Calcium Citrate question

I purchased the Citracal Petites (Calcium Citrate +D) vitamins.  Even chopping them in half, I'm unable to swallow them.  I have been using a pill crusher to crush them up into more manageable pieces or swallow.  I am wondering if this is okay?  I do get in my 3 pills a day (1,500 mg); but it's in a crushed form. 

I might check into getting the powdered form everyone talks about on here--the one they put in their drink.  That sounds like a great option--probably pricey though.  I don't have a problem crushing up my Calcium Citrate 3 times a day but I'm wondering if I'm messing up by crushing them up, whether the pills aren't doing their job as well due to them being in a crushed up state.  My mother has never been able to swallow pills all of her life.  She's always CRUSHED up any pill she's had to take or has asked to get a liquid form if available.  She's even emptied out capsules into a spoon and has taken the pill with applesauce.  Well, I've done that too and the Dr said it was fine.  

My mother almost died when she was 8 yrs old by getting a piece of fireball candy stuck in her windpipe.  She took a sip of soda with the fireball in her mouth & the the candy accidently got lodged in her throat.  Everyone who witnessed it was trying to help her get the fireball to come up but it wasn't working...my mother was turning blue & had dropped to the ground with her last breaths and then my grandmother took one last hit to my mother's back and luckily somehow the fireball came up.  That event traumatized my mother and she has never been able to swallow a pill since.  They just won't go down no matter how hard she tries to get herself to swallow.  Growing up, I observed her behavior of crushing up pills and I grew up being fearful of swallowing pills too and struggled with it.  Somehow I did manage to be able to swallow aspirin and pills of a SMALL size eventually, but I can't do capsules, caplets very well and there's NO WAY I could swallow a huge vitamin (HORSE PILL).  I'll be on chewable multivitamins for the rest of my life :-)  Love the sublingual B12 too---wish all of the pills were like that. :-)

The calcium citrates are just too big--even the petites.  I know it's a "mind thing" and that physically I should be able to swallow them but I just can't--not even if they're cut in half.  Crunching them up is my only option and I'm fine doing that.   

Anyone, know if it's okay to "crush" calcium citrate petite pills or if by crushing them...am I losing the positive effect of the supplement?  Just wondering.  It's the only vitamin supplement that I'm having trouble with right now.  I take Prilosec, iron, biotin, sublingual B12 and my multi--without problems.  I've just recently started with the supplements too.  But the calcium citrate is a problem--I know I NEED IT...but wish it was easier to get down.

Thanks

I don't know the answer to the crushing, but the calcium petites are only 250mg per tablet. A serving is two tablets for 500mg. You would need to take 6 a day for 1500

Have you thought about the chews? Calicet is 500mg for one chew, the bariatric advantage are 500mg for two chews. I use those as one dose a day, plus the 200 each in my am and pm multivits, and do two calcium petites midday. I also usually add another petite or chew with the evening dose to get above 1500.

You're right...I checked the label.  I should probably be taking at least 4-5 pills daily.  I'm definitely doing to have to either learn to start swallowing or purchase that powder form that mixes with a beverage that can be bought online.  The Dr told me to take 3 of the Citracal Cal Cit+D so that's why I've been taking 3 only.  But the label would indicate that I need to take more to get in the 1500-2000mg daily I need.  Thanks for your advice.  I will be making a change.

get chewables no crushing needed easy to absorb and not very expensive.

come tot hink of it you could probably contact the vitamin company directly and ask if there is any intereference in bioavailability when crushing the tablets. I presume the answer is no. but the manufacturer may have a better idea. I will contact mine and get a pill crusher as well cuz thats a lot of money down the drain.

Have you seen the Calcium & Vit D3 from Wellesse?  It gives you 1000mg Calcium and 1000 iu Vitamin D3, is latose free and the calcium is calcium citrate.  It is a liquid format and I take a tablespoon twice a day.  I got mine at Walgreens on a 2 for sale.

It's not all calcium citrate.  Part of it is tricalcium phosphate, which you will not absorb.  To get enough citrate, you'd need more than two tablespoons a day.

Crushingt hem is just fine.

However, if you only take three a day, that's just 600 mg.  You'd need eight a day to get enough.