Depletes Calcium. This medication is commonly used for Pain Management
Studies suggest that indomethacin, a type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), might decrease calcium levels in the body. To prevent potential calcium deficiency, supplementation should be considered for individuals taking indomethacin on a long-term basis.
Colette C, Aguirre L, Monnier L, Mimran A. The influence of indomethacin and possible role of prostaglandins on calcium renal excretion. Ren Physiol. 1982;5(2):68-75. Holt GA. Food & Drug Interactions. Chicago, Precept Press, 1998, 138,140.
Calcium Citrate — 60 mg
Across the lifespan, chronically low calcium intake has been linked to higher blood pressure, in part because calcium plays a key role in vascular smooth‑muscle contraction, sodium handling, and endothelial function. Large epidemiologic studies and randomized trials suggest that individuals with higher dietary calcium intake tend to have modestly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures and may experience a small but meaningful reduction in risk of stroke and other cardiovascular events. The practical takeaway is that maintaining adequate daily calcium, alongside blood pressure control, exercise, and a heart‑healthy diet, may be an underutilized strategy to support vascular health and reduce long‑term cardiovascular risk.
In adults, chronically low calcium intake can quietly erode skeletal integrity, contributing to osteopenia, osteoporosis, and a higher risk of low‑trauma fractures over time. In children, inadequate calcium (often alongside vitamin D deficiency) impairs normal mineralization of the growing skeleton, leading to rickets with bone pain, deformities, and delayed growth, while in adults the same process manifests as osteomalacia with diffuse bone pain and muscle weakness rather than early fractures. The encouraging reality is that optimizing daily calcium intake, paired with sufficient vitamin D, protein, and weight‑bearing activity, has been shown to improve bone mineral density and meaningfully reduce fracture risk in at‑risk populations.
In some patients, significant calcium deficiency leading to hypocalcemia can present with acute respiratory manifestations such as laryngospasm and bronchospasm, often in the context of generalized neuromuscular irritability and tetany. Case reports describe episodes of stridor, tightness in the chest, and even acute respiratory distress that improve as ionized calcium levels are corrected. The key clinical implication is that, when otherwise unexplained laryngospasm or bronchospasm occurs alongside perioral numbness, carpopedal spasm, or muscle cramps, prompt evaluation and correction of calcium deficiency can be lifesaving and help prevent recurrent respiratory compromise.
In some patients, significant calcium deficiency can culminate in hypocalcemia that presents with neuromuscular irritability, including perioral numbness, carpopedal spasm, frank tetany, and potentially generalized seizures or life‑threatening arrhythmias. Clinical data in children with hypocalcemic seizures suggest that, once acute stabilization is achieved, carefully dosed oral calcium can be as effective as continued intravenous calcium in maintaining serum calcium over the first 24–48 hours, with similar calcium levels and seizure‑recurrence rates reported between groups. The key clinical implication is that prompt recognition and correction of hypocalcemia, followed by an appropriate transition to ongoing oral calcium (and vitamin D when indicated), can help prevent recurrent tetany, seizures, and cardiac instability while longer‑term etiologies of calcium deficiency are addressed.
Calcium Citrate by Solaray — 200mg