Need help scheduling MEGA DOSES of Vitamins

My most recent labs showed several serious issues, and my surgeon upped my vitamin requirements drastically.  Okay. The problem I am having is spacing out the doses correctly.

I am supposed to be taking in 4000mg of calcium per day.  I also am supposed to be taking three Carbonyl iron tablets per day, they too must be spaced out into 3 doses.  I take 2 chewable Centrum and 50,000IU dry D3 daily and get a B12 shot once/week.  And, not that it's terribly relevant to this post, but I'm also supposed to get in at least 120-150grams of protein daily.  (And yes, my labs DO really suck)

My question is this:  If we only absorb 500mg of calcium at a time, doesn't this mean I will have to take my calcium in 8 doses each day? Wouldn't that be a dose every 2 hours? And if that is the case, how in the world am I supposed to schedule my iron, since these two supplements can not be taken at the same time?  I feel overwhelmed and like I would need to be taking supplements all through the night to get these amounts down.

It's imperative that I figure this out or I will be back in the hospital for a calcium push.  I already get iron infusions, which is a pain, but not as bad as having to go back into the hospital for a week to get all of my levels up would be.  And even if I did that, with this regimen, how would I ever be able to keep them up when I got home?

Any suggestions for a schedule/timing especially regarding the iron and calcium situation would be more than greatly appreciated.

Thanks you guys=)

According to Celebrate you take your morning multi vitamin and calcium together. then at least 2 hours later you take your midday iron and multi, then at least 2 hours later you take your multi and another calcium.
If you have to take more than that, just make sure you take them at least 2 hours apart. but 8 doses sure does sound like a lot.

I think you are screwed.  Sorry...
BTW: another option is to take the heme iron - Profferin ES. It can be taken with calcium, coffee, black tea, etc.  The only problem - it is expensive..IMO.  But  ... I do take that so I do not have to worry about spacing and trying to take it right...and because the other one was hurting me. 

Good luck. ((((HUGS))) 

I think you may have to set an alarm and take some of this at night. It's the only way I can think of. I'm by NO means an expert!

Good luck! I hope you get this straightened out soon.

I have to take 3,000mg of calcium daily so I feel your pain.  Here is my schedule:

7am- Centrum, D3, B-12
9am- Calcium (2xCelebrate Calcium Plus)
11am-Calcium (2xCelebrate Calcium Plus)
1pm-Calcium (2xCelebrate Calcium Plus)
3pm-Calcium (2xCelebrate Calcium Plus)
5pm-Calcium (2xCelebrate Calcium Plus)
7pm-Calcium (2xCelebrate Calcium Plus)
9:30pm-Centrum, Iron

I set my phone to go off every 2 hours during the day.  At night I take my last multi and my iron right before my shower so it is always between 9:30 and 10:00.

What dose is your iron that you have to take the three tablet separately?  We can take a fair amount of iron at once.  I take two carbonyl iron tablets (it's only a total of 50 mg) at bedtime.

However, in your case, I would consider heme iron, if you can afford it.  Then you can take it with your calcium.

To get all that in, I would have to set an alarm, personally.

Kelly, it's 90mg per tablet. And while I can and should set an alarm, it doesn't look like I'll have any options other than to take a dose or two of either calcium or iron in the middle of the night=(

Do you think I can take more than one 90mg tablet of the carbonyl at once Kelly?  That would take care of at least one dose of something after I've gone to bed.

Thanks to everyone who posted. I was hoping someone had a magic formula or something that would keep me from having to wake up in the night but it doesn't look like that's happening.

Guess I should just be glad my surgeon is so on top of all of this and that he caught it before I had another cardiac episode and quit griping. =)

thanks again everyone!

Can you afford the heme iron?  Because then you can take it with your calcium.  If you take eight doses of calcium, one dose every two hours, you'd get it all in over a 16 hour day.

Do you typically get up to pee during the night?  I know some people that do, and they take a dose of something then.

You are lucky your doc is on top of it.  And, I don't mean to blame you, but it sounds like you weren't on top of it for a while.  This should be temporary.  Once you get back on track, most people do not need that much calcium, you know.

Okay. Now you have me curious about how bad these labs are.

Proferrin absorbs better AND can be taken with up to 600mgs of calcium. That will help with two birds, one stone. Also, 90mgs of carbonyl is tiny.. I was doing 300mg doses at once... before I realized they never absorbed.

You actually had cardiac issues? Or this is to stave off issues? Is your PTH out of control high and your D low? On a script for that?