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Calcium
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member asked a question 💭

I am a 50 year old woman who is peri menopausal. I take Vitamin D twice a day as well as many AED. I be am wondering if I should take Calcium as well. Thank you

posted November 16, 2021
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A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

Definitely take Calcium Citrate! My Rheumatologist Doctor told Me when I saw Him 2 weeks ago begin taking it for the bones.

posted January 30, 2022 (edited)
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

Calcium and Vitamin D were tested for whenever I saw my Cardiologist. They probably learned other things, but they were important to me. I had some Physical Therapy that helped the Osteoperosis,

posted January 29, 2022
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

Yes you should calcium I'd good for your bones

posted November 16, 2021
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member In 2003, after a pharmacist's error resulted in me having no anticonvulsant in my body and 1600 MG of some high blood pressure medicine, my potassium level had reached the level (luckily I was in the MGH ER at the time because I was working at Massachusetts General Hospital) that I could no longer speak (what I was saying was only in my head -- like on an episode from the tv show ER many years ago. After I was put into a bed in the ER and an IV was put into me (which I would later learn was putting potassium into my body), I was suddenly able to speak again. However, this was several weeks before my sister had seen enough of my out of control complex partial seizures that resulted in her taking the bottle of pills with the label Tegretol on them to a pharmacist who explained that the pills were actually high blood pressure medicine. And I had only been sent to the ER from the walk in clinic because I managed to mumble to the doctor who I saw there about medications -- thus I was sent to the ER to get blood tests, thus the doctors in this lowest level of ER were only residents. And my primary doctor asked me before her shift ended if I had tried to kill myself --- a logical assumption because they could not contact my doctors and because my potassium level was so low.

And as a result of Epilepsy, Diabetes 2, high blood pressure, high depression, high cholesterol levels and all of the medications in my body to treat them, I am at least annually having tests of my potassium, magnesium, calcium and Vitamin D levels in addition to the regular checks of anticonvulsant levels and A1C and other testing because of diabetes.

posted November 16, 2021
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

Is your doctor taking blood tests (at least once per year) to check the calcium, magnesium and potassium levels in your body? If not, then if your doctor is unwilling to test your calcium levels, then I would suggest that you start by adding a small amount of calcium to your daily intake and see if it improves things.

Because of the limitations of time outside because of Epilepsy, some of the extra sensitivity to exposure to direct sunlight and when I started having seizures triggered by summer heat and humidity, my doctor prescribed for me to take Vitamin D. And next my neurologist added Melatonin to my bedtime pills to improve the amount of sleep that I get. And at another later, my primary care doctor had me taking fish oil capsules and then the addition of a multivitamin to my daily collection of medicines, vitamins and minerals that I take.

It is much better if your doctor is testing for your calcium levels (as well as magnesium and potassium levels), but if your doctor (or your health insurance company) objects to this testing then start taking some calcium and see if it improves your health.

posted November 16, 2021

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