Anyone taking Calcium Chews???

I was just wondering. Does anyone know if these are ok? I've been taking Viactiv for a week now. I could NOT get down the liquid calcium anymore!!! I think somewhere along the line at one of the support groups they said they were ok, but I could be wrong.

Nope, Viactiv is not ok. Viactiv is made of Calcium CARBONATE--- after surgery our bodies do not process this kind of calcium as effectively. You should be taking a Calcium CITRATE.

I asked this same question of the nurse practitioner and NUT at the docs office this week and they said their is no real research based data to support this. They said their patients test data does not show differences. This group has done over 2000 surgeries. I have read this everywhere but am not confused on this issue. They said we could do the Viactiv chews.

This is a thread I started on the main board... you may want to check out the info posted sometime... Your the first person Ive ever talked to, or WLS patient that says it's ok to take Calcium Carbonate... http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/postdetail/1893901.html?vc=0

I told my surgeon at my 3 week follow-up appointment that the most difficult thing I had encountered thus far was getting down the huge chewable calcium citrate I had purchased at the health food store (Twinlabs brand....someone told me they tasted like a sweetart, but to me they just taste like chalk). My surgeon asked if I had tried the Viactiv chews. I told him no...since the paperwork he gave me said the best form of calcium for RNY patients is calcium citrate. He told me that at this point, it was just important that I take my calcium. In a few months I should be able to swallow a pill (I plan to take the Citrical Petites which are citrate). My surgeon says he has people who just use Tums for their calcium and their levels are fine. Just sharing what my doctor told me. I bought the Spring Valley sugar-free calcium carbonate chews from walmart. Only 15 calories per chew. Laura Laura

My surgeon has me taking tums right now too. He also just wants me to get the calcium in. I told him I would switch at the end of this bottle to a citrate and he was fine with that. Right now I have to do 2000mg of the carbonate instead of the 1500mg of citrate. I imagine the bottle will not last long at this rate. MsKeara

Rebeka, Citrical has new calcium citrate chews out. They are available at Wal-Mart and in a variety of flavors. They do have sugar, however, so you have to determine if you want to consume the grams of sugar. I don't think it's a ton and most post-ops that have posted on the main message board seem to like them. I take the Spring Valley Sugar-Free calcium citrate chews which I also purchase at Wal-Mart. They don't taste bad to me and I don't have to ingest the extra sugar. The biggest problem with these is remembering to take them 3 times a day instead of once in the morning and once at night. I have a box in my desk at work and try to remember to take it during the day. The chews have fewer miligrams of calcium in each piece so they require more per day. I hope I can soon switch to the Citrical petites. They are smaller than the huge pills. But for now, I still have trouble swallowing pills so I use chewable substitutes as much as possible. Good luck! - Stephanie

I would ask your doctor and do what he/she says because with everything else with this surgery everyone has a different opinion.....I do the chews but that's because my doctor ok'd it. Mimi

Both my nutritionist and the one at Cedars-Sinai hospital said not to take Viactiv and not to take calcium carbonate. The cal carbonate causes constipation and some kind of stones (kidney stones?) - I forget which kind. I take Tropical Oasis liquid - that is what was recommended to me. It has citrate and the other minerals that help our bodies absorb it.

I have to agree with Laura and Darlene. My nutritianist told me the Viactive can possibly cause stones. I was also told that post-op we need calcium citrate. Nadine O.