I just recently read about calcium working magic for a few members but as soon as i have been taking it it has made symptoms worst. I take half a tablet of caltrate calcium after every meal http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp...WELAID=61261290. ANd i have been suffering from cramps and even more D!!! Things are alot worst then before. Am i doing something wrong? or taking the wrong kind? I need advice ASAP!!!!
Calcium D makes things worst?
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if u want to send me a message thru this site, do so..........just click on my name.........now, here's the thing about calcium, that many people don't seem to realize...........it takes alot of stomach acid to dissolve it........ calcium is a very hard mineral to breakdown..........if u don't produce enough stomach acid to get it into solution & ur stomach produces too much gastrin & histamine to try to get the stomach acid flowing, this will make u feel like death warmed over........ what other symptoms do u suffer from, even the ones that don't seem related to ibs??............chris......
No you are not donig something wrong as far as I can tell. It is calcium carbonate & that is the right type of calcium. This happened to me too. My D actually got worse with all the forms of calcium carbonate I tried too.HOWever.. I recently got some TUMS Smoothies (Peppermint Flavor) for some heartburn I have been having and lo & behold.. it firmed up my BM's. Go figure.. it even has sorbitol in it. (So if you react badly to sorbitol.. I wouldn't bother or buy a real small container to try)I don't get it.. but somehow it firms up my BM's.Here is a link to the ones I use:http://www.tums.com/products_smoothie.aspxNow it is fast dissolving and they have 750mg of calcium carbonate.. maybe it is the fast dissolving aspect of them... I don't know.But you could try that form of calcium if you want.
I too tried Calcium Carbonate with Vitamin D from Holland and Barretts and they worsened my IBS too.I guess it's just not your thing!As BQ and Kathleen often tell people,it's the act of eating that is a problem for a lot of IBS'ers and I feel this describes me perfectly.You might be affected in the same way too so this treatment won't help at all.
jmc09,What do you mean the chewable kind of calcium won't work or help?If you follow the link that BQ gave you , you will see that it is indeed Calcium Carbonate, which is indeed JUST the kind of calcium you do need.The issue is not getting the recommended daily requirement of calcium from food.One of the side effects of calcium carbonate is constipation AND that is why sooooo many people here are finding this treatment so helpful.But you must read the topic at the top of the page and follow Linds's advice on how to start out and then gradually increase.
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Although I don't see any improvement of IBS from taking my calcium chewables, I'm very grateful it doesn't make it worse. I need it for my bones since I have osteopenia. I also need a high amt of D as my level was very very low. Immodium is always with me, at home, in purse, in travelbag when go to relatives, in car.... and they never last long enough to expire..... I check all my Rx+OTC meds, even vitamins, every January (this year most of my cold-remedies, some vitamins I tried, old).
Thai,Calcium Carbonate made me worse!Not better,not the same,just worse!If it works for you great but it doesn't constipate me it makes me have more BMs so not my thing.My type is functional and after 20 years of living with it I do understand the difference between better and worse,believe me.
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Definitely check chewables for sweeteners. Often they mask bad tastes with sorbitol and other -itols, and those can make diarrehea worse and some people seem very sensitive to them with their IBS.It is true that some people can have an opposite reaction to any medication or supplement (or diet or lifestyle change or any non-medicinal treatment) from the normal list of side effects or direct effects. However being one of the few with the opposite reaction doesn't change that for most people calcium supplements are much more likely to be constipating and magnesium supplements are much more likely to cause diarrhea. Those are just the very common side effects of those supplements.That being said. Please let people have the reaction they had to anything. Just because a friend of mine is 1 in 10,000 or so that gets very hyper when they take valium doesn't make it any less sedating for the other 9,999.Do not require any treatment to always work for everyone. None of them work for everyone, but I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying any of the things that commonly work because they didn't work for me, specifically.It makes the most sense to try the things that most commonly seem to work for the symptoms you need the most help with. However there is no sure bet they will work for you, but when you get the "wrong" reaction it may be worth checking ingredients as sometimes some brands do add things that aren't helpful for the effect you are trying to get. And sometimes you are just unlucky and don't have the typical reaction. And sometimes something else happens at the same time that makes IBS worse, so it may be worth giving something a second shot at a later time to see if it was something else that caused the reaction.
I take two chewable Caltrate tablets per day, one with lunch or a snack and one with dinner. It has really improved my situation drastically. If it is giving you problems try getting some without magnesium, as that is supposed to be a problem for some people.
ibsblows,If you would like to email me I will see if I can help you figure out if we can get the calcium to work for you. Depending on other meds you may take over the counter and otherwise. What things yous are eating for now and how you started to take the calcium and what meds you take. [email protected]
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