Calcium Carbonate 500 mg

Calcium is a mineral that is needed for many functions of the body, especially bone formation and maintenance. Calcium can also bind to other minerals such as phosphate, and aid in their removal from the body. Calcium acetate is used to control phosphate levels to keep them from getting too high in people with kidney failure.
Usually, calcium requirements are met from the diet. However, there are times when the amount of calcium required is increased, such as during pregnancy, when breast feeding or with advancing age. If there is insufficient calcium in the diet, supplements are needed. Calcium supplements are also useful in osteoporosis; a calcium intake which is twice the recommended daily allowance (RDA) slows the rate of bone loss.

What is it used for?
Calcium deficiency
Hypocalcaemia (low blood calcium level) in the neonate.
Calcium Carbonate is one of the most important elements in the diet because it is a structural component of bones, teeth, and soft tissues and is essential in many of the body's metabolic processes. It accounts for 1 to 2 % of adult body weight, 99 percent of which is stored in bones and teeth. On the cellular level, calcium is used to regulate the permeability and electrical properties of biological membranes (such as cell walls), which in turn control muscle and nerve functions, glandular secretions, and blood vessel dilation and contraction. Calcium is also essential for proper blood clotting .

Because of its biological importance, calcium levels are carefully controlled in various compartments of the body. The three major regulators of blood calcium are parathyroid hormone (PTH), vitamin D, and calcitonin. PTH is normally released by the four parathyroid glands in the neck in response to low calcium levels in the bloodstream (hypocalcemia). PTH acts in three main ways: It causes the gastrointestinal tract to increase calcium absorption from food, it causes the bones to release some of their calcium stores, and it causes the kidneys to excrete more phosphorous, which indirectly raises calcium levels.

Side effects:

• Abdominal pain
• Thirst
• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Muscle weakness
• Disturbances of the gut such as diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain
• Abnormal heart beats (arrhythmias)
• High blood calcium level (hypercalcaemia)
• Bone pain
• Loss of appetite
• Increased production of urine (polyuria)