# Tums calcium



## SteveInAustin (Aug 22, 2007)

I've got IBS-D. Had it for the past 2 years. Tried a bunch of things. After my recent colonoscopy/endoscopy, I heard my doctor mention I had some "gastritis". But at the time, I was still pretty unconscious from the anesthetic, and so I didn't have a chance to find out what that meant. Then I got back home and put two and two together and thought, hey, I must have an overly acidic stomach or something. So I went on Tums (calcium carbonate chews). What I found at the time was that taking those things caused my gas bloating and diarrhea to go away instantly. I mean, I would get some bubbling in my gut somewhere, and then I'd take 3-4 grams of calcium carbonate, and it stopped within about a minute. My BM's were normal (once or twice a day, solid each time)! I thought for sure this was the answer. It meant my stomach acid was just too strong. Yay, or so thought.Then after a week of doing this very successfully, I decided to go off the Tums for another week so that my gut would once again return to bubbling gas and diarrhea. But it didn't really go back. It was very mild when I went off the Tums. So I didn't get a chance to prove that the Tums were working. And I had to face the possibility that the Tums weren't what was working after all. Hmm. Maybe it had to do with the biopsies that were taken during the colonoscopy and endoscopy I had. I could still feel those sores 2-3 weeks later.Then I went to my gastro doctor for the follow-up appointment on the colonoscopy / endoscopy. He said the gastritis I had was normal and that everyone has it. He said that if I didn't have any, then he'd worry. So apparently I don't have an overly acidic stomach after all. Bummer. But he said that the Tums I was taking were fine, even at 20 grams per day. I asked him about getting problems from doing that, such as kidney stones or hypercalcemia, and he said both of those are not possible with 20 grams per day. He said it probably worked by making my bowel more constipated than usual. And I confirmed that I was feeling constipated. He also suggested that if I'm still having problems with Tums, he'd write a prescription for Lotronex for me.Now, the interesting part... When I got back home after that, I went back on the Tums again. I take 3-4g after ending a meal, probably about 5-15 minutes after eating, just to let my food digest a bit. Maybe I should space it out longer. Dunno. I take them as soon as my gut starts bubbling and complaining, which usually happens just 5 minutes after eating. Anyway, I have not been able to reproduce the success I had right after the colonoscopy. I'm kind of bummed. I may try that Caltrate 600 Plus D thing that was mentioned above. I was surprised to see that someone had already come up with this idea. I thought taking calcium was my idea. Haha. And I'm surprised the dosages people are using are just a small fraction of what I was taking. I can't imagine it having any effect at just 2-3 grams per day. I'm doing 20 grams. I'll cut back to 3 grams (one per meal).I think I'm also going to try a number of experiments on myself. One experiment will be a 5 day fast (just water, no nutrients). I've done that before (when I didn't have IBS), so I should be able to get through it okay. Right before doing that, I'll begin by taking dulcolax tablets and miralax to cleanse my bowels completely. My theory is that if I can give my gut a chance to rest, maybe it will help. Also, maybe being without food for 5 days would kill any bad bacteria that might be in there. I'll follow it with xifaxan (rifaximin) antibiotic once I'm eating again. And then after that I'll take a probiotic like Align. That will be one experiment. I'll see how it goes. But first I'm going to try Caltrate 600 Plus D at 3g per day.SteveAustin, Texas


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## LNAPE (Feb 9, 1999)

Steve,I have found that not eating only makes things worse. You have the acid producing and nothing for it to do but irritate the lining of the gut. Caltrate with added minerals and viramin D works great for me and has for more than 10 years. Let us know how it works for you.Linda


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## SteveInAustin (Aug 22, 2007)

Thanks, Linda. I'll update in a couple weeks after trying the Caltrate.SteveAustin, Texas


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## bettybeatrice (Nov 29, 2008)

I also used TUMS because someone recommended that it is good for those with IBS. I took it for about a year and it somehow help my IBS, however i develop hyperacidity. Ironic since it is supposed to be an antacid. I read in an alternative medicine book that those with hyperacidity should stop refrain from taking antacid which includes calcium carbonate antacid since it will only make hyperacidity worse. I was supposed to take caltrate plus but it is also a clacium carbonate so it will probably has the same effect as TUMS. To those taking caltrate plus for a long time already did you experience hyperacidity?


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## LNAPE (Feb 9, 1999)

I have been usuing Caltrate of a similar brand for more than 10 years and nothing but success for the diarrhea no hyperadidity.Linda


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## SteveInAustin (Aug 22, 2007)

Update -Went to a friend's house to spend the weekend for Thanksgiving. The whole time I had no diarrhea and actually moderate constipation for a change. Haha. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I'm an introvert, and being in prolonged social situations like that makes me more constipated for some reason. It's like the entire bowel slows down or something. But when I'm alone and at ease, things speed up, and I get diarrhea. It's weird. I wish I could control that better. At least, I think that may be what's going on, but it could be something else.Anyway, the constipation wasn't too bad. I'd say moderate. I prefer it to diarrhea, bloating, and flatulence. I had none of that when I was constipated. I'm not sure why there'd be no flatulence just because I'm constipated, but I'll take it. The down-side of constipation, however, is that it does put pressure on my large intestine which I can feel, and it's mildly annoying. Not to mention being on the toilet pushing a lot harder to have a bowel movement.I made it pretty much a worst case situation for constipation by taking the "Caltrate+D with minerals" along with one gram of extra calcium carbonate in the form of Tums chews *and* one Immodium A-D tablet with each meal. I have to say, I have never ever been more constipated in my life. Even 2 days later, I'm still having some constipation, even though I stopped taking those things except for the Caltrate with every meal. At times I was on the toilet pushing like I was giving birth or something. Haha.Now the issue seems to be how to make this more balanced so I don't get diarrhea or constipation. And being able to adjust better to social anxiety and stress I guess. I never used to have these problems.I'm going to continue taking one "Caltrate+D with minerals" pill with each meal. I'm also taking Align probiotic (1x/day). I'm stopping the extra Tums and Immodium A-D unless I need them again. I'm also going to try adding acacia fiber and peppermint gels to my regimen. I have no idea what the consensus is on that stuff. And I'm going to try to relax more, if possible. Maybe I'll take up yoga or something. I also heard drinking more water would help, so I think I'll do that. Just thinking out loud here.SteveAustin, Texas


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

That all sounds like a really good plan, especially stripping it down to one constipator at a time. It is always easier to add things if you need them then to take a bunch of stuff and then try to figure out what's what. I am real sure that Linda will help you with the dosing. Yoga, Tai-Chi, or just sitting quietly are all great relaxers. Good luck, man.Mark


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## LNAPE (Feb 9, 1999)

Steve,Well it looks like the calcium may be helping to stop the diarrhea. You should not add all the stuff you suggested until you see if you can get things under control and not get constipated by just taking one thing. If you want some help let me know./ Just giv eme some idea of how your day goes and what you eat and if you get diarrhea. It just may be a timing issue that may help.Linda


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## SteveInAustin (Aug 22, 2007)

Update again -It has been a month of experimentation. I've tentatively concluded that it was the Immodium A-D which was doing most of the work of eliminating my diarrhea and making me constipated. Although, I'm actually not sure now whether I could achieve the same thing using calcium alone instead. I will try that experiment at some point in the near future. I think I could do it with calcium, but I might need to take a handful of Tums with each meal, and that's a little inconvenient. I have to do an experiment to see what the minimum dosage is of calcium for me.To recap, my problem is that without any supplements or medications, I will have diarrhea, tons of flatulence, and painful bloating in my intestines. I've recently discovered that making myself more constipated with either Immodium A-D or calcium will make all of that go away, but of course it means I have to put up with the discomfort of constipation (which is much preferred).I now seem to have minimized it down to taking one Immodium A-D tablet twice a day. Sometimes I take it 3 times a day if I notice I'm getting some gas, diarrhea, or noises coming from my intestines. I've also been able to skip it for an entire day, and the previous day's dosage carries me through.I did an experiment once where I cut each Immodium tablet in half with a pill cutter. I only took half a tablet with each meal. But that didn't really work very well.I wonder what the long-term health hazards of taking Immodium every day are, if any. It might be better to take calcium instead, so I'll do that experiment.I still take Align probiotics, although it probably isn't doing anything, and I don't think I'll buy it any more in the future.I tried "Heather's IBS Acacia Tummy Fiber" and "Heather's Peppermint Oil pills". Both of those didn't make things any worse. But I don't think they were doing anything useful either. So I will stop taking those in the near future and probably won't re-order any.So that's the scoop. I was able to enjoy my vacation at the end of December by taking the Immodium. Otherwise it would've been a real challenge just to get through it.SteveAustin, Texas


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## LNAPE (Feb 9, 1999)

If you do go back to calcium Tums is most likely dissolving too fast to work. Use a tablet of calcium carbonate you swallow.Linda


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## SteveInAustin (Aug 22, 2007)

Oh yeah, I do use Caltrate + D tablets (calcium carbonate), not the chewable kind. I've used that in addition to taking one or two Tums chewables with a meal and one Immodium A-D tablet. That was my standard thing that I took with each meal. But now I mostly just take one Immodium A-D tablet with each meal. I went an entire week with just using the Immodium A-D tablets (one per meal), and that worked just as well. So the calcium pills and Tums chewables don't seem to be necessary when using Immodium A-D.However, if I were to remove the Immodium A-D from my program and just use calcium carbonate pills and chewables, I think that would work also, but the amount of calcium carbonate would have to be much greater in order to make me more constipated. When I did just calcium carbonate (before I knew about Immodium A-D), I found I needed around 12-20 grams per day of calcium carbonate. That was with Tums chewables only, not Caltrate+D (non-chewable). I will repeat the experiment with just calcium carbonate (no Immodium A-D) with one Caltrate+D with each meal and only add Tums as needed. I'll follow-up later with my results.I'm just real happy I have a solution that seems to work. Now it's about finding alternatives that also work. I wonder if my body will ever normalize in the future and not require I take anything.SteveAustin, Texas


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## LNAPE (Feb 9, 1999)

Steve,Foe me I know if I stop the calcium in about 12 hours I will start to have loose BM's so it is not a cure just a control for me.Linda


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## Mic (Jan 4, 2009)

I’m Mic A new member and I’m quite impressed with Linda’s case so I thought to add my point to this puzzle . while I was in England some time ago I have tried Aludrox , which is Aluminium Hydroxide no magnesium added , and I was pretty fine without counting exactly after dinner the time . I use to drink( this product must be shaken well) it any time during the day . It is also antacid Like calcium but I think more strong and easy .Something I will try again soon , in my country Greece it is not available without magnesium so to avoid constipation to the ones intended to help the with acidity problem . Also same effect comes with pectin and tannin a medicine given to babies when the get diarrhoea. Of course it remains that you must regulate the dose for each individual.This has to do with kind of food and stress also or the place or the climate . Seems that response to stress is taking for not easily explained reasons work path way to be manifested which is another story , or body's organ problems like after surgery Have a healthy happy new year all members.For my case still is problem with IBS-D so I must try calcium or Alumium Hydroxide if I can find it .There is always Imodium but after a while seems not as strong as in the beginning . Mic Greece


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