Calcium supplements for osteopenia that aren't huge

[Anonymous]

Doc has me taking calcium, 1200mgs, 2xs per day. The pills I have are huge, and I am looking for smaller ones. Anyone have any recommendations for calcium pills that are decent quality, that aren't so large?

[Anonymous]

Both Caltrate and Citracal have a mini version.
I’ve used the Viactiv chews and Tums also

[Anonymous]

+1 on Caltrate minis but each pill is only 300 mg.

[Anonymous]

How can anyone take these and still have bowl movements?!

[Anonymous]

They are always huge if they get the right dose in, that is why they are standalone supplements and not included in multivitamins

[Anonymous]

This is an insane dose and not shown to even be helpful. High doses of calcium supplements can also be harmful to your heart. I’d get a second opinion

[Anonymous]

I tell you what, when you become a metabolic bine specialist, I'll accept your opinion, until then, going with what the doc recommends

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can anyone take these and still have bowl movements?!

DP here and that’s why I had to stop my calcium supplement. They told me to get the recommended amount through diet instead.

[Anonymous]

I developed kidney stones with calcium supplements and had to stop

[Anonymous]

I have to take the chewables. They’re gross, but even the mini-pills are too big for me.

My PCP told me that diet is the best way to get calcium. I eat a lot of cheese, but that’s high in cholesterol. I’m trying to get in more yogurt, low-fat milk, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I developed kidney stones with calcium supplements and had to stop

This and heart disease are real complications from this amount of supplement. Plus your body can’t absorb more than 500mg at a time. Taking 1200mg twice per day in supplements (in addition to whatever you consume through food) is putting you at risk for calcium to build up in your arteries, not your bones. Do some research on this. There are much more effective ways to prevent osteoporosis now. High doses are calcium supplementation is not very effective and often harmful

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3970298/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have to take the chewables. They’re gross, but even the mini-pills are too big for me.

My PCP told me that diet is the best way to get calcium. I eat a lot of cheese, but that’s high in cholesterol. I’m trying to get in more yogurt, low-fat milk, etc

While this may vary person to person, studies show full fat cheese and yogurt don’t higher cholesterol. Chia seeds are a great source of calcium. I like to add a tablespoon or two to yogurt.

[Anonymous]

I use a pill cutter to cut the large calcium pills in half

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can anyone take these and still have bowl movements?!

My calcium is calcium + magnesium. The magnesium definitely helps with constipation.

Can’t help Op though because they’re like horse pills and I take 2

[Anonymous]

What about viactiv chews? The horse pills ale me throw up about 5% of the time which is too high for me to want to take them. I’m eagerly watching for suggestions for OP!