Question:
I got a bottle of Calcium Citrate, I was wondering

With taking a multi-vit and an Iron/b12 pill (which I alternate every other night) when do I take the calcium. Thanks    — luckyflowers (posted on August 21, 2003)

August 21, 2003
Hi. I am still pre-op but my dietician said not to take the calcium with the iron. So I think it is safe to take the calcium with the mulitvitamin. Just make sure you take thm early so when you take the iron it is not a problem. Also, the multivitamin should be taken after a meal. So maybe take them with breakfast and lunch. Then the calcium and b-12 take with them. If you are taking 300 mg or calcium at a time then take them with 4 meals, assuming you are having 6 small meals. Then take the iron at night before bed. If you take the iron with vitamin C , like orange juice, it enhaces the absorption of the iron. I know it is confusing i am going to make a chart with the times of all my meals and vitamins to make sure I am getting everything. I think this will make it easier in the beginning. :)
   — AmyWollet

August 21, 2003
I take 1 multi-vitamin around breakfast time. Then mid morning I take two calcium citrate with vitamin D. Then somewhere during the work day and evening I get in the other vitamin and two more calcium pills. Technically I should take 1 calcium pill at a time, 4 times a day but found I forgot to get them all in. So even if I do not absorb all of the calcium I figure I am still getting in more than I was. Also the vitamin D helps me absorb more. I get quite a bit of calcium from food too, so it works out. It is recommended that the caclium be taken a few hours away from the multi-vitamin to make sure you absorb as much as possible. There is iron in the mult-vitamin also. I'm over 6 months post-op and my labs have been great, so something is working good.
   — zoedogcbr

August 22, 2003
Iron blocks the absorption of calcium, so you need to not take iron and calcium closer together than about two hours. Check your multivit. If it contains iron, keep the calcium at least two hours away from it.
   — Vespa R.