Question:
i was reading that someone took
viactiv are we able to? if not is there anything else that is smaller that we can take then the "goat pills"... thanks in advance, debbie — debbie S. (posted on August 15, 2002)
August 15, 2002
Yes you can use that type of calcium. It is almost like a
daily treat also. Enjoy.....Faith
— Faith M.
August 15, 2002
NO! NO! NO! Viactiv is calcium carbonate. You are having a RNY and will not
absorb that type of calcium. You need calcium citrate. There are several
ways you can get it. TwinLabs has chewable wafers, there are liquid
versions, too. I take 500 mg capsules 2 x day. Viactiv tastes good but if
you take it after RNY you are just eating candy, not taking calcium.
— ctyst
August 15, 2002
I have been taking VIACTIV since I was about two weeks pre-op. Very yummy
treats you sometimes forget it is a calcium supplement. They usally run
about 6 bucks at walmart.. I recommend the chocolate and carmel.
— HelpMeRhonda !!
August 15, 2002
Hi... I do not use Viactiv but use GNC's brand of the same thing in caramel
and chocolate. I chew 1 2x a day and also take magnesium which bonds with
the calcium. I know some say we must use calcium citrate but my Dr. said
this is ok and they taste great. My best to you.
— AJC750
August 15, 2002
Cheri is right,people! Listen up. If you have had the RNY you need
calcium citrate and not carbonate. The Viactiv and other chewables tend to
be carbonate and your system will not absorb the calcium needed. I have
met several long term post-ops in a support group that did not know this
after their surgery and ended up with osteoporosis within 6 months, so
don't make that mistake. If your looking for a liquid-I hate the horse
pills too-try going to www.tropicaloasis.com and look under calcium. They
have a liquid calcium citrate/magnesium/Vit D, that is a thick white orange
tasting liquid and you only have to take a tablespoon a day (split in 1/2
twice a day for better absorbtion)
— Cindy R.
August 15, 2002
Email vitalady.com (Michelle Curran) I believe she has osteoporosis (sorry,
don't know how to spell it)because she was told to take calcium carbonate
when she had her surgery 7 or so years ago. It's calcium CITRATE that we
absorb best.
— Kim B.
August 15, 2002
Calcium citrate has a new chewable that is fruit flavored it is
great-----found mine at walmart
— Linda L.
August 15, 2002
You know, this calcium citrate/carbonate argument gets old. I asked my
surgeon (Dr. Wittgrove), and he said either is really actually fine. Any
type of calcium apparently is not absorbed as well, but it seems that it
really doesn't matter which you take.
— Jennifer Y.
August 15, 2002
WE NEED CALCIUM CITRATE!!! Viactiv is useless. I ordered chewable
spearmint calcium citrate wafers from Questvitamins.com, a Canadian
company. There's a cartoon on this website that shows people having fun
shopping in vitamin stores (used to be restaurants??). I've become one of
those, always looking for the palatable calcium supplement! GOod luck!
— Marti R.
August 16, 2002
Hi Debbie, I take both. Two Viactiv's per day (at least 4 hours apart) and
2 Citri-cal per day (again, at least 4 hours apart). I have heard the same
thing that alot of other people have said, WLS people do NOT absorb calcium
carbonate, we need calcium citrate. I was only taking Viactiv post-op,
until I found out about the calcium carbonate issue. I then switched to
ONLY the citri-cal. Before WLS surgery (years before) I had started having
leg cramps, and started taking calcium supplements. After WLS, I took
Viactiv, as I said earlier. When I switched to Citri-cal, the leg cramps
RETURNED! So, that is why I again started the Viactiv, along with the
Citri-cal. 2 of each per day, at least 4 hours apart. Good luck!
— [Deactivated Member]
August 16, 2002
I'm 3 months post-op and I don't know why everyone keeps saying they can't
absorb Viactiv. I've been taking 2 a day since surgery and my calcium level
is fine. I also haven't had any dairy since surgery so Viactiv is all I
get.
— Traci B.
August 16, 2002
Ah, the calcium citrate versus calcium carbonate debate, again!! So many
doctors still recommend Tums or other calcium carbonate sources for WLS
post-ops. So does mine, and though I think very highly of him, I think he
may be wrong on this point, at least with respect to some patients (and who
knows which ones until it is too late). According to some long-term WLS
post-ops -- people who've been post-ops for years, not just months --
calcium carbonate isn't absorbed by them sufficiently, and they found out
the hard way by developing osteoperosis or signs of it years later. I've
read that a calcium deficiency like that isn't likely to show up in your
lab results for years, if ever, so it doesn't mean much to say you've been
taking calcium carbonate for a few months or even a year or two and you
feel great. I've also read that you would really need a Dexascan (very
expensive test) in order to know what's really up wid dem bonz. ;)
Unfortunately, nobody can yet point to a study that addresses this question
definitively, so you aren't going to find bariatric surgeons buying into
the debate (and too few track patients long enough to have any idea from
their practices). Also, for what it's worth, in my thyroid cancer support
group, some of the people suffering from parathyroidism have reported that
they, too, do not absorb calcium carbonate adequately and have to use
calcium citrate to abate their symptoms. On the other hand, other
parathyroid patients said that calcium carbonate worked fine by them. But
*nobody* said that calcium citrate failed them. To me, that makes calcium
citrate the clear choice, and my doc could care less if I use calcium
citrate instead of Tums, as long as I'm getting those calcium supplements
in every day. Personally, I wouldn't want to find out, years down the
road, that for me, Tums and Viactiv were no more than useless little
candies to my poor bones!
— Suzy C.
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