Citracal is a type of calcium supplement, but multivitamins can also supplement your intake of the mineral. While you do need calcium to build strong bones, it is important that you do not get too much. If you overdose on both multivitamins and Citracal, you can easily consume too much calcium.
Citracal
Citracal, a brand of calcium supplements, is available in several strengths. According to the manufacturer, it comes in tablet form, which you can take with or without food. The regular strength Citracal tablet contains 500 mg of calcium, while the maximum strength contains 630 mg of calcium.
Multivitamins and Calcium
The amount of calcium in a multivitamin varies from vitamin to vitamin, particularly depending on who the vitamin is intended for. In general, women’s multivitamins have more calcium than do men’s multivitamins, since women are at a higher risk of osteoporosis than are men. A general multivitamin tends to have an amount in between men’s and women’s vitamins. For example, Centrum’s all-purpose multivitamin contains 200 mg of calcium, while their women’s vitamin contains 500 mg and their men’s version contains 210 mg.
Calcium Amounts
The Food and Nutrition Board recommends 1,000 mg -- or 1 gram -- of calcium daily for men between the ages of 19 and 70. Women between the ages of 19 and 50 need 1,000 mg, but this amount is raised to 1,200 mg after menopause at age 51. The upper tolerable limit for adults is 2,500 mg daily. If you are taking just one multivitamin with one dose of the supplement Citracal, you will probably not get too much calcium. However, if you take several multivitamins and doses of Citracal, you can run the risk of overdosing on calcium.
Toxicity
Too much calcium, particularly from calcium supplements, can result in hypercalcemia, a condition with abnormal levels of calcium in your blood. Mild hypercalcemia can result in mild symptoms, including a loss of appetite, gastrointestinal upset, dry mouth and thirst. Severe hypercalcemia can result in confusion and delirium, coma or -- in extreme cases -- death. You can avoid hypercalcemia by carefully following the dosage instructions on your multivitamin and on the Citracal package. You can also talk to your physician for dosage advice.
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