinkpeony]

Hi Pinkpeony,

I read a post on here a few months ago..... A lady on blood thinners spoke to her Haematologist about taking K2, and the Haematologist was happy for the lady to do so. If I remember correctly he advised extra blood testing for a while, and that she would have to take the same amount every day to see if it had any effect/whether they would need to adjust her dose of blood thinners.

[MaggieSylvie in reply to Hidden]

Would Omeprazule have the same effect? I've just stopped taking it as I've stopped taking paracetamol and am dealing with pain with Heal & Sooth instead. I've been taking it for a long time and am wondering whether it has had anything to do with my recent strange thyroid blood reading. I also take AA and Evacal but I'm planning to stop taking them when I've used my current prescription up - about two months worth, as I don't have osteoporosis and it was given to help me not have further compression fractures.

[Hidden in reply to MaggieSylvie]

Omeprazole belongs to same group as Lanzoprazole - Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI). My thyroid blood tests dipped when I was on them.

[Hidden in reply to MaggieSylvie]

If you’ve had compression fractures, you do need something to protect your bones and further compression fractures. I take Vit D with Vit K (Better You Spray). I also take Magnesium. Have you had a DEXA scan to evaluate the state of your bones? Compression fractures are unusual in healthy bones.

[MaggieSylvie in reply to Hidden]

MyJune DEXA scan showed my bones to be in good condition for my age but I've been on AA and Evacal since February. My teeth have become sensitive and I'm about to see my dentist next month and discuss it with them. I don't know whether I should take Vit K because I have MDS/MPN with ET and take aspirin to avoid platelets clotting.

My GP did a blood test that showed TSH at 0.02 and T4 was also the low end of normal. My GP diagnosed hypothyroid on the basis of this and I plan changing to another GP before requesting med changes. I am attracted to the idea of taking magnesium but don't know whether I'm lacking in it. I was on Lansoprazole, stopped it for a while and then continued with Omeprazule once a day. I might be able to do without it, or to take it as and when. I fell from standing, hard onto my bottom and that started off the fractures, so I guess anyone my age could have sustained those injuries.

[Hidden in reply to MaggieSylvie]

You must take medical advice on your meds. Vit K is a blood thinner.

[MaggieSylvie in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your help, MorecambeBay. I will make a note of the meds you suggest and discuss it with a more knowledgeable GP.

[Pinkpeony in reply to MaggieSylvie]

Where do you find a more knowledgeable GP these days let alone simply a GP. Good Luck Pp

[MaggieSylvie in reply to Pinkpeony]

I'm hoping there will be one in my little surgery. I have too much going on now with my health to have to keep talking to one who seems to know nothing about any of my conditions. My haematologist is helpful but she can't be expected to know about widely differing conditions. Thanks for your good luck wishes.

[Pinkpeony in reply to MaggieSylvie]

I'm of an age to remember Family Doctors who knew about everything and it was a last resort to refer you. Ah well I can say I was there 😊

[MaggieSylvie in reply to Pinkpeony]

I can remember family doctors; they visited you at home if you were in bed and they visited you in hospital as well. I don't remember anyone being referred in those days.

[Hidden in reply to Pinkpeony]

I remember that ours wore a white coat and used to give the children dolly mixtures which were in an orange Elastoplast tin 😊

[Pinkpeony in reply to Hidden]

I remember my mum called him when I had a throat infection and we sat in front of a blazing fire and he gave me antibiotic tablets that were the size of a 50p. I'm getting carried away now. 😉 Regards Pp

[nellie237 in reply to Hidden]

I haven't read anywhere that Vit K is a blood thinner.......I think that you have got a bit muddled here. Vit K1 aids clotting. The NHS needs to get up to speed and differentiate between K1 & K2

"Vitamin K is a group of vitamins that the body needs for blood clotting, helping wounds to heal." = K1

There's also some evidence vitamin K may help keep bones healthy." = K2

nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-...

[Hidden in reply to nellie237]

Forgive me Nellie. You’re quite right. Apologies for the mistake 🙃

MaggieSylvie

[greygoose]

What exactly do you mean by 'a bad stomach'? Most hypos have low stomach acid. PPIs reduce it even further, making the problem worse. I would suggest you read this article and do the home test at the end to see if your problem is low stomach acid:

healthygut.com/3-tests-for-...

Have you had your vit D tested? Optimal vit D is essential for healthy bones. Taking vit D increases absorption of calcium from food. To make sure that extra calcium gets into the bones and teeth, and doesn't build up in the arteries and soft tissues causing problems, you take vit K2-MK7 with the vit D. You should also take magnesium because vit D and magensium work together, and good levels of magnesium are also essential for healthy bones. This cocktail of nutriens is far better for your bones than taking any sort of calcium, which is like swallowing rocks, and very badly absorbed.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Pinkpeony in reply to greygoose]

Nice to hear from you g I was diagnosed with Gastritis and Diverticulosis a few years ago. I will take a look at the tests. Thanks for the reply. Pp

[greygoose in reply to Pinkpeony]

You're welcome.

[Nanaedake]

You mention diverticulosis. It's very common. You may be able to prevent it developing into diverticulitis through a really good high fibre diet but I think the jury is still out on whether that definitely prevents it. In any case, a high fibre diet is likely to make your gut more comfortable with diverticulosis. Eating some fermented food daily seems to help I find.

Adcal contains calcium carbonate which can contribute to constipation whereas I believe that calcium citrate does not cause constipation. So with diverticulosis it's important to avoid constipation which might be why calcium citrate was advised.

[Pinkpeony in reply to Nanaedake]

To be honest I'm not sure of the difference between the two. Pp

[humanbean]

Anyone who takes calcium in any form should get it tested regularly to be sure they actually need it.

Excessive calcium could end up lining the arteries instead of doing anything useful and desirable.

[Pinkpeony in reply to humanbean]

Thanks humanbean. In the last few months I have had myriad blood tests, but no mention of calcium. The reason for my post was that I wondered if taking Adcal for so long is in any way to do with my weight loss?

[humanbean in reply to Pinkpeony]

I'm not aware of any connection between calcium/Vitamin D and weight loss.

Since you've been diagnosed with diverticulosis have you ever been given a test to check for blood loss in your poo? Have you ever had a colonoscopy? Have you got any symptoms suggestive of bowel cancer?

nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-can...

I think you need more investigation. Stomach pain and unexplained weight loss in someone with a known bowel problem should not be taken lightly.

[Pinkpeony in reply to humanbean]

This has got a bit complicated and off the track. I had the left half of my large bowel removed in 2003. Hence regular Colonoscopies etc. The question was basically Calcium carbonate via Calcium citrate and the possible effect on bones. I hav e perhaps couched my query in a confusing way. I thank you for your reply! Pp

[humanbean in reply to Pinkpeony]

Perhaps these two websites might have the answer you want, although you may well have come across them before :

saveourbones.com/

betterbones.com/

And this might be worth checking out - although the latest reference is from 2008 so it is very old and I would double check everything it says with more up-to-date references :

betterbones.com/wp-content/...

The ones that interest me are boron and possibly strontium, but I haven't done anything about either (so far). I already take several of the listed nutrients anyway.

[humanbean in reply to humanbean]

Oh, I forgot to say...

Personally, I wouldn't take calcium in any form because I know my levels are always high in range. If you don't know your level I would ask your doctor to test them for you.

Medichecks does this test but only for people who can go in person to The Doctors Laboratory in London, which isn't of much use to many of their customers.

medichecks.com/products/cal...

I haven't found anywhere else that will do the test without spending more money than I'm prepared to pay.

[Pinkpeony in reply to humanbean]

Thank you for the information. I will peruse them when I have a chance. Pp