Question:
Where can I purchase Calcium Citrate?
Please, will everyone give me some input? Seems like when I ask a question, there are only 1-2 responses. This is the AMOS "Support Group", right? I've heard unaninimously(sp?) that Calcium Citrate it the best source that WLS's should have as opposed to calcium carbonate. What is the difference and why is it better? I'd prefer it in liquid form, but will take chewables or pill form (pill form~YUK), don't like to swallow pills...Thanks all, for your input in advance.. — yourdivaness (posted on December 30, 2002)
December 29, 2002
I bought mine @ Eckerds Drug Store but have seen them @ Kmart, Wal Mart and
grocery stores. I have only been able to find them in caplets or tablets
and they are big but you can break them in 1/2.
— rodsgirl01
December 29, 2002
I recently found a liquid calcium citrate from Topical Oasis. Their url is:
http://www.tropicaloasis.com/store/calcium.html. Although I am six months
post-op, I still prefer to take my supplements in liquid form. - Lori (RNY
6/20/02, 308/218)
— [Deactivated Member]
December 29, 2002
I buy Citracal with Vit. D. I usually get mine at Sams Club, but I am sure
that you can get them at Walmart and other places. They are a fairly large
tablet, but they can be broken in half. Good luck with your weight loss
journey. {{{HUGS}}}
— Carolyn L.
December 29, 2002
I am still pre-op but taking all my vitamins now as per my surgeons
request. I am taking calcium citrate and it's the Viactiv chews you can
find at Giant Eagle, Walmart, Eckerd, etc. I did find that Walmart has the
best price, around $6 for a can of 90 chews, taking two a day (they are
500mg each) so it'll last a month and a half. I bought the caramel flavored
ones and they are awesome. They also come in Orange Creme and Milk
Chocolate. One of my post-op friends suggested them to me and she has had
no problems taking them. She said it makes her feel like she's eating a
nice little piece of candy! I hate gagging down pills and liquids sometimes
taste pretty yucky so these are a very nice alternative. I remember to take
them because they are soo good!
— Dee ,.
December 29, 2002
I just purchased mine this weekend. I found mine in liquid form at The
Vitamin Shoppe.
— Ymmat
December 29, 2002
Many times you will only receive 1 0r 2 answers because that is all the
question needs...if its been answered, others often don't duplicate the
responses. Calcium CITRATE is available anywhere vitamins are sold, I take
chewables from the VItaminshoppe. PLEASE READ HE LABELS, I don't mean to
dispute the previous poster but from what I read VIACTIV contains Calcium
Carbonate, not CIITRATE. One is not necessarily better than the other, its
just following RNY surgery we cannot absorb the carbonate, only the citrate
works for us.
GOod luck.
— Linda 1.
December 29, 2002
I just wanted to let you know that vicative chews are calcium carbonate the
form that people who have had wls do not absorb. They are useless you need
calcium citrate. Good luck!!!!
— Jody Diou
December 29, 2002
Here is the link to the viactiv website showing the ingredients.....calcium
carbonate and corn syrup, probablyu not the best choice post op!
http://www.viactiv.com/product_info.jhtml
— Linda 1.
December 29, 2002
Hey, sorry to give you wrong info and I will have to check out the website.
I do know that we will need to take citrate not carbonate but I am sitting
here with Viactiv chews can in hand and reading calcium citrate. So, I am
not sure what is different about my can but it doesn't say carbonate
anywhere on it. There are different flavors but I can't see why the company
would vary the ingredients depending on flavor. I will have to investigate
this further because I do want to be taking the correct thing post-op.
Sorry if I've given you incorrect info. Good Luck to you!
— Dee ,.
December 29, 2002
Yup, what the others said...Viactiv tastes like candy because that's all it
is, pretty useless for us. As for chewables, Twin Labs makes a chewable
calcium citrate. It's an orangy flavor, tastes kind of like Tums. BTW,
Tums in NOT a good source of calcium!
— Leslie F.
December 29, 2002
Deena, if Viactiv is now made with Citrate, I'm going out to buy some now!
LOL But, last time I looked, it was carbonate. :(
— Leslie F.
December 29, 2002
I get the liquid calcium citrate from www.vitaminworld.com. It comes in
several flavors. The ones I've tried (from favorite to least favorite):
lemon custard, blueberry, and strawberry. But they are all tolerable and
the lemon custard is almost tasty (almost :).
— ctyst
December 29, 2002
I get a liguid form of calcium citrate in a blueberry flavor from
www.wlssucess.com I just add it to a cup of skim milk and it seems to be
working for me. It's $8 for a bottle, their are different flavors. I am
sure there are other places locally that you can get it too, such as local
stores. Best of luck.
— [Deactivated Member]
December 30, 2002
You know, my surgeon said the cheapest way to get a cacium supplement is to
just eat 2 tums a day. It is calcium citrate and I get mine at the dollar
store down the street.
— dkinson
December 30, 2002
Donny, tums is not citrate, its carbonate. Also, be careful of the liquid
calcium citrates, like the tropicaloasis.com ones as you have to check out
how much elemental calcium they have in them. Elemental is easy to absorb,
and apparently when they say 750 mg of calcium if you research further,
only 250 of them are elemental. Tricky. I had to E-mail them separately
and quiz them to get a correct response. Right now I am taking Natures
Science Calcium Citrate with magnesium and Vit D. They are capsules and
you can get them thru www.vitalady.com.
— Cindy R.
December 30, 2002
Just to clear up the current confusion on the board regarding Viactiv: they
contain Calcium Carbonate, the wrong kind of calcium for WLS patients.
This is from the www.viactiv.com website:<br>
<b>About VIACTIV</b><br>
What is the source of the calcium in VIACTIV Soft Calcium Chews, and how
well is it absorbed?<br>
<b>Calcium carbonate</b>, nature's most concentrated source of
calcium, delivers 500 mg of elemental calcium in each VIACTIV Soft Calcium
Chew. The calcium in VIACTIV has been clinically demonstrated to be
absorbed as well as the calcium from milk. VIACTIV Soft Calcium Chews are
best absorbed when chewed thoroughly and consumed with food or on a full
stomach. With VIACTIV Soft Calcium Chews, there's no tablet that needs to
disintegrate and no unpleasant chalky taste -- just a great tasting chew
designed to help keep bones healthy and strong.
— [Deactivated Member]
December 30, 2002
Sorry to have caused mass messages concerning the Viactiv chews. True the
website does say Calcium Carbonate, also true my can says Calcium Citrate.
I got on their website and sent a message to their customer support asking
if they've recently changed their formula and will see what response I get.
I want to take the correct thing and according to the ingredients on their
website it is not right for wls patients. When I got to the store I will
look at the can and see what it says. But, if they have conflicting info
between their website and the can I don't even think they know what they
are supplying! So, I guess I'm in the market for some new calcium myself.
Sorry.
— Dee ,.
December 30, 2002
Looking at my bottle now and it says calcium citrate. It isn't tums but a
dollar store brand. But, if you're mire comfortable at $8.00 a
bottle..ENJOY!
— dkinson
December 30, 2002
Hi everyone, I didn't know there was confusion going on about calcium
citrate. I just heard that it was much better and more useful for WLS
patients. I din't mean to insinuate anyone was causing confusion...if I
gave this impression, please forgive me. Like I said, I'm just trying to do
the right thing because I don't want to be the cause for this surgery to
fail for me. I'll do what I have to do to succeed. Tums, from all that has
been posted here and from what I've read, is NOT calcium citrate~~I was
only being obedient and took it because my surgeon (or one of his nurses)
suggested it. I'm inclined to believe several of the posters here and other
members of this *family* that are long term post ops, and some are also in
the medical profession. I too, work in the medical field, but as I
researched the WLS, I'm going to gather all that is here and do somethings
with it...including get some labs done. You ALL are JEWELS, thanks for
coming to my rescue-if you find out anything more, please let me know or
email me.
— yourdivaness
December 30, 2002
I found a web site today where I ordered Calcium Citrate, Chewable. The
site is: http://store.yahoo.com/suzannes4u/gensym-514.html
They were on sale for 10.15. I think there are 60 chewable wafers. I have
also bought Citracel from Sam's Club, but the pills are too big to swallow
(I am breaking them up now). I am about 13 weeks post-op. Has anyone ever
heard of the chewables I listed here?
The site says they are elemental Calcium Citrate. j
— Jessie D.
December 30, 2002
I get my calcium citrate at Sam's club. The name of it is Citracal.
— Kim F.
December 30, 2002
Mine is in capsule form. Correct calcium citrate to magnesium ration,
correct form of D. Some people prefer to open them & dump the content
into food/drink, but I swallow just fine.
— vitalady
December 30, 2002
The Citracal pills are too big for me to swallow even if I brake them in
half. I also tried to desolve it in water and after 2 hours and drinking
it - it felt like sand going down. Then I tried liquid calcium citrate
from Tropical Oasis which was excellent but a little pricy. You only need
one tablespoon a day. But recently purchased liquid calcium citrate from
Vitamin World in my local mall but you need two tablespoons and it's a lot
cheaper than Tropical Oasis. I mix mine with a little water and the taste
is tolerable.
— Mary H.
December 30, 2002
I get mine from GNC. In Prevention magazine, the December issue, they have
a good article on calcium. Go to their site, www.prevention.com and click
on "coral calcium" and the article explains the differences.
Good luck. Randee, pre-op
— corkee
December 30, 2002
My dietician told me to chew tums for my calicum.
— Lana Rush
December 31, 2002
Lana, maybe you should get a second opinion? Print out this subject matter
and take it to your dietician.
— Karen R.
December 31, 2002
The reason we need citrate is because carbonate requires stomach acid to be
absorbed and we don't have stomach acid anymore.
— joeandteri
December 31, 2002
My nutritionist recommended liquid calcium citrate with magnesium and
vitamin D, which I purchased at the Vitamin Shoppe. She says that the old
recommendation was to take tums but that recent research shows that we
can't absorb calcium in the form of calcium carbonate. The nutritionist
suggests the mix I got because (1) magnesium helps keep the bowels regular
and (2) magnesium and vitamin D help your body absorb calcium citrate.
— Beth S.
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