Question for RD or Senior WLS patient

What do you guys know about Viactiv calcium for women is it ok to take? I took one today because I'm out of my normal supplement and I bought a whole box before my surgery thinking I could have them but haven't use them until now.  If there ok  I'd like to use them just because I've already paid for them and am not getting much use out of them.-Just wondering?

If you had an RNY they won't work for you.  They require stomach acid to absorb the calcium because they are a calcium carbonate.  RNY patients don't have the necessary stomach acid for absorption so we have to have calcium citrate.

Read the label, and see if it's calcium citrate. If not, don't use it. Calcium citrate is the type of calcium you need for the rest of your life, 1500-2000mg per day. It also has to be taken in doses of 500-600mg as the body can't properly absorb any more than that at one time. Also, do not take your calcium citrate with any iron supplement or vitamins/iron, as the iron and calcium bond with one another and you lose their full benefits.

It's fine to take. This form of calcium IS absorbable, but for future purchases, calcium citrate is a better choice. But, you WILL absorb this calcium, so it's not a waste & go ahead & use it.

Okay, I'm confused.  Will you or won't you absorb the calcium carbonate if you've had rny?

Here's the scoop...if you ask a patient on these boards they're probably going to tell you that you CAN'T absorb carbonate...only citrate...but if you ask a surgeon, nutritionist, metabolic specialist etc. they will tell you that you CAN....but that citrate is MORE absorbable. Bottom line...if we're talking 1 box/bottle of carbonate I wouldn't worry a bit...just use it.  If we're talking about what you should look for if it's available then go for the citrate...why take chances long-term?? Heather

Ohhhkkkaayyyy, I get it now!  Basically, the term "as well" gets left off.    LOL!  So, we should be getting citrate.  I'll look for that, but I won't throw away the carbonate.  Thanks for clarifying!  :)Michelle

Just to clarify the calcium citrate vs. carbonate debate.  I've been doing a TON of research on the topic and have found that citrate is absorbed better by a huge margin.   My mother had RNY 5 years ago and has taken calcium carbonate all along.  Last month she was diagnosed with osteoporosis due to calcium deficiency.  In the past 2 years she's lost 18.1% of her bone density in her spine.  This is what prompted me to dig deeper into the calcium debate.   I recently posted some information on my profile about some of the medical reports I've been able to read.  I'll copy it here: ---------------------------------------------------------- It's VERY important that after RNY that we take calcium citrate. This form of calcium is the most soluble in a non-acid environment.  After surgery there is no longer any gastric acid in our pouches - or very little, and what is there is often suppressed with acid blockers for the first year after surgery.  (I'm taking Prevacid per my surgeon's orders.)   The cheaper and more readily available form of calcium - which is carbonate - requires gastric acid to be broken down within the stomach and absorbed by the intestines. 

There's a medical condition called Achlorhydria - which is when a patient has no stomach acid (hydrocloric acid).  By studying this condition we can learn a lot about how we as post-RNY patients should be treated by our doctors and which medications and supplements we need to choose since after RNY we no longer have gastric acid in our pouches.

In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by R.R. Rekker the calcium absorption rate of achlorhydria patients was studied.  After giving test subject a dose of calcium, the bioavailability (absorption of the dose) was measured.  His finding were:

Calcium Carbonate Absorption = 4%
Calcium Citrate Absorption = 45%

So it's clear that after gastric bypass surgery we MUST take calcium citrate in order to have a chance at having healthy bones and teeth.  
------------------------------------- I am still waiting for the full report by Rekker from my  library, but his results are quoted in many medical books and journals in relation to the specific needs of gastric bypass patients.  There's a chapter in one book for pharmicists that I feel every bariatric patient, surgeon, nutrition and PCP should read is found here:  Medication and nutrient administration considerations after bariatric surgery.   I am in the process of preparing a full report about why all RNY patients need to take calcium citrate (and not carbonate) for my bariatric center.  They also have the standard line seen in another post here.  But I'm hoping once they see the hard numbers of how big of a difference there really is, they will stop recommending patients take carbonate because "it's cheaper."  I'd like to help other post-op folks avoid the same fate as my mother is facing with osteoporosis at the young age of 54. Pam The Calcium Citrate Evangelist