Why is this medication prescribed?

Calcium carbonate is a dietary supplement used when the amount of calcium taken in the diet is not enough. Calcium is needed by the body for healthy bones, muscles, nervous system, and heart. Calcium carbonate also is used as an antacid to relieve heartburn, acid indigestion, and stomach upset. It is available with or without a prescription.

This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

How should this medicine be used?

Calcium carbonate comes as a tablet, chewable tablet, capsule, and liquid to take by mouth. It usually is taken three or four times a day. Follow the directions on your prescription or package label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take calcium carbonate exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. When using this medicine as a dietary supplement, take it with food or following meals.

Chewable tablets should be chewed thoroughly before being swallowed; do not swallow them whole. Drink a full glass of water after taking either the regular or chewable tablets or capsules. Some liquid forms of calcium carbonate must be shaken well before use.

Do not take calcium carbonate as an antacid for more than 2 weeks unless your doctor tells you to.

What storage conditions are needed for this medicine?

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.

In case of emergency/overdose

In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.

What other information should I know?

If this medicine has been prescribed for you, keep all appointments with your doctor so that your response to calcium carbonate can be checked. Do not let anyone else take your medicine.

Brand names

You probably learned that you need calcium for strong bones and teeth when you were in grade school – when you asked why you needed to drink all of your milk. But did you also know that calcium is used by the body to help muscles contract properly, to help blood clot, and even to help your nerves carry messages? It even keeps our hearts beating properly. 

While calcium keeps our bones and teeth strong, those bones and teeth also store the calcium that the body needs – allowing the body to break down and rebuild bone when it needs that calcium. If that calcium is not replaced to rebuild that bone, the bones become weak and brittle, meaning that they break easily. This is why getting the calcium that we need is so vital to our health. Our entire bodies are depending on it! 

Osteoporosis is the main disease that comes into play when we deny our bodies the calcium that they need. This is a crippling disease that approximately 44 million Americans are currently suffering from. People who don't get enough calcium are at risk for other diseases as well. Calcium helps to restore the right pH levels in the body by removing acid. 

When we supplement our bodies with the calcium that we need, the body doesn't break down bones to get the calcium. Instead, it uses what we are giving it. This saves our bones for the long haul, and makes and keeps us healthier. 

Eating foods that are rich in calcium is advised. Low fat dairy products and broccoli are great sources for calcium, but most people still don't get enough calcium in their food, and supplements are needed. Most people don't even know how much calcium they actually need. 

Newborn babies, up to the age of six months old need 210 milligrams of calcium per day. Six month to one year olds need 270 milligrams per day. One to three year olds need 500 milligrams, four to eight year olds need 800 milligrams, and nine to eighteen year olds need 1300 milligrams. Adults between the ages of nineteen and fifty need 1000 milligrams per day, while adults fifty ones years of age or older need about 1200 milligrams of calcium per day. 

Life Force International has a product called OsteoProCare?. It is in liquid form, and it is made of the highest possible quality ingredients including calcium, magnesium, chondroitin, vitamin D, peppermint, and colloidal minerals. These ingredients make it easy for the body to absorb, and it tastes good as well. 

Don't assume that you are getting enough calcium because you take a good multivitamin. Most multivitamins only have small traces of calcium, and it simply is not enough.