Supposed to start taking Calcium at 4 weeks. That will be Thursday. I was re reading my instructions yesterday and noticed that it says it must be calcium citrate. Of course, I purchased all my post op vitamans and supplements before surgery. I now notice that I picked up calcium carbonate.

Question is what is the difference and why only citrate? Maybe the way it is absorbed? I googled it but really just came up with a bunch of junk ads. I know I can call but really don't feel like it.

Anyone?

Yes citrate is more easily absorbed with our new stomachs.. It important that it is citrate. You will not find them in chews unless you order them online, there are powders and pills in pharmacies though.

Calcium citrate is more readily absorbed by your body

From WebMD:

What kind of calcium supplement should you take?

"I tell my patients to take the kind that they tolerate best and is least expensive," Bolster says. She says she recommends calcium carbonate because "it's inexpensive, won't cause discomfort, and is a good source of calcium."

Some people may have problems producing sufficient stomach acid

, or may be taking medications that suppress acid production. For them, says Puzas, a calcium citrate supplement might be better because it "dissolves a little better than calcium carbonate for these people."

I bolded the part the relates to us sleevers. Remember, we had 85% of our stomachs removed. We are not going to produce the amount of stomach acid *normal* people do.

Thanks everyone. I thought perhaps it might the way it is absorbed. Guess I better get on the stick and order me some!

Right now I am taking Wellesse liquid calcium (found it at the grocery store), but I also have Calcet chewables. They are the best ones I've found so far. Just in case you needed an idea!

I'm not sure if this is "scientific evidence" but I accidentally bought calcium carbonate via on-line bariatric surgery website. After enjoying the scruptious chocolate covered caramel chews (3X a day) for about a month, I noticed my hip bones starting to give me trouble (I'm not a spring chicken -- 52, but now I'm the new 32 after my sleeve! But my bones are still 52!) I checked the ingredients to see if maybe they were the "wrong" calcium supplements-- lo and behold they were not calcium citrate! Boo hoo! I am now taking 12 Citricell minis a day (4 with each meal). They are smaller so go down easy, but boy I miss those caramel chews! (They also had 30 calories each, so I think they contributed to my "stall" at that time as well! My hip bone no longer aches, so I think that the calcium absorption may have been affected as well.) Hope this helps!

I realize this is an old topic but it’s came up for me when I was searching for calcium info. I just read that calcium carbonate doesn’t work as well post bariatric surgery because it can block some of the absorption of vitamin b (because of our low stomach acid production). Just wanted to add that for anyone else who comes across this question wanting to know!