Calcium supplements

Six months ago, I suffered a relapse of my ITP. I am 67 years old and gave had ITP for 42 years with occasional courses of prednisone after post op bleeds. I am now taking 15mg prednisone (reducing from 60mg). My platelets are still fluctuating - 18 one week and 61 the next. I saw a haematologist yesterday and she is putting pressure on me to take calcium supplements. I meet my daily calcium quota from diet and there has been research which shows calcium supplements don't prevent bone loss and can cause heart attacks. I am having a bone density scan tomorrow and suggested I await the outcome of that, but she is very insistent I take some form of bone protection in spite of. I did try calcium for a short time and it caused constipation and gut issues. I feel my body is going through enough with prednisone without adding any other drugs. I am having to take omeprazole now also and have agreed to Vitamin D once a month.
I would be interested in other members thoughts re supplements.
Penny

Hi Penny. I'm with you. I've done the research and also believe that calcium supplements are not the best route for bones and can cause other bodily damage. I have been on Prednisone since 2006, mostly 15 mg's and before that, was on and off of high doses for ITP. I take Magnesium, Vitamin D and Vitamin K for bones, never calcium. This is all newer research and if your doctor isn't familiar with it, there are articles to print out and show her. I have osteopenia but it hasn't gotten any worse over the years so I will continue to do what I am doing.

Thanks Sandi, I will have a look at taking Magnesium and Vitamin K. Will see what my dexa scan shows tomorrow.

I developed osteoporosis within 3 months of starting high dose pred. My GP was horrified I'd not been given bone protection. Despite a calcium rich diet my serum calcium levels were on the lower limit of normal and Vit D was far too low. Now take both calcium & Vit D supplements. Last bloods show levels are within normal limits. Repeat dexa scan next week

If on prednisone why wouldn’t you take calcium supplement?

Because the latest research shows that calcium does more harm than good and does not do much for bones. I know, it goes against all that we've been taught to believe. Magnesium, Vitamin D and K2 are the minerals for bones.

"In 2011, a British Medical Journal meta-analysis sounded the alarm that “Risks outweigh benefits for calcium supplements.” The study indicates that calcium supplements do more harm than good. They cause more cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks and stroke) than the number of fractures they prevent.

The seven authors of the study expressed concern that with so many people taking calcium supplements, “Even a small increase in incidence of cardiovascular disease could translate into a large burden of disease in the population.” They even go so far as to “suggest that a reassessment of the role of calcium supplements in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis is warranted.”

That’s a huge admission of failure of the main treatment for osteoporosis — high-dose calcium supplementation. In fact, researchers in a study of postmenopausal women with high milk intake speculate that high levels of calcium may actually be a cause of osteoporosis and osteoporotic bone fractures.[6] The researchers fail to realize that it’s not just the high doses of calcium but the lack of magnesium that’s the underlying problem. So they can’t just say calcium is bad for bones; calcium is required for bones, but so is magnesium."
www.huffingtonpost.com/carolyn-dean-md-nd/bone-health_b_1540931.html

"In their other study, the researchers looked at studies on the link between calcium intake and lower risk of fractures. The studies varied in quality, but the researchers found a lack of evidence to support the relationship. "Dietary calcium intake is not associated with risk of fracture, and there is no clinical trial evidence that increasing calcium intake from dietary sources prevents fractures," the study authors write. "Evidence that calcium supplements prevent fractures is weak and inconsistent."
time.com/4053338/calcium-supplements-bone-health/

"Extra calcium may not protect your aging bones after all.

New Zealand researchers who analyzed more than 100 previous investigations say guidelines advising seniors to consume at least 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day are misplaced.

No proof was found that boosting calcium intake beyond normal dietary levels strengthens older bones or prevents fractures, said researcher Dr. Mark Bolland.

"We've gathered all the clinical studies of calcium supplements and dietary calcium intake for both bone density and fractures," said Bolland, an associate professor in the department of medicine at the University of Auckland.

"Taken together, we think this is the strongest possible evidence that taking calcium supplements will not be beneficial unless there are clear medical reasons that a calcium supplement is needed," he said.

Moreover, excess calcium supplementation can be harmful, he and other experts said."
www.cbsnews.com/news/calcium-supplements-may-not-help-your-bones-study-finds/

Here's a study by the NIH:

"At the population level, any effects of calcium supplements on fracture risk are outweighed by the increased cardiovascular risk. Likewise, at an individual level, the increased cardiovascular risk will generally outweigh any benefits on fracture prevention. Therefore, the widespread use of calcium supplements to improve bone health should be abandoned. Although there is clear evidence of fracture prevention with CaD in institutionalized frail older women with a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, there is also evidence that the addition of calcium supplements to sunlight exposure increases mortality in this population. Thus, the balance of risk and benefit in institutionalized older people currently remains uncertain, but vitamin D supplements can be used independently of calcium."
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4125316/