vitamin question

Is anybody taking calcium citrate?  If so, how much?  I was prescribed it as well as foltrin by my surgeon and he wrote it on a scrip.  I took it to my local pharmacy and they said they couldn't read it, so I  called his office and his nurse called the pharmacy.  I went in today to pick  it up.  To me it looked like he wrote 500 mg per day.  They gave me a bottle with instructions to  take 5 1000mg pills per day or 5000 mg.  Now I'm wondering if there was some sort  of mix up, because 5 large pills per day seems  like a lot. Cheers, A

Actually that sounds about right for calcium intake, the 5,000mg. Cause 500 is very little. Just make sure you do not take it when taking any other vitamins with iron in them. They work against each other.  I'll be honest I do not take calcium, for some reason it makes me sick, and my body finds other means because Its not being taken from my bones (labs will show if it is). But my lactose intorerance from birth has something to do with it. Just no doctor can figure it out. Oh well don't mess with a good thing cause my labs are perfect. But I do know what should be taken, but like they said everyone is different.

You're probably right.  I was just shocked by the size of the pills and taking 5 of them each day.  The doc already told me about spacing them out from the iron. 

Almost all calcium suppliments are HUGE pills... if you buy OTC calcium citrate 1 serving is (typically) 2 large horse pills (that come up to around 500-600mg calciucm).... so in a day I would take 4 of those. I currently take 1200mg calcium a day but think I should be taking more... I need to check my paper work when I get home. I would say 5 large pills sounds right... but call the surgeon and see!

I take the MAX dose of Calcium Citrate 4 times per day....and they are HUGE pills which sucks.  I have had a diff. surgery than you though so not sure if that helps, but thought I'd share!  I don't have to worry about iron, so I take two in the morning and two at night with my multivitamin and ADEK vitamins....

My understanding of it, as explained by my bariatric team, is any citrate over 500 mg at a time is a waste because the body can only absorbed 500 at once -- thus 1000 mg pills are pointless.  This is also why you have to take it throughout the day.  My total is 1500 mg a day, which I found over-the-counter in 400 mg per pills, so I actually take 1600 mg.  Depending on your script cost look into OTC, I would imagine it's a *****eaper!!!  I have more tons more information in my patient bible if needed.  Google will also produce the same information.  I would say try to get Medical Marijuana card from your doc since he sounds high himself.

Also, I was told not to take iron because it is not necessary for men (since we are not bleeding out monthly) if you get my drift.

Because the body can only absorb 500 at a time, I take 1-500 mg chewable twice daily~ Holli

I think I've come to the conclusion that there was some sort of mix up.  It looked to me like the doctor wrote 500mg.  The book I got from the dietician says 1200 mg.  I'll call the office again on Monday. I've got to say that I have lost a little faith in the CVS Pharmacy.  Last week they didn't know what something was, this week they possibly misread/misheard a dosage.  Also, why is it a tradition for doctors to  have poor handwriting???  ;) Thanks to everyone who weighed (no pun intended) in.  

Don't knock the writin until you try it. I was in school goin for a medical degree before I got out and went for my computer programming degree...so I still have that "doctors handwriting".  But I love it.  It just flows soo much easier.  But you're right, it's hard to read at times.  I even have trouble at times.

My program advises us (RNY'ers) to shoot for 1200-1600 mg a day, split up into two doses. It needs to be calcium citrate, not carbonate because it is absorbed much better...Yes they are HUGE pills. I started with chewable ones. I hated them...I asked my nut if I could switch to pills or the CitraCal Creamy Bites which are like little browny treats...and he said fine as long as my pouch would tolerate it so early on (thiis was at about one month out like you) it did, so I used the creamy bites for awhile, but they were a sort of expensiive compared to the pills so I switched to CitraCal Petites which were a bit smaller. You can put them in a bit of ho****er and let them disolve (it only takes about thirty seconds) but I'd rather swallow them. They make me constipated, and to be honest I always forget the second daily dose, so I'm really only taking about 800mg a day, but I have had my labs done three times so far and they have always been perfect...as always your mileage may vary, so of course check with your Nut. first....