Question:
How are you getting them down?
I just started taking Calcium Citrate. I am supposed to have the ones with the Vit. D. but picked up the wrong ones. The Calcium pills are like horse capsules. I tried dissolving them in water but it all stays at the bottom of the glass and its a real job to keep adding water, squirling it around and trying to get it all in. There must be a better way and I am hoping someone can lend me a few ideas. Also, question number 2. Is anyone out there taking Nexium. My PCP gave me a prescription for it because of stomach pain and massive belching. Could this be an ulcer? And is it safe to take Nexium. The pharmacy said to check with my PCP when I picked it up but she already said I could. It is a time-released drug and now I don't know what to do and if I should bother taking it at all. HELP, HELP, HELP I do need help with these two questions. — Maureen C. (posted on June 12, 2003)
June 12, 2003
Get the calcium citrate from vitalady (www.vitalady.com) They have the
right combination of Vit D and mag (I think it is) but are not big and
chalky. They are a slim capsule. They go down easier than any citrate
I've tried. Don't know about the Nexium, but I thought we didn't do well
w/ time release.
— mom2jtx3
June 12, 2003
Check out vitalady.com and wlssuccess.com. They have powdered and liquid
calcium citrate with vitamin D. I use the tasteless powder (UpCal D) from
vitalady.
— Kristen S.
June 12, 2003
Couple suggestions for you. 1. Your stomach might be hurting from the
calcium citrate. Mine hurts everytime I try to take a pill with water.
The only way I can do them is in my protein shake. 2. Like the previous
posts, vitalady.com has the best calcium citrate I've found. It is in
capsule form and I open up the capsules and pour the powder into my protein
shake prior to blending. They are 500 mg of calcium per pill -- the
largest amount of calcium per pill I have found. Good luck and God bless!
— Kimberly L.
June 12, 2003
You didn't say how far out you are, but I cut all my vitamins in the
beginning. I cut them into halves and sometimes for the bigger ones, into
fourths. It was a pain but like you, I tried to dissolve them in water and
drink them. I even tried blending them into my Carnation instant
breakfast... YUCK YUCK AND DOUBLE YUCK. I went with cutting them for quite
a while. Now I am almost 11 months out and I have no trouble taking them
whole. I just pop one every couple of hours throughout the day. By days
end, I manage to get in all my vitamins this way. I thought it would be
such a hassle taking them all everyday for the rest of my life. But now I
don't give it a second thought, it's just part of my daily routine. I hope
that helps. Good luck!
— Laurel C.
June 12, 2003
I take Nexium for the pain. I take them because at approximately one month
post-op, I started hurting anytime I ate or drank. It was almost to the
point of excruciating. I took the Nexium, and within 30 minutes, pain was
gone. It was amazing. I have been taking it ever since - about 3 months
now.
— raye
June 12, 2003
I'll answer the nexium part of your question. I'm taking it, was formerly
taking Pevacid, but I think Nexium helps me better. It is safe for your
stomach, it helps it alot. I had a perforated ulcer, so for me this is to
help heal ulcers and try to prevent them. Also helps with acid reflux
problems. So it should help your symptoms a great deal! Goodluck to you :-)
— Lezlie Y.
June 12, 2003
I had the same problem. The Citricals are so big and round at the ends that
they hang in my throat. A couple of things work for me. I found a liquid
calcium citrate (the lemon flavor brings to mind lemon yogurt) at
www.vitaminworld.com. The capsules sold at www.vitalady.com also worked for
me and were very easy to swallow. And the cheapest solution: Target has a
generic version of the Citrical + D that is tapered at the end and doesn't
hang in my throat. I have been taking those for going on 5 months and have
only had a problem once while trying to swallow them. Also, (I didn't like
these but you might) TwinLabs makes a chewable calcium citrate wafer . . .
kind of like a big sweet tart. You have to eat like 4 a day and they are a
bit chalky but if you like sweet tarts they might work for you!
— ctyst
June 12, 2003
Honey I am right there with ya! I tried cutting them up, but it ended up
being 432 pieces. Then again I am paranoid that something is going to get
stuck. I read where someone had crushed theirs and put it into their
protein shake, so I whirred my whole bottle of Citracal. The next time I
made a shake I measured out the Citracal and put it in my shake. There was
a 1/4' of white stuff on the bottem. No matter how much I swirled that
thing around there was STILL 1/4" of white stuff. When I got near the
bottem I swirled and swirled to no avail. I ended up gagging and almost
threw up the whole shake. No more! I told myself. What I ended up doing,
and which works very well for me is to put it in about 2-3 T. of yogurt. It
goes down alot better. Some other suggestions are to put it in right before
you plan on eating it. The calcium starts mixing with the yogurt and gives
it a chalky taste. The other thing is the yogurt will start getting runny
and it is then harder to mask the grittiness. I am roughly 10 weeks out and
probably could swallow the tablets, it's just a mind thing with me. I also
cut my Zantac, iron, and magnesium into pieces. Good luck! kim
— Kim K.
June 12, 2003
GNC makes a very affordable chewable calcium citrate. It has a pleasant
taste and no worring about a pill getting stuck. They also carry the B-12
sublingual we need and it tastes good. Also very affordable
— Linda T.
June 12, 2003
my doc suggested using the viactive chews. I've found they are easy to get
down, and don't make me dump. They are also a good cure for any sweet tooth
I might have to deal with.
— mellyhudel
June 12, 2003
check your health store. There is a 'liquid' calcium Citrate out there.
Here in OK its less than $11. a bottle; and comes in 'multi' flavors. It
didnt taste really bad either... I bought orange vanilla and put it in Diet
V8 splash.
— star .
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