reminder about calcium

Wow, 12 of them a day... I should probably do the same for a couple of months and then re-test. Ferritin was 11 as of last week. I have been down to 3 before and I do NOT want to go there again.

I started taking 12 a day when I had labs done in June and my ferritin was 15.  When I had labs done again in September, it had gone up a little to 26.

12 a day is a lot.  There is a brand called Feosol that you can get at some stores, like CVS, and they have 45 mg per pill so I wouldn't have to take as many, but they are more expensive.  The Sundown Perfect Iron is cheap, plus I frequently find coupons for it.

I liked the cheap aspect of it, so it works for me! As long as I can take it all at once, I don't mind the number of them that I have to take.

Kelly, I always appreciate your vitamin knowledge, it can be confusing. I've been taking Gentle Iron 25 MG capsuls, which is iron bisglycinate...is this absorbed well? Is that 25 MG elemental iron?

 

It is elemental iron.  I'm not sure how well it is absorbed though.

I'd like to mention one other thing, if I may. While cacium carbonate does not get absorbed and used for healthy bones, it can cause kidney stones and calcified arteries. So while it is not doing what you think it should when taking it, it may be doing a lot of harm.

Most multivitamins have some calcium carbonate in them. It is used as a binder to hold those hard little pills together. Those that have suffered from kidney stones will not take those kinds of multis at all, for fear of getting more kidney stones. They find a multi without calcium carbonate.

Calcium citrate, on the other hand, not only promotes healthy bones, but some studies show it helps prevent kidney stones and calcified arteries.

Just more reason to follow Kelly's advice.

Very good point.  For most people, I don't think the small amount of calcium carbonate in a multivitamin will cause a problem.  But definitely taking large amounts of calcium carbonate, and taking it for a long time, can cause kidney stones.

Kelly, I think you should set yourself a reminder to post this monthly, if not every three weeks or so.

Thank you for being such a great resource.

I'm definitely grateful for these posts! This vitamin thing is a bit ovewhelming to me.  I have already ordered and starting taking my vitamins pre-op but with so many to take and some you can't take with others I constantly feel like I'm screwing up.  I read everything like this I can get my "eyes" on

Thank you Kelly for sharing your knowledge on the vitamins and stuff.  I know it has helped me in alot of ways.  Whenever I have a question or concern about any of them, I look for your posts :)