Side Effect of Calcium+Vit D?

Calcium is a tough supplement to digest. Try the chews or liquid form & see if that helps. Personally, I have trouble with all calcium supplements, but need them since I don't do dairy. I find the chews the easiest to handle, but even those can cause stomach upset. I try to get as much as possible through food & supplement when necessary. I find not doing it every day helps. Good luck.

I'm not sure about those symptoms but early in the summer I started taking a calcium +D supplement on the advice of my doctor because of my age too (37) and two months later I thought I was going into "crash labor": one minute fine, the next pain that can only be compared to the transition phase of labor! Turned out it was a kidney stone. The ER doctor said, when I told him the supplements were the only recent change to my life, said to stop taking them and to have the stone sent to pathology. I nor my family has ever had kidney stones, and when we had it tested for content it was primarily calcium. You know....extra calcium... hmmmmm. I'm not telling you to stop, but maybe ask. You could be passing little stones with the cramps, and the bloating and gas may be side effects. I would seriously check with your Dr. Maybe they can check your urine for calcium content. Small crystals can pass easily, but when they get too big they won't pass then they stick together and form a stone. Maybe google the symptoms and see if anything rings true. Good Luck! BTW... no more stones, just extra yogurt without the supplements.

Hi M.,

Calcium can make your bowels slow = constipation. Magnesium has the oppposite effect.

I take cod liver oil. The vitamin d helps absorb calcium. I found out I was deficient in it which probably caused my bones to become more brittle. Vitamin d also does help elevate the mood as does magnesium.

If you cook soups and eat meat, add the bones to the soup when you cook it. If you eat canned fish, get the kind wtih skin and bones.

Just a few suggestions.

: ) Maureen

First of all, those pills have all kinds of additives that are impossible to digest. Most pills include all kinds of junk, including shellac(!) to help them slide out of the molds they are made in. Secondly, you need other minerals to help the Vitamin D, which in turn is there to help you absorb the calcium. You aren't getting those. So the stuff is sitting in your digestive system and causing gas. Most doctors have had ZERO nutritional training (although the good ones will at least admit it), so they just tell you take pills because that's what they read somewhere.

I've had great results with Reliv products because they are balanced, and the whole formula is considered. You cannot get your essential nutrients from food any longer, no matter how well you think you eat. The AMA came out in 2003 and said everyone must supplement - but they didn't investigate enough to tell you what to supplement with! My doctor is thrilled with my Reliv results and told me it's great stuff, to continue, etc. They have US govt patents so are safe and unique and effective. Instead of trying to mix and match with stuff off the vitamin aisle shelves, I recognized that I am not a PhD food scientist and I'm not qualified to play amateur chemist - so I take something synergistic and balanced that was developed by scientists who DO have that training. Because of the balance, you can't "overdose" or "megadose". It's also in liquid form which is highly absorbable, so it's the most economical nutrition you can buy.

If you want to read a piece from the Physicians Desk Reference on the problem with absorption of pills, give me your email address and I will send it to you. The problem with undigested pills of all sorts is well known - there were huge reports in the papers about 2 years ago, after a major Associated Press investigation of water supplies in many major US cities. We're wasting our money on pills, not getting results, and having huge problems with that stuff stuck in our digestive tracts.

That is normal for some people when they increase their calcium intake. Importantly: Increasing your water intake will help out significantly. Magnesium is good to take with calcium too. Natural calcium is also important. Some store bought brands are not the correct forms. It's always a good idea to know what you are trying to improve on. You can get a simple blood test from your doctor's office. You don't need an exam. Just ask for a lab slip to have your vitamin D and calcium checked because it was recommended for you to take it. Ask for a Vitamin D25 Hydroxy test and take about 2000 I.U.'s of "D3" once a day if it's low. Take your vitamin D with some fat foods. (good fats are best of course). It is a fat soluble vitamin and is better absorbed this way. You can follow up with another blood test in 3 to 6 months again to see if your numbers have changed. Staying on a maintenance dose is good.
Best of health to you,
S. ....P.S. If you are interested in where to purchase good quality vitamins, I can have a catalog shipped to you with some that are 100% Naturally derived. Just e-mail me at ____@____.com

Sorry, I don't know specifics about the side effects but I'm going to watch what responses you get. I think the other responder may be onto something with the kidney stones. If you have excess calcium in your system, that your body cannot use, it gets flushed out in the form of a kidney stone, if I understand my biology correctly.

Personally, the vitamin D has been wonderful for me. It feels like my moods are elevated since I've taken it (may be coincidence but I think it's connected). If the calcium is the offender, you might consider just taking the vitamin D separately. It's just a thought.

If you are interested in some excellent information that has worked well for my family, please contact me @ ____@____.com and hopefully can benefit you greatly. It has helped me alot.

M. C.

most likely it is the type of calcium you are taking. Look at the label, is it calcium carbonate? this is a very chalky, indigestible form of calcium that causes stomach upset. Too much calcium in the wrong form can cause calcium deposits in other parts of your body(kidney stones). Switch the form of calcium: Citrate or Hydroxyapetite(this is an excellent form but not vegetarian, one brandname is Jarrow). Also you do need other minerals to absorb calcium (magnesium, potassium). You can get them all in a good formula. There is also an amazing supplement from New Chapter that has the most easily assimilated form of calcium(can't remember what it is at the moment). I don't know where you live, but you should check out whole foods. Yes the vitamins are more expensive there, but its because they are much higher quality. I was the manager there for several years and am now a health counselor. Don't stop taking calcium, just find a high quality formula that is not calcium carbonate.

So, you eat a healthy diet and live a healthy lifestyle, but your doctor recommended supplements without actually testing for deficiencies?! It is always better to get your nutrition from food.

It is my understanding that it is D3 you want to take with calcium. There are recent studies that show taking D2 actually lowers your blood levels of the vitamin. D3 is more available.

There's a nutritionist I see, her name is Thea Fournier in North Andover. Calcium and magnesium should be taken together always, without sugar as the sugar uses up calcium (so many people diagnosed with osteoporosis taking tons of calcium then eating lots of starchy carbs...hmmm) Yes, take Omega Fatty acids and Yes, take Vit D. Especially in the winter.