# Medications In General



## firstone (Jul 21, 2007)

How much time do you need for it to be safe to take different medications?.I take Nexium as soon as I wake up for my acid problems then I take a multivitamin then a magnesium supplement then Rolaids(with calcium or magnesium) for heartburn/supplement then the last thing I take is another magnesium supplement. All are taken with about 2 hours in between. Im wondering if I am overworking my kidneys because of these.Sometimes I also take Metamucil and I jsut started calcium caltrate.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Usually kidney overworking is not the reason you need to take some medications separately.Some medications may interfere with the absorption of other medications in the GI tract. Calcium can do that, but does not do it to everything. Sometimes one drug or food increases the absorption of another as well.The other main way drugs interact (other than each having the same side effect like making you sleepy that can add up fast) is by how one drug is metabolized by the liver and how the enzymes in the liver change in response. Depending on what one drug does to the liver enzymes it can cause another drug to be more or less active than usual. So you can be underdosed or overdosed depending on the particular interaction.K.


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## firstone (Jul 21, 2007)

I see... thats a great info. But can you get kidney stones from taking different calcium/magnesium supplements?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Some people have calcium metabolism issues, but typically the supplements do not increase the risk for most people.It is the oxalate content of the diet that is more important for most people and oddly often it is people with low mineral diets that get the stones more than those that get a lot of these minerals.Taking calcium with meals should help lower the risk. If the calcium and oxalate get together in the intestine you don't absorb them and they come out with the stool, what doesn't get to the kidney cannot form a stone.Drinking enough water during the day will also reduce stone risk as the more dilute the urine the less likely you are to form crystals of any type in the kidney.K


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## firstone (Jul 21, 2007)

So how do you make sure that the calcium your getting do not get into your kidneys?. A high oxalate diet?.Will the calcium still be absorbed by your body if it doesnt go through your kidneys?.Can you still get stones if you go just a little bit over than the necessary intake everyday?.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

If you are worried about stones you want a *LOW* oxalate diet.The stuff the gets bound up in the GI tract is not absorbed or used by you at all. It does you no good. The calcium that is in the urine in the kidneys is stuff you are getting rid of so you already absorbed it, and this is what is left over that you don't need.Most people do not get kidney stones in the 1000 -2000 mgs a day range. I cannot guarentee that you will never ever get a stone. Many people who never take a calcium supplement pill get kidney stones.If you are very very concerned about stones the most important thing is drinking enough water.K.


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## firstone (Jul 21, 2007)

Thank you kathleen...


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