I hadn't taken calcium since the calcium carbonate incident in April. I wanted to prevent bone loss, etc. so I started taking calcium citrate supplements 2 weeks ago - 300mg once a day with food. I started having more symptoms and a few days ago it got real bad. I'm mainly noticing spasms in both upper and lower GI, and gas throughout. I don't think I've had so much gas before.So I've stopped taking the calcium as well as 2 other suspects, stevia and natural mustard(no sugar, no chemicals). The symptoms are getting better. This morning I saw my gyne and she said if I eat enough spinach, broccoli and oatmeal I don't need calcium supplements.Has anyone else had such a reaction to calcium citrate?
Anyone else get spasms and gas from calcium citrate?
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Scroll down the main page to Over The Counter (OTC) Calcium category. The entire thread has been moved over there and I bet you could find some answers. I take calcium and it has really helped me although I do notice a lot of gas. Good luck. Cindy
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Scroll down the main page to Over The Counter (OTC) Calcium category. The entire thread has been moved over there and I bet you could find some answers. I take calcium and it has really helped me although I do notice a lot of gas. Good luck. Cindy
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Julia37, Hi! I take Caltrate 600+ D in the pink and white bottle and it has helped my IBD "D" SOOOO much. I do notice a lot of gas though! Scroll down the main page to the category called Over The Counter (OTC) Calcium and I think you will find a LOT of help. Good luck. Cindy
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Julia37, Hi! I take Caltrate 600+ D in the pink and white bottle and it has helped my IBD "D" SOOOO much. I do notice a lot of gas though! Scroll down the main page to the category called Over The Counter (OTC) Calcium and I think you will find a LOT of help. Good luck. Cindy
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I had problems with caltrate. I did fine for awhile then stopped taking it and once I went back on it it didn't seem to work anymore. Then it just seemed to make things worse.
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I had problems with caltrate. I did fine for awhile then stopped taking it and once I went back on it it didn't seem to work anymore. Then it just seemed to make things worse.
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JULIA:In the spirit of Lindas suggestion, can you post the ingredients off the label of the one you took which bothered you? It could be instructive...maybe not... but could be if we had it.ThanksMNL
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JULIA:In the spirit of Lindas suggestion, can you post the ingredients off the label of the one you took which bothered you? It could be instructive...maybe not... but could be if we had it.ThanksMNL
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I would guess it is the Stevia, not the calcium citrate that is causing you problems. You would do better to discontinue one thing at a time, if you do all three at once how do you know which one it is? I have trouble with gas and bloating and heartburn from calcium carbonate but not calcium citrate.
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I would guess it is the Stevia, not the calcium citrate that is causing you problems. You would do better to discontinue one thing at a time, if you do all three at once how do you know which one it is? I have trouble with gas and bloating and heartburn from calcium carbonate but not calcium citrate.
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________________________________"The trouble with life is, that you are halfway through it before you realize it is a do-it-yourself project." ________________________________LOL would you tell my mother that please? Thanks for the laugh of the day
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MNL
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________________________________"The trouble with life is, that you are halfway through it before you realize it is a do-it-yourself project." ________________________________LOL would you tell my mother that please? Thanks for the laugh of the day
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MNL
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The other side of Jen's experiment is since stopping all three helped add back the things one at a time for 3-4 days (with a 3-4 day wash out inbetween) and see which of the three was the problem.If that doesn't clarify do an add back 2 at a time thing (it may be some interaction between two of the things).Calcium can cause problems with constipation (which can make the gas a bloating thing act up) but Calcium Citrate is usually much less likely to cause that then Calcium Carbonate.If you are going to get your calcium from veggies only you have to eat them in pretty large quantities, frequently, to get all the calcium you need. And large amounts of broccoli can cause gas....so that may not be any better.K.
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The other side of Jen's experiment is since stopping all three helped add back the things one at a time for 3-4 days (with a 3-4 day wash out inbetween) and see which of the three was the problem.If that doesn't clarify do an add back 2 at a time thing (it may be some interaction between two of the things).Calcium can cause problems with constipation (which can make the gas a bloating thing act up) but Calcium Citrate is usually much less likely to cause that then Calcium Carbonate.If you are going to get your calcium from veggies only you have to eat them in pretty large quantities, frequently, to get all the calcium you need. And large amounts of broccoli can cause gas....so that may not be any better.K.
Thanks everyone for your replies. I looked at the OTC threads and saw gas is a common side effect of calcium, which I didn't know before.Here are the ingredients of the Twinlab Calcium Citrate caps I was taking: Calcium from tricalcium citrate, magnesium from magnesium oxide, magnesium aspartate, gelatin, purified water, MCT, croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate. Wonder if "aspartate" is related to "aspartame"?I stopped all 3 suspect foods to get some relief! The odd things were: it snuck up on me, I didn't become aware of the problem until it was so bad I was taking bentyl with each meal and simthicone at least 3 times a day. Preoccupied with job hunting. Also I didn't get any of the indigestion I usually get with a flare-up, that would have gotten my attention.I planned to do as kmottus says and add the suspect foods back one at a time. In my previous experiments with stevia I ate it every day and noticed symptoms after 2 weeks. I sprinkled it on bagels, I have to have something, it was that or equal. But now I use plain cinnamon instead, so it may not be necessary to use stevia much anymore. It would be nice to be able to have sweets occasionally, but oh well. I had noticed pain and spasms after eating turky burgers, that's why I suspected the mustard. Yesterday I ate a burger without mustard and got the same pain. I didn't get this pain when I first began eating them, so I don't know what's changed. I may be eating too many potato chips with them, I'll try rationing.
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I already eat spinach every day and I've learned to put oatmeal in the bread I make with my bread machine. This is a good alternative to whole wheat bread, which I can't have because it causes pain. I know if I got a calcium deficiency my nails would get weak and break off, and so far they're strong, so I'm not particularly worried. This is what I get for listening to the nutrition articles.
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I should know by now to trust my body first.
Thanks everyone for your replies. I looked at the OTC threads and saw gas is a common side effect of calcium, which I didn't know before.Here are the ingredients of the Twinlab Calcium Citrate caps I was taking: Calcium from tricalcium citrate, magnesium from magnesium oxide, magnesium aspartate, gelatin, purified water, MCT, croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate. Wonder if "aspartate" is related to "aspartame"?I stopped all 3 suspect foods to get some relief! The odd things were: it snuck up on me, I didn't become aware of the problem until it was so bad I was taking bentyl with each meal and simthicone at least 3 times a day. Preoccupied with job hunting. Also I didn't get any of the indigestion I usually get with a flare-up, that would have gotten my attention.I planned to do as kmottus says and add the suspect foods back one at a time. In my previous experiments with stevia I ate it every day and noticed symptoms after 2 weeks. I sprinkled it on bagels, I have to have something, it was that or equal. But now I use plain cinnamon instead, so it may not be necessary to use stevia much anymore. It would be nice to be able to have sweets occasionally, but oh well. I had noticed pain and spasms after eating turky burgers, that's why I suspected the mustard. Yesterday I ate a burger without mustard and got the same pain. I didn't get this pain when I first began eating them, so I don't know what's changed. I may be eating too many potato chips with them, I'll try rationing.
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I already eat spinach every day and I've learned to put oatmeal in the bread I make with my bread machine. This is a good alternative to whole wheat bread, which I can't have because it causes pain. I know if I got a calcium deficiency my nails would get weak and break off, and so far they're strong, so I'm not particularly worried. This is what I get for listening to the nutrition articles.
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I should know by now to trust my body first.
If diarrhea is your problem I think most of us get more relief if we take the calcium carbonate. If you start with 1/2 tablets doses and work your way up you may get a little gas in the first few days but this usually goes away as your body adjust to the calcium. It is a consistent dose throughout the day that keeps the diarrhea under control.Linda
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