I'd been taking NOW Foods Calcium Magnesium for about a year. About 6 mos ago, I started having dizzy spells, almost debilitating joint pain, rash after rash, fatigue, etc. Not a fun way to spend your time. They thought I had Lupus at one point. The one thing that baffled all of my doctors was that my Vitamin D levels were testing pretty high; apparently rare.<br /><br />Then I finally get a notification of a recall of certain lots (which I'd been taking from) that had 30,000 - 40,000IU's of D3 rather than the 600 IU's on the label. They chalk it up to a "formula error." that's a pretty huge error - check out quality control!!<br /><br />After a little research, my symptoms were totally consistent with Vit D toxicity. Shame on you NOW Foods, the only reason they even found this was investigating a complaint from someone who put 2 and 2 together. Won't trust my health to NOW Foods anymore!!

Did you know you can only absorb a certain amt of calcium in 5 hrs & anything above that goes out in the toilet? So taking a huge am't once a day isn't helpng you. And did you know the citrate form is more absorbable than calcium carbonate? Carbonate forms are highly UNabsorbable. And did you know that NOW brand is one of the brands that is dependable to actualky have in it what it says is in it's products? This sounds like I work for them, but I don't. I used to be in the medical field & just know this stuff--but it's nothing anyone couldn't find out themselves. So there's more to calcium than just buying any bottle of it on the store shelf.

I am not a big product reviewer, but I felt others should be aware of my experience in case the same thing happens to them. I started taking this calcium supplement about a year ago when Trader Joe’s discontinued the ones I had taken for about a decade. I didn’t put two and two together for months, but these caused chronic diarrhea for me, which has never been an issue for me before. At first I attributed it a prescription, then stress, then thought maybe I had developed lactose intolerance. I tried eliminating wheat, then dairy, then tried the Whole30 elimation diet- nothing helped. I even got a celiac disease test and had my TSH levels checked in case those were the cause of the problem. Even my doctor ran out of ideas. Then I noticed that whenever I travelled my symptoms would disappear, and started focusing on things that were different when I traveled. I don’t take my vitamins along and then also realized all the problems started when I switched calcium brands. I stopped taking them and symptoms disappeared in 48 hours, after months of daily misery and way too much time wasted in the bathroom. I don’t know what is in this supplement that’s causing the problem, but I have never had an issue with a vitamin before. You couldn’t pay me to take these again. I am steering clear of this brand now because I don’t trust their products anymore.

My doctor recommended I take 600 mg of Calcium Citrate a day plus 2,000 IUs of Vitamin D. I have 10,000 IU D3 pills that I take periodically, because I know Vitamin D studies have shown taking D in a large dose once a week works as well if not better than taking smaller doses daily. So I'm figuring taking two of these Now pills a day, one at lunch and one at dinner, plus taking one of the D3 pills on the weekend should take care of me. I have been having too much trouble swallowing the big white soft Schiff brand calcium pills, and I find these easier to take. They are skinnier in width, even though they are longer, and they just seem to go down a lot easier for me.

This remains my &#34;stand by&#34; for the past 40 years or so. My physician recommended it, and my last bone density study was great ...<br />no osteoporosis, and I am 82 years young!

I am so glad I found this on Amazon! I have osteoporosis (due to my hyperparathyroidism) and was told to start these immediately! I went to amazon pronto and ordered these babies. I know they are horse pills, but hey. I need them for my health so I don't mind. I also feel better since taking them.. that could be the meds, or could be my brain.. whatever.. I don't have an after taste and I, with my small mouth... (my dentist literally told me my mouth was too small for all of my teeth LOL) can still swallow them, so I stand behind this order, and plan to put this on my monthly order list. :)