[Guest]

Isn't the main active ingredient in caltrate calcium carbonate?I ask becuase in a fit of boredom I was looking through the ingredients on other over the counter stuff for non IBS stuff like indegestion. I found a product labbelled as idegeistion relief which was nothing more than chewy calcium carbonate though about 3 times cheaper than the caltrate.If you live in the UK it is by boots and is in the indegestion/heartburn section. If you live in the US it may be worth looking at the ingredients on such pills in your own drug stores.I can't help but feel that with caltrate your paying a premium for their marketing. If those of you fir whom caltrate works can save a few pennies and get the same relief then all the better!

 

[LNAPE]

There are store brands that have nearly the same ingredients as the Caltrate Plus. They need to have the added minerals that caltrate plus contains something there must be making the difference. I usually just mention the caltrate because it should be available most places. If you read the labels in the store of the store brand you can find something very similar. It is so hard to get some people to do that. We have even gone to just telling them the color of the box (purple and white) so they won't be forced to read the label. This seems to be working well. I use Member's Mark at Sam's Club you can get 300 tablets for $8.99. Read the labels.Linda

 

[Guest]

HEALTH FOOD STORE TOLD ME THAT CALCIUM CARBONATE WAS THE WORST CALCIUM ONE COULD TAKE. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT? WHAT DOES CALTRATE DO FOR YOU?

 

[Guest]

Well, sadly it makes no difference to me at all. But reading this bored you quickly realise that for a large number of people it seems to make a life altering improvement for their 'D'.I wouldn't put too much faith in the advice of a health food store counter assistant. Their knowledge will often be built up from manufacturers info. And unlike drug manufacturers info their claims aren't subject to the same scientific tests so they can get away with being a little off the mark by being 'vague' about affects which make the reader make implicit judgements about what it does.

 

[LNAPE]

The Caltrate Plus in the purple and white box has added minerals which must also do something to help us D people. They may be telling you this because the calcium carbonate is the cheapes for of calcium and it also takes longer to absorb the calcium into the blood in this form. But this is the effect us diarrhea people want because it remains in the intestines longer and absorbs bile(digestive fluid) and water there and helps us to get some bulk to our stool. Try it it really helps many of us. You just need to work with it to get the right amount for you. The health food store figures you are looking to take calcium for your bones so they probably would recommend the calcium citrate. The Caltrate Plus is advertised also for you bones. So whatever works on the diarrhea I am taking and eventually it has to effect the bones also. It is a help with PMS and now it is being reported it helps to prevent colon cancer.Linda