- Infants
and children from birth to age 3
U.S. 400 to 800 mg
Canada 250 to 550 mg
- Children
from 4 to 6 years old
U.S. 800 mg
Canada 600 mg
- Children
from 7 to 10 years old
U.S. 800 mg
Canada 700 to 1100 mg
- Males
from adolescence through adult
U.S. 800 to 1200 mg
Canada 800 to 1100 mg
-
Women from adolescence though adult
U.S. 800 to 1200 mg
Canada 700 to 1100 mg
- Women during pregnancy and breastfeeding
U.S. 1200 to 1500 mg
Canada 1200 to 1500 mg
- Post-menopausal
women who do not taking estrogen
U.S. 1500 mg
Canada 1500 mg
The amount of calcium that you need may be adjusted by your clinician based on your personal health.
Calcium and Drug Interactions
Certain medications or dietary supplement may interact with calcium supplements. You should inform your clinician if you are taking any of the following with calcium so that precautions may be taken or doses changed:- Some
medicines contain calcium (ask your clinician or
pharmacist if any of your medicines contain calcium),
this can sometimes lead to excess calcium in the blood or
urine and can potentially cause health problems.
- Patients
who take cellulose sodium phosphate along with calcium
supplements may decrease the effectiveness of cellulose
sodium phosphate.
- Heart
patients who use digitalis glycoside and take injections
of calcium supplements are at increased risk for
irregular heartbeat.
- Sometimes
the timing of other medications and calcium supplements
can mean the difference between effective medication
and/or decreased effectiveness. Etidronate is one of
these drugs and it should not be taken within 2 hours of
calcium supplements to prevent a decrease in the
effectiveness of the etidronate.
- Patients
on gallium nitrate should discuss the use of calcium
supplements with their clinician because this drug may
not work properly when taken with calcium
supplements.
- Using
calcium supplements while receiving injections of
magnesium sulfate can cause either drug to lose
effectiveness.
- Calcium
supplements should not be taken within 1 to 3 hours of
phenytoin because the effectiveness of both may be
decreased.
- Antibiotics called tetracyclines (oral) and calcium supplements taken together may decrease the effectiveness of tetracycline. If you are using tetracycline for an infection be sure that you do not take calcium within 1 to 3 hours of taking the antibiotic.
Other Health Issues To Consider Before Using Calcium Supplements
Sometimes other health conditions can affect the use of calcium supplements. Be sure to tell your clinician if you have any of the following conditions:- Diarrhea.
- Stomach
or intestinal problems (extra calcium may be
necessary).
- Heart
disease.
- Thyroid
disorders
- A
condition of too much calcium in the blood called
hypercalcemia or a condition of too much calcium in the
urine called hypercalciuria (in these cases calcium
supplements can make these conditions worse).
- Hyperparthyroidism
or sarcoidosis (calcium supplements can increase the risk
of hypercalcemia.
- Hypoparthyroidism
(calcium phosphate can increase the level of phosphorus
in your blood and possibly increase the risk of side
effects).
- Hypercalcemia or kidney disease or stones (the risk of kidney stones increases with the use of calcium supplements).
If you have questions about the proper amount and/or type of calcium supplement you should be taking, talk to your healthcare provider.
First page Introduction to Calcium, Special Considerations, What Kind of Calcium? Page 1, 2
