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Calcium and Vitamin D for bone strength
Today my RO told me I should be taking calcium and Vitamin D now that I am on ADT, and he recommended OS-Cal. Problem is that OS-Cal is hard to come by and may have been discontinued due to oyster shell sourcing problems. Anyway, was hoping someone could recommend a good brand/choice for Calcium and Vitamin D, perhaps in a combined pill. Seems like ever since I hit 50, the number of pills I swallow everyday is increasing and was hoping to add 1 pill as opposed to two. Thanks!
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Every six months I get a call from a pharmacist at my medical insurance company. The pharmacist job is to go over my drugs and advise me on changes I should make.
One of the very first thing they did was tell me that I have to stop taking the calcium I was taking and start taking calcium citrate because it works much better and also doesn’t have conflict with other drugs.
Walgreens has calcium citrate and if you buy two bottles, the second one is half off. Costco has it with magnesium and they are the best deal anywhere.
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3 ReactionsAmazon has best prices on K2 + D 3 ( buy 2 ) to take with Calcium Plus from Costco or 20% off seniors day at SDM or Rexall
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2 ReactionsMy docs having me taking calcium citrate, I use Cetracal by Bayer; 2 pills in the morning (400mg total) and 2 pills in the evening. Total 800 mg per day. I also take 2000 iu of D3, three time per day for better absorption and with food. Last blood work showed my D3 levels were slightly in the normal range, but my doc suggested to increase to around 6000 iu per day. I have actually felt much better after I increased this dose. I have been on ADT for almost 10 years now, and it is important for bone health, to monitor these levels.
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4 ReactionsSorry! I meant to write 10 months not 10 years
Ok great
Yes- it is important to take vit. K2 with vit. D and calcium since K2 helps deposit Ca in the bones and prevents Ca accumulation on walls of blood vessels !
If you are taking Ca and vit D, please try to add K2
John, maybe you can look into this product :
ALGAECAL Organic Red Algae Calcium Supplement for Bone Density, Vitamin K2 MK7 (100mg), Vitamin D3 (1600 IU), Magnesium (350mg) & Trace Minerals & Strength
Since your doctor wanted you to take nature-occurring Ca ( from seashells), maybe this can be good substitute. Ca in this supplement comes from algae and it also has K2, Vit. D and other trace minerals important for bone building process.
My mother takes this supplement for years. She is 86, was diagnosed with osteoporosis at 60 but never wanted to take any prescription medication. Of course, this could not reverse the condition but it never progressed. So far she never had a single broken bone (knock the wood ...).
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3 ReactionsEveryone: make sure you talk to your doctor and pharmacist before starting K2. It can have strong negative interactions with some medications, like Warfarin (anti-clotting).
I'm not aware of any interactions with the typical prostate-cancer drugs, but please consult medical professionals to be safe.
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6 ReactionsI just had both kidney stone and gall stones my doctor attributes to my taking calcium supplements, be careful
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4 ReactionsCalcium citrate, especially in large doses and when not taken with a meal, may increase the risk of kidney stones for some individuals, though studies in healthy postmenopausal women have not shown an increased risk. There is no evidence to suggest calcium citrate increases the risk of gallstones; concerns about gallstones typically relate to dietary factors or other medical conditions.
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