Hey all,

Ive been taking all of my vits apart from Calcium citrate. The only reason is because i cant find it in liquid or chewable form anywhere! I found pills but they are huge and i would need to take them twice a day. My stomach is still too new for that. Sould i just take calcium carbonate?

Were suppose to. But I don't take my calcium because with that and iron I'm stopped up like you would not believe and nothing helps relieve it. I will be bringing that up to my Dr though, They have ones called Viactiv and those are chewable, yummy flavors like caramel and chocolate

I have the Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate soft chews, they taste like starburst if you get lemon and berry flavors. They were only 10 dollars for a bag of 60 at my doctors office but you can buy them direct from the BA website.

I live in UAE and its very hard to order anything from usa as customes is very strict, i need to find something here and choice is very limited.Thanks for input though.

Calcium carbonate is only absorbale if taken with food and needs an acidic environment, and the calorie/carb/sugar count on those lovely little chocolate/caramel chewables are kind of high.

But apart from needing food to be absorbed, it's the cheapest, and lowest form of calcium available. You can take the carbonate, but my PCM won't even recommend it for his patients with normal anatomy because it thinks it's just junk.

Blood levels that check calcium will not detect bone issues. That is a blood plasma level for calcium and the concern with us needing calcium citrate is for most of us, we're on a PPI which neutralizes acid, and calcium carbonate needs an acidic environment and/or food to be absorbed. Well, when we're on a PPI, it impedes the calcium absorption. So, if we're in that lovely age to boost calcium intake to prevent osteoporosis, it's vital to take citrate.

With some Vitamins, it's a "some if better than none" but it usually isn't the case with calcium. Can you not check with your surgeon to see if they can it shipped in for you from Bariatric Advantage, or Celebrate Vitamins which both offer chewable options.

Have you tried ordering on line? I know my calcium levels dropped when I stopped taking it for just a two week period and I was already five months out so I believe it is important to take.

I take the Bariatric Advantage lozenges. They are ok but get old kinda fast. I might try the chews next time... if I ever get through this huge tub I have!!

As Tiffykins said you can take it but you need to have an acidic environment in your stomach to take it. It is a poor form of Calcium. I hope you find something that works. I have a really good liquid one from Costco made by wellesse.

Are you not able to order things online? There are many places you can get it online.

vitacost.com has everything you could even imagine. They have calcium citrate in several chewable forms as well as capsules that aren't that big.

I also really like the liquid calcium citrate that I get from costco. You can order through Costco online, I am sure.

Hey Groove,

I bought the giant pills accidently and have put off taking them until now. I know I need to be more vigilant in taking my vitamins because I have not taken them since surgery, which was on 3/1/11.

I took them today by breaking them in half. They did go down, but not as easy as I would like. So I plan on crushing them and adding them to my drink or some yogurt or maybe breaking them into more than 2 pieces.

Give it a try, I think it would be better than taking the carbonate.

Hey all,

Ive been taking all of my vits apart from Calcium citrate. The only reason is because i cant find it in liquid or chewable form anywhere! I found pills but they are huge and i would need to take them twice a day. My stomach is still too new for that. Sould i just take calcium carbonate?

I got liquid calcium citrate at Rite Aid.

Remember also if you are taking calcium while eating something else make sure the food does not have iron in it. It will add to the block of the absorption of the calcium. I try to take my calcium on an empty stomach or no sooner than 2 hours after eating anything, then do not eat anything for at least one hour after.

i wasnt advised to do so...maybe that will change...

Trust me it is NOT just the calcium and iron that is plugging you up, it is the sudden consumption to protein to carb ratio. It will all balance out but it takes a few months. Miralax is a is my savior on that subject!

I live in UAE and its very hard to order anything from usa as customes is very strict, i need to find something here and choice is very limited.Thanks for input though.

If you are not taking an antacid or PPI and are not post-menopausal, hypothyroid, or have osteopenia the calcium carbonate is okay. As others have mentioned, it requires an acid environment for absorption, but if you're not on an antacid or PPI you have an acid environment in your stomach.

Between the two types, calcium citrate is better absorbed and is the better choice for folks who run the risk of osteoporosis (like being post-menopausal, having hypothyroidism, or having been diagnosed with osteopenia).

In my view, some calcium is better than no calcium.

Dont take it with vitamins that contain iron either... I was reading something on here the other day that said you should actually take at least 1700mgs of calcium citrate to start to reduce bone loss.... expensive! The Bariatric advantage losenges are the cheapest ones I found ( in the giant bottle) Each chewable is 500 mgs... comes in 4 different flavors...