During the important periods of ones bone growth such as childhood, pregnancy or breastfeeding, taking a dose of calcium supplements every day is most vital. While in children it helps in the growth of bones and teeth and prevents blood clots, among adults calcium supplements help prevent osteoporosis from developing.

Mode of taking calcium supplements: Before or after a meal, take calcium supplements with a large glass of water. If your calcium supplement is of the chewable variety, ensure that you chew it well before swallowing. But if it effervesces, dissolve it in a glass of cold water or juice and then drink it down very slowly only after it has stopped bubbling. Remember not to take any other medications for two hours after taking calcium supplements since this can interfere with the absorption of other drugs.

Reactions: Usually, calcium supplements can be taken by anyone though high doses of if can cause adverse reactions. If taking a dose of calcium supplements brings on nausea, vomiting, constipation, loss of appetite, stomachache, dry mouth, and a heightened urge to urinate, inform your doctor immediately.

Safety measures: If you suffer from diarrhea, lung disease, kidney stones, stomach trouble, and parathyroid disease, speak to your doctor about it before beginning a course of calcium supplements. If you are pregnant, let him know this too, since some kinds of calcium are known to pass into the breast milk.

Also tell your doctor of all kinds of prescription and nonprescription drugs youre on, particularly if they are part of the family of vitamins, quinolone antibiotics, gallium nitrate, tetracycline, cellulose sodium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, and phenytoin. While youre on calcium supplements, go off eating bran, whole grain cereals and breads in a big way since they may only end up reducing the absorption of calcium.