What is the difference between caltrate and citracal

OK Cancel. Canada EN. Canada FR. HongKong S. Puerto Rico. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift. Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health , plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise , pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more.

Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. Recent Blog Articles. Health news headlines can be deceiving. Why is topical vitamin C important for skin health? Preventing preeclampsia may be as simple as taking an aspirin.

You can get all the calcium your body needs from dairy products, vegetables and fortified drinks, but some people choose to take calcium supplements. Citracal and Caltrate are brand-name calcium supplements you can take to meet your daily calcium needs. Consult with your physician about the best form of calcium to take for your medical condition. Caltrate contains calcium carbonate, a chemical found naturally in egg shells, snail and oyster shells, pearls, chalk, limestone and marble.

Calcium carbonate is a relatively inexpensive and dense source of elemental calcium that contains 40 percent calcium by weight. One Caltrate tablet provides mg of calcium or 1, mg of calcium carbonate. The manufacturer of Caltrate also sells Caltrate chewable tablets and other tablets containing vitamin D and essential minerals. Calcium carbonate does not dissolve very well in water.

Under normal conditions, no more than 14 mg of calcium carbonate can dissolve in a liter of water. Calcium carbonate, the form of calcium found in Caltrate , is the most concentrated form and is commonly found in food and drug stores. Most formulas supply calcium in the form of calcium carbonate. And fewer tablets mean your bottle of Caltrate may last longer per bottle compared with other forms. Calcium and Calcium Carbonate. Calcium Supplements. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. A healthy diet that includes calcium along with a lifetime of regular exercise builds and maintains good bone health and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life.