Calcium - where do you get yours?

Speaking of vitamins...

What kind (brand) of calcium do you take?  Where do you get it?  Are there any good deals out there for calcium citrates?

I would appreciate any information you have.

I use both the Calcium Citrate chewables and chewy bites from Bariatric Advantage.  the chewables have 400mg and the chewy bites 250, so I take one of each three times a day.  I don't know if they're a good deal, but if you order automatic refills they have free shipping.  It's the least number of them to take a day and get the 1800mg my surgeon recommends.

I'm going to be ordering the chewable ones that Therese mentioned. They are actually called the lozenges I believe. I want to use the chewy bites but I think they are rather costly for my budget? Plus being that we'd have to take like 8 a day.. the lozenges are 400 a pop!

I got a sample pack free from Healthpartners.. The chocolate was so so.. but I did like the mixed Berry flavor. I haven't tried the mint or cinnamon yet...

stacy

I'm just totally annoyed with the cost, you know?  As if the economy weren't scary enough now there are the extra cost of supplements.  I knew this going into it but I guess I didn't fully realize the per pill cost associated with taking so many damn pills a day.  My husband really wants to buy an iPhone but due to the cost of my supplements it looks like he will have to hold off.

Edit:  I just received an email from Bariatric Advantage.  They're going to send me some samples of the different calcium citrate products they carry.  It would be nice to go through them since they have had some great customer service so far (emailing on a Sunday?  Come on, that's awesome) and it sounds like a lot of people go through them and like them.

Hey Anna - I am currently doing 100% calcium citrate powder from Dave Chambers online here at OH.  1 bag lasts 3 months and is only 10$.  The only downfall here is that it's kind of a hassel so I do have the calcium petites with me at all times in case I don't have anything to mix the powder in.  I am putting 3/4 of a tsp in my slim fast in the AM.  Then when I have a yogurt throughout the day I mix it in there.  And then in the off chance I need to take my calium I put it in ho****er it seems to dissolve much better in hot than is cold and isn't so grainy then.  PM me and I will give you Dave's contact info if you would like to try the powder.
Sal

To all of you WLS "youngins"....once your pouch grows up some, you may be able to handle swallowing normal size tabs.  If so, like me...you can head to Costco and get their Kirkland brand of Calcium Citrate or something similar elsewhere.  The chewy calciums are more expensive I think, so maybe later on you can graduate to the non chewy ones and save some money.

Just a thought.

I just wonder about the whole - can they be absorbed thing, with the pouch.  I supposed if they're absorbed when you chew them, it would work the same way if they're whole.  How big are they?  I'm currently taking the actigall and that is HUGE, but apparently dissolves quickly.

They absorb just like any other pill or tablet I take.  My labs have been good for 6 years now.  They are pretty big in WLS terms but I haven't had any trouble with them.  I suppose you could crush them too - but that's probably not necessary, then you might as well go with the powder.  I've ordered powder online and it's cheap, but I thought it was a pain to stir it into stuff and thought it was kinda grainy.  Easier for me to swallow and get it over with!  But I understand the pill size issue for the newbie!  I haven't forgotten that!

Just thought I'd mention it since some folks were concerned about cost.

I took forward to being able to swallow the pills instead of crushing or cutting them.

Thanks Lori... The petites are totally annoying me to hell.. cutting them up into teeny parts with a pill cutter to get them down is SUCH a drag! And I tried the "oh just dissolve them in water"... blech.. no thanks.. Thats why I figured I'd purchase the chewables.  It's good to know down the road we'll be able to take those..

And I'm right there with ya Anna.. I knew the cost of them was coming but when you actually start looking at them to purchase.. yikes.. and we're all on a budget these days!