DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE

DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE SIDE EFFECTS:
Calcium is generally well tolerated. High levels of calcium can cause some adverse effects. Notify your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, constipation, stomach pain, thirst, dry mouth, increased urination. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE PRECAUTIONS:
If you have any of the following health problems, consult your doctor before using DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE: diarrhea, stomach trouble, parathyroid disease, lung disease (sarcoidosis), kidney stones. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant before using this medication. Some forms of calcium are known to be excreted into breast milk. Though there have been no reports (to date) of harm to nursing infants, consult your doctor before breast-feeding.

DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE DRUG INTERACTIONS:
Tell your doctor of all prescription and nonprescription drugs you may use, especially: vitamins, tetracycline, quinolone antibiotics (e.g. ciprofloxacin), gallium nitrate, cellulose sodium phosphate, etidronate, magnesium sulfate, calcium channel blockers (e.g., diltiazem, verapamil), phenytoin. Do not eat large amounts of bran or whole grain cereals and breads. They may reduce absorption of calcium. Also, consuming alcohol, large amounts of caffeine, and tobacco smoking may affect absorption of calcium. Do not start or stop any medicine without doctor or pharmacist approval.

DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE OVERDOSE:
If overdose is suspected, contact your local poison control center or emergency room immediately. Symptoms of overdose may include severe nausea and vomiting, weakness, or constipation.

Pharmacyhealth.net.

Biological Immunity Research Institute  Why No DCP?

Absorption Inhibiting

A 1982 Science News article stated that if a child should swallow some liquid lead paint, the ingestion of a cola drink could possible counteract the normal absorption processes and prevent the lead from being absorbed.

While the aforementioned story had a happy ending, phosphate's non-absorbable character can also create problems. For instance, supplements containing di-calcium phosphate may form a non-absorbable complex with tetracycline. When you consider that tetracycline drugs are commonly used to treat such conditions as bronchitis and certain types of pneumonia, this propensity could create an inconvenient situation, to say the least.

In some instances, DCP can seriously effect the absorption of other supplements. According to the June 1997 Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the zinc absorption by people ages 59-86 was reduced by 50% when a calcium-containing supplement was given with the meal.

Difficult To Find

We have found it difficult to discover a company which does not include DCP in either the tablet or capsule base in any of their products. Many companies use DCP in at least a few of their tablet products; some use it extensively.

There is at least one company which is an exception to this trend. DCP is a phosphate, it may inhibit nutrient absorption even though tablets or capsule contents dissolve. For this reason, we believe that it is foolish to add DCP to supplements. We also believe that this is the reason some people say they receive no benefits from taking various supplements.

Avoiding DCP May Increase Benefits

Many users who avoid DCP have told us they have been getting beneficial results not received from other brands of supplements.

One of the great benefits is reducing the antagonism DCP has to most other minerals. In an earlier section, we pointed out the problems with zinc absorption.

For example, if we take a typical manganese supplement made with DCP, in most instances, the tablet will weigh approximately 700 mg., give or take 100 mg. The calcium portion of this DCP-based supplement will be approximately 300 mg. as compared to only 30 mg. of manganese. One can easily infer that taking this kind of product will result in the manganese levels not being raised, although the calcium levels in soft tissues are often raised.