What Kind of Doctor Do I Need? Dental (Oral) Health Quiz Causes of a Heart Attack Slideshow Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. Calcium keeps your bones and muscles—including your heart—healthy and strong. People who do not get enough calcium and vitamin D throughout life have an increased chance of having thin and brittle bones (osteoporosis) in their later years. Thin and brittle bones break easily and can lead to serious injuries. This is why it is important for you to get enough calcium and vitamin D as a child and as an adult. It helps keep your bones strong as you get older and protects against possible breaks. Your body also uses vitamin D to help your muscles absorb calcium and work well. If your muscles don't get enough calcium, then they can cramp, hurt, or feel weak. You may have long-term (chronic) muscle aches and pains. Getting enough vitamin D helps prevent these problems. Children who don't get enough vitamin D may not grow as much as others their age.
They also have a chance of getting a rare disease called rickets, which causes weak bones.Calcium should always be taken along with vitamin D, because the body needs vitamin D in order to absorb calcium.Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding need the same amount of calcium and vitamin D as other women their age.Most people get enough calcium and vitamin D. Many foods are fortified with calcium and vitamin D, and your body uses sunshine to make its own vitamin D. From age 9 through 18, girls need more calcium from foods to meet the daily recommended intake. If they cannot get enough calcium from foods, a calcium supplement may be needed.Blood tests for vitamin D can check your vitamin D level. But there is no standard normal range used by all laboratories. The U.S. Institute of Medicine recommends a blood level of 20 ng/mL of vitamin D for healthy bones. And most people in the United States and Canada meet this goal.3Things that reduce how much vitamin D your body makes include:Calcium is in foods such as milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Vegetables like broccoli, kale, and Chinese cabbage have calcium. You can get calcium if you eat the soft edible bones in canned sardines and canned salmon. Foods with added (fortified) calcium include some cereals, juices, soy drinks, and tofu. The food label will show how much calcium was added. Vitamin D is in foods such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel. These are some of the best foods to eat when you are trying to get more vitamin D. Other foods that have vitamin D, but in small amounts, include cheese, egg yolks, and beef liver. You can also get vitamin D from fortified foods such as milk and some cereals, orange juices, yogurts, margarines, and soy drinks.Some people who do not get enough calcium and vitamin D may need supplements. Calcium supplements are available as citrate or carbonate. Calcium carbonate is best absorbed when it is taken with food. Calcium citrate can be absorbed well with or without food. Spreading calcium out over the course of the day can reduce stomach upset and helps your body absorb the calcium better.
Try not to take more than 500 milligrams (mg) of calcium supplement at a time.Vitamin D supplements are available as ergocalciferol (D2) and cholecalciferol (D3). It is possible to get too much calcium and vitamin D. Older women who take calcium supplements need to be careful that they do not take too much. The amount of calcium and vitamin D you get every day from all sources—including food, sunshine, and supplements—should not be more than the amount shown by age in the table below for "upper level intake." Upper level intake does not mean that most people need this amount or should try to get it. It means this is the maximum amount of calcium or vitamin D that is safe to take. If you get too much calcium, you may get kidney stones, and if you get too much vitamin D, your kidneys and tissues may be damaged.3 Too much calcium can cause constipation. Too much vitamin D can cause nausea and vomiting, constipation, and weakness.Getting too much vitamin D increases the amount of calcium in your blood.
If this happens, you can become confused and have an irregular heart rhythm.Calcium and vitamin D may interact with other medicines. A drug interaction happens when a medicine you take changes how another medicine works. One medicine may make another one less effective, or the combination of the medicines may cause a side effect you don't expect. Some drug interactions are dangerous. Before you start taking calcium and/or vitamin D, tell your doctor about all of the medicines you take, including over-the-counter drugs, herbs, and pills. Also tell your doctor about all of your current medical problems.RegisterPatient AccessPatient- MyHealth- Forums- PatientPro| Sign inPatient AccessPatient- MyHealth- Forums- PatientProPatient - Trusted medical information and supportSkip to contentMyHealth | Symptom checker View this article online at http://patient.info/medicine/calcium-with-colecalciferolCalcium with colecalciferolCalcium with colecalciferol is a mineral and vitamin D supplement.It promotes bone strength and helps to prevent osteoporosis.
Make sure you know how to take the preparation you have been given. Some brands of tablets are swallowed with water, others are chewable, and others are dissolved in water. The contents of sachets should be mixed into water before taking. Read the label carefully, and if you are still unsure what to do, ask your pharmacist for advice.Type of medicineMineral and vitamin supplementUsed forTo promote healthy bones and to prevent osteoporosisAlso calledAccrete D3®; Natecal D3®(Colecalciferol is also called vitamin D3)Available asTablets, chewable tablets, soluble tablets, and sachetsCalcium and vitamin D are both important for healthy, strong bones. Colecalciferol is a type of vitamin D. Vitamin D is mostly made in your skin by exposure to sunlight, but you also get some from your diet. Foods that contain colecalciferol are oily fish (such as sardine, herring, salmon and tuna) and eggs. Your body needs adequate supplies of vitamin D in order for it to absorb the calcium that you eat or drink in your diet.
A mild lack of vitamin D may not cause symptoms, but it can cause general aches and pains. It can also result in an increased risk of osteoporosis. A more severe lack of vitamin D can result in your bones softening. This causes problems such as rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.If you are at risk of vitamin D deficiency, you will be recommended to take a vitamin D supplement such as calcium and colecalciferol routinely. These tablets/sachets are available on prescription or you can buy them at pharmacies, without a prescription.To make sure this is the right treatment for you, before you start taking calcium and colecalciferol it is important that your doctor or pharmacist knows:If you are pregnant or breast-feeding. This is because, while you are expecting or feeding a baby, you should only take medicines on the recommendation of a doctor.If you have kidney problems, or if you have ever had kidney stones.If you have sarcoidosis. This is a condition causing inflammation, particularly in your lungs and lymph system.
If you know you have too much calcium in your blood or urine. This can happen with some cancers.If you are taking any other medicines. This includes any medicines you are taking which are available to buy without a prescription, such as herbal and complementary medicines.If you have ever had an allergic reaction to a medicine.Before you start this treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside your pack. It will give you more information about calcium and colecalciferol, and will also provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience.Take calcium with colecalciferol tablets/sachets exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you to. It is usual to take one or two doses each day, preferably after meals. If you are taking one dose a day, try to take your doses at the same time of day each day - this will help you to avoid missing any doses. If you are taking two doses a day, take one in the morning and the other in the evening.Some tablets should be swallowed whole without being chewed, other tablets must be chewed before being swallowed.
Preparations of calcium and colecalciferol supplied in sachets and soluble (effervescent) tablets need to be dissolved in a glassful of water before they are taken. Read the label on the preparation carefully to find out what you should do, and if you are still unsure, ask your pharmacist for advice.If you do forget to take a dose, do not worry, just take your next dose when it is due. Do not take two doses together to make up for a forgotten dose.Try to keep your regular appointments with your doctor. This is so your doctor can check on your progress.If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are suitable to take with calcium and colecalciferol.This medicine is unlikely to cause any side-effects when taken as directed. Rarely, it may cause stomach upset. If you experience any symptoms which you think may be due to it, then ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice.Keep all medicines out of the reach and sight of children.Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct heat and light.