Hello, List:
I've been reading the posts on calcium supplements with great interest. My
sig. other is LI; he uses calcium supplements, primarily because his thyroid
and some parathyroids were removed as a result of thyroid disease. Combined
with the LI, it just makes the whole calc level thing more complicated.

He took calcium gluconate for years, but for a few years he's had trouble
finding gluconate. Recently, the Os-Cal carbonate just didn't seem to be
working for him. I don't know if it just wasn't absorbing properly, or if
their numbers are off; when he called them, they seemed very vague about the
concept of 'elemental' calcium levels vs. what the box says. A 500-mg. tablet
of calcium carbonate may actually only have 200 or 250 mg of elemental
calcium; and for him, it's very important to know. He needs1500 - 2000 mg of
_elemental_ calcium a day. Os-Cal didn't seem to know. His most recent blood
test showed his calc level had dropped a bit, and he was beginning to feel it.
Our local natural food store recommended Schiff's calc carbonate, which he
loves, and which have made him feels much better. But carbonate always tends
to constipate him, which is an unpleasant problem, and gets complicated by the
LI....=sigh= you get the picture.
I've read comments here about calcium citrate being the easiest to absorb. We
haven't looked into it before. Any thoughts on the pros and cons of citrate?
Should he give it a try? Sorry this is a bit long...
Thanks for the help;
Elizabeth Rock