Why oyster shell calcium

It may also be used in certain patients to make sure they are getting enough calcium including women who are pregnant, nursing, or postmenopausal, people taking certain medications such as phenytoin, phenobarbital, or prednisone. Calcium plays a very important role in the body. It is necessary for normal functioning of nerves, cells, muscle, and bone. If there is not enough calcium in the blood, then the body will take calcium from bones, thereby weakening bones. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and phosphorus.

Having the right amounts of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus is important for building and keeping strong bones. Take this medication by mouth with food. If your product contains calcium citrate, then it may be taken with or without food. Follow all directions on the product package, or take as directed by your doctor.

For best absorption, if your total daily dose is more than milligrams, then divide your dose and space it throughout the day. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Do not use a household spoon because you may not get the correct dose. If you are taking the chewable form of this medication, chew thoroughly before swallowing. If you are taking capsules, swallow each capsule whole. Do not crush or chew extended-release tablets. Doing so can release all of the drug at once, increasing the risk of side effects.

Also, do not split the tablets unless they have a score line and your doctor or pharmacist tells you to do so. Swallow the whole or split tablet without crushing or chewing. Use this medication regularly to get the most benefit from it. To help you remember, take it at the same time s each day. If your doctor has recommended that you follow a special diet, it is very important to follow the diet to get the most benefit from this medication and to prevent serious side effects.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist to help select the best product for you. Constipation or stomach upset may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. If your doctor has directed you to use this medication, remember that your doctor has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.

A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare. However, seek immediate medical attention if you notice any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including:. This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. In Canada - Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

You may report side effects to Health Canada at Before taking this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or to other vitamin D products such as calcitriol ; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems.

Talk to your pharmacist for more details. This medication should not be used if you have certain medical conditions. Before using this medicine, consult your doctor or pharmacist if you have:. Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of:. Chewable tablets may contain sugar or aspartame. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about using this product safely. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant before using this medication.

During pregnancy, doses of vitamin D greater than the recommended dietary allowance should be used only when clearly needed. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor. Drug interactions may change how your medications work or increase your risk for serious side effects. This document does not contain all possible drug interactions. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines without your doctor's approval. Calcium can decrease the absorption of other drugs such as tetracycline antibiotics for example, doxycycline, minocycline , bisphosphonates e.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist about how long you should wait between doses and for help finding a dosing schedule that will work with all your medications.

Ask your pharmacist about using those products safely. Following parotid enlargement, the patient stopped the drug herself which was followed by regression of the swelling within a day.

Later, she restarted the drug which resulted in reappearance of enlargement of same parotid gland. She consulted a physician and was advised to stop the drug with assurance of no need for treatment.

Subsequently she was also referred to adverse drug reaction ADR monitoring center, where ADR was documented and analyzed. She recovered completely in 2 days.

There was no history of any other concomitant drugs and she had no history of diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, malignancy and thyroid disorder. She did not have history of insect bite, exposure to allergens or infections.

Earlier she had history of intake of calcium not obtained from oyster shell with no reaction. Calcium is essential for secretion of water and electrolyte from parotid, further; it is shown to be vitamin D dependent.

There is a report of bilateral submandibular salivary stones formation in a child which was attributed to high dietary intake of calcium. Further, there was no evidence of stone formation but the parotid enlargement occurred within 2 days of starting the drug. Drug induced parotid enlargement is less common and is reported with drugs such as clonazepam, clozapine, butazones, bretylium, asparaginase, methyldopa, iodide preparations and terbinafine.

Vitamin D receptors have been demonstrated in rat parotid gland, but the role of vitamin D3 on parotid secretion is unknown. Hence, we ruled out vitamin D3 in this reaction and suspected oyster shell calcium as the culprit.

Given that calcium is widely used as supplementation in elderly women as part of prevention of osteoporosis, this reaction is of significance. Source of Support: Nil. Conflict of Interest: None declared. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List J Pharmacol Pharmacother v. J Pharmacol Pharmacother. Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. E-mail: ni. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.

Abstract A 59 year old female consumer was started on therapy with oyster shell calcium in combination with vitamin D3 and she presented with swelling below the ear, after two doses. Keywords: Adverse drug reaction, oyster shell calcium, parotid swelling.

The effect of vitamin D deficiency on secretion of saliva by rat parotid gland in vivo. J Physiol. Nutrient requirements and recommended dietary allowances for Indians. A method for estimating the probability of adverse drug reactions. Clin Pharmacol Ther. Preventability and severity assessment in reporting adverse drug reactions. Am J Hosp Pharm. The parotid gland: A new target organ for vitamin D action. Biochim Biophys Acta. Calcium carbonate overdose.

Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D and risk of cardiovascular events: Reanalysis of the Women's Health Initiative limited access dataset and meta-analysis.