What does everyone take for calcium or other supplements?

Anybody can look up anything for all the reasons that they want and need to know about their problem. It is on the web, google, etc. Take care.

I wonder if it was this one, https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-152133/citracal-with-vitamin-d-maximum-oral/details…

Algaecal has a formulation without vit. K. A friend of mine takes the basic algaecal, while I take the algaecal plus which contains the vit. K.
Hope this helps!

I didn’t know there was an AlgaeCal without vitamin K. Thank you. I will check that out.

This is an interesting topic, and one that concerns so many of us as we get older and our bones seem to age. I read recently that as many as half of women over 50 have osteopenia or osteoporosis.

We are all looking for the magical solution that will help, but there isn't ONE. We need to worry less about whether the calcium is from Tums, algae or anywhere else and look at the big picture and the science.

The big picture is that to protect our bones, we need proper diet including adequate protein and fat (other building blocks for cell reproduction.) We need consistent daily weight-bearing exercise or work, limited alcohol consumption and no smoking. Other health issues need to be considered, as many medications can interfere with bone production. Only if our diet does not provide enough calcium and micronutrients, or if our health requires medications which interfere with bone growth, does a supplement come into the picture.

The science is emerging. I found this recent report fascinating, in that it concentrated almost entirely on diet and nutrition, and only mentioned calcium supplementation as part of the nutrient analysis.
https://home.biomedpress.org/index.php/BMRAT/article/view/598
What I find troubling is that the makers of the brand name supplements have not submitted them to rigorous, scientific, randomized, double-blind, side-by-side testing with simpler products over a significant period of time (2 years or more) to demonstrate their superiority. Anecdotal studies are interesting, but they are not proof of superiority.

I have no problem if people feel more comfortable taking a higher-priced, nationally advertised supplement if they wish. However, I see way too many people spending money on expensive supplements and skimping on healthy foods because of their high cost. Or believing that "this one" is going to work where others have not.

Please look at the "Big Picture" and not the little pill in front of you.
Sue

I mostly use the calcium formulas from Pure Encapsulations. They are a little expensive but they are clean of allergens, tested and validated. They have great products. I use anything with the citrate form of calcium.

I alternate a bit with some other products. Microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite is supposed to be very good for stimulating osteoblasts, bone building/healing (it is in fact, cow bone so has all of the co-nutrients). But there was a study that indicates an increase in phosphate in the blood so I'm not sure if this is a great option any longer. Need to explore this a little more. In the study the participants were given 1 gram of MCHA which equates to 1,000 mg. It does not say whether it was given as one single daily dose which would be problematic. Wish they were more specific as the benefits of this type of supplementation are good. We can also just include bones in our diets through canned salmon and sardines, bone broth and small soft chicken bones.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25274192/
Another option for calcium citrate is Rainbow Light Calcium Minis. It is in the form of small tablets that are about 200 mg each. I like this supplement because it is small dose and I can easily adjust the dose to what I actually need. Sometimes I only need 100 mg so I just break one in half. Or if I need 300 mg, I use 1 1/2 tablets. It also contains the herb horsetail which is rich in silica. I wouldn't take horsetail daily but this option is good to include in the mix of calcium supplements. The version on Amazon appears to be the older version. Best formula is the one on the Rainbow Light website. More expensive but better formulation.

Maximum absorption of calcium at one time is 500 mg. Because of that, I only take up to 300 mg at a time to try and avoid saturating my blood with too much calcium and to make sure my body is absorbing it so that there is hopefully no residual potentially building in my arteries.

https://patchmd.us/product/d3-calcium-patch-30-day-supply/
I have been using these calcium/D3 patches for over a year and my levels are exactly where they're suppose to be. Never too high and never too low, and no more swallowing those gigantic pills! If the link doesn't work just do a Google search for a company named patch MD. They may also be available on Amazon.

Transdermal patches have yet to be thoroughly tested as a means of delivering calcium. The amount of calcium in one patch is 10mg according to the package label. A single calcium tablet, on the other hand, usually contains 300-500 mg of calcium. So you would need 30-50 patches to provide the came calcium as a single pill. Also, blood calcium levels do not reflect bone health.
So if you have been advised to take a calcium supplement because you have osteoporosis, this is not providing what you need. Have you shown the package to your doctor?
Sue

My Endo, primary care, and Ortho doctors are all aware of them. They have all run the usual blood work for 15 months now - 1 before starting Evenity - 12 of them during the year of treatment - and 2 months worth after the year long treatment. Throughout it all my Calcium level has remained stable and right where it is suppose to be. Keep in mind I also take a daily multi vitamin, and a K2 complex. Blood calcium levels are a part of the equation, and other than a Dexa evaluating bone health, there aren't a lot of other options. They work for me and yes my doctors have all seen the packaging. If they didn't provide what my docs find acceptable, they would have told me by now.

New Chapter Calcium tablets