Guest guest Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 While the FDA and the manufacturer of Reyataz have never warned against combining Reyataz and calcium carbonate, logic suggests the combination be avoided. Reyataz requires an acidic stomach to be absorbed properly, and calcium carbonate reduces stomach acid. In fact, Tums, which are marketed as an antacid, have calcium carbonate as their active ingredient. The FDA and the Reyataz label warn against combining Reyataz with other antacids. I take calcium citrate and Reyataz, based on the advice of a former member of this list and after checking with a doctor friend who pulled out his old chemistry books to do some calculations. He's now taking Reyataz as well, along with calcium carbonate. It would be great if we could get the manufacturer of Reyataz to do some studies, as many of us with HIV take calcium supplements as well."If I need a supplement, which one should I take? Most calcium supplements are made with either calcium carbonate or calcium citrate. Calcium carbonate needs stomach acid to be absorbed, so if it is the source of calcium in your supplement (check the label) it´s best to take it just after a meal. Calcium citrate isn´t as dependent on stomach acid, so it can be taken any time. People taking medications that reduce stomach acid - such as the proton-pump inhibitors (Prevacid, Prilosec) or the H2 blockers (Tagamet, Zantac) - should take a calcium citrate supplement because lower amounts of stomach acid mean they won´t absorb calcium carbonate properly. The big advantage of calcium carbonate over calcium citrate is that it contains twice as much calcium. The labels on the bottles sometimes make it seem like both kinds of tablets provide the same amount of calcium, usually 500 mg to 600 mg. But that´s the amount of calcium per "serving" and if you read the label you´ll see that the serving size for the calcium citrate supplements is usually two tablets, but for the calcium carbonate supplements, it´s just one." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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