Calcium for Chrones

Hi Winnie! Your GI and your GP and you should talk about the fosamax and calcium, and you should also talk about vitamin D. People with Crohn's don't absorb nutrients well sometimes, so many of us are low on D, B12, iron etc. Probably osteopaenia and osteoarthritis are made worse by Crohn's for this reason.

I'm a bit younger than you but I cannot tolerate calcium supplements (other than using calcium fortified milk and OJ). I take vitamin D and I'm hoping for the best, but just this year my bone density tests showed I'm at the edge going from osteopaenia to osteoarthritis. I've added a bunch of exercise to my life to slow that down.

get off fosamax IMMEDIATELY!!!!

we've all been lied to about this drug. i say this with wisdom as some one who took this drug for over 10 years and only found all this out AFTER i stopped taking it, which totally sucks. so here is the skinny:

1) it is a classification of drugs that truly should have a black box label on it
2) it does not regrow bone nor does it promote bone growth. it works by transforming one type of bone cell into the other type and thus on bone density scans it shows your bone density is improving and thus they conclude you are growing more bone. totally false and they know this!!! it just tricks the bone density scan!
3) people who take this drug actually get MORE breaks and fractures as it actually weakens their bones. so it is making your bones more fragile than they are now!


dont believe me??? do your own research independent of your doctor. most docs have been fooled and have become pharmaceutical tools paid to dispense drugs. it sucks. you really have to take control of your own health and research what your doc tells you before you actually do it.

so what to do to increase bone density naturally?
1) take a coral calcium supplement. coral calcium is critical as the rest are pretty much low grade garbage.
2) take calcium with vitamin D as you will absorb a ton more calcium by doing so. even if it the calcium says it is fortified with vitamin D, take a vitamin D supplement anyway with it cos chances are you are deficient in vitamin D.
3) take these two pills with some fat, like fish oil or coconut oil. fat is needed for the assimilation of the vitamin D which is fat soluble.
4) how much calcium to take? probably 1500 mg/d elemental dose*
5) how much vitamin D to take? probably 2,000-5,000 IU/d*
6) do this on an empty stomach at night before bed as calcium naturally has a mild sedative effect.

re-growing bone is a slow process. i was on fosamax for 10-11 years just to go from osteoporosis to bottom of normal (i was on high doses of prednisone for over 6 years). that sucks and it also means that i didnt regrow bone any faster the natural way. the way i recommend is the natural way and the BEST way (imho of course). you will regrow bone faster off corticosteroids and also by eating a good diet. most grain based foods have phytic acid that block nutrient absorption (ie minerals like calcium). there are also plenty of food based sources of calcium like whole fat dairy products (whole fat is key) and veggies like dark leafy greens, certain nuts, and broccoli. eat these foods as an added bonus to the supplements. also, muscle growth promotes bone growth so exercise!!!

*i am not a licensed medical doctor so get yourself tested to truly find out your individual needs, but these are pretty safe rules of thumb for most.

Another good nutrient for bone health is vitamin K2. I was supplementing just calcium and D3, but then someone on here, can't remember who, pointed out how important vitamin k2 is. I did some research and it is a nutrient that works in tandem with calcium and D3 and helps them work properly. Vitamin K has been shown to lessen the risk of bone fractures in post-menopausal women. I have since found calcium supplements that include K2!

In addition to being good for our bones vitamin K2 has also been shown to be anti-inflammatory which is always good for us Crohnies!

Thanks to all that replied. I have stopped taking Foxamax,and I am taking 1/2 calcium + D three times a day. It seems like it is helping with the big D!  But it is far from perfect yet.  Next week I will be taking the Remacade treatment and I will be seeing my GP in two weeks. I was feeling fine until last month and I have had a flare that has lasted more than a month.  It is hard taking advice from a doctor that is younger than my youngest child.  I really can't complain, since I am 79 and grateful for all of those yrs. I have had some form of this disease for 50yrs. But not diagnosed until the last 20yrs.  Thank you all for the great information. Winnie

I am not surprised about the Fosamax. The body produces two hormones for bones. One encourages bone growth. The other tears down old, decrepid bone tissue so that it can be replaced by new bone growth. I don’t know for sure, but if Fosamax and Boniva merely restrict the hormone that tears down old bone growth then it is not very beneficial for strong bones, even though bone mass may look good on a density scan.

Some studies have indicated that those who supplement with calcium alone may have a slight increase in heart problems. Hopefully this can be relieved by also taking D3, magnesium, and K2. K2 has the reputation for taking the calcium out of hardened arteries and moving it to the bones where it is needed.

But please don’t just take my word for it. I don’t care if I poison myself but I cannot live with myself if someone is harmed by something posted here. For example, vitamin K may be contraindicated if you are on blood thinners. So do your own research and consult with your doctor, of course. Forums can be valuable for generating discussion with your doctor.

For what it is worth, I was Dx'd w/"severe" osteoporosis in 1996 but did nothing for it for 9 years except working an "active" physical job.

I don't supplement w/calcium because I'm one of "those" crohnies who tends to constipation rather than diarrhea. Even 300 mg of calcium a day will "bind" me up.

In 2005 it was suggested that I take Forteo for the osteoporosis and I agreed. Forteo is several parts of the parathyroid hormone. It is a daily injectable and expensive!!! However, 2 years on Forteo restored me to my 1996 levels of osteoporosis, totally undoing 9 years of untreated osteoporosis.

01 Aug 1996
Lumbosacral 0.79 gm/cm2 * T-score: -2.3 * Z-score: -1.3
Left Hip Fem Neck 0.56 gm/cm2 * T-score -3.4 * Z-score: -2.1

28 Oct 1998
Lumbosacral 0.686 * T-score: -3.28 * Z-score: Not given
Femoral Neck 0.662 * T-score: -3.29 * Z-score: Not given

Hip 03/01/05 * 06/12/06 * 06/25/07 * 06/26/08
Neck -3.3 * -3.3 * -3.1 * -3.0
Troch -2.9 * -2.8 * -2.6 * -2.5
Inter -2.6 * -2.0 * -2.2 * -2.2
Total -3.0 * -2.7 * -2.7 * -2.7
Wards Tri -3.9 * -3.8 * -3.7

Spine
L1 -2.7 * -2.2 * -2.2  *-1.8
L2 -4.8 * -3.1 * -2.3 * -1.9
L3 -4.2 * -3.9 * -2.7 * -2.5
L4 -4.3 * -3.2 * -2.2 * -2.3
Total -4.1 * -3.1 * -2.3 * -2.2

 

And the exercise for osteoporosis is WEIGHT BEARING exercise, i.e. walking is better than bicycling.

Forteo is only approved for 2 years of use. However, given my excellent results I requested and was approved for a 3rd year of use. I had gains but not so dramatic. In fact, not enough to justify the expense for a 4th year. So I went 2 years w/o Forteo, instead taking an infusion of a bisphosphonate each year. I lost ground. So I requested approval of a 4th year on Forteo. I have 2-3 more months to go before we run another DEXA to see what, if anything, we have accomplished this past year w/the Forteo.

*I apologize for the formatting. I haven't mastered that yet in these forums.

it should be...

glad you are off the stuff.