Treatments / Add-ons / Calcium Gluconate
Vitamins & minerals
Calcium Gluconate
A form of calcium given as a slow piggyback infusion, most often as part of a Myers Cocktail.
What it is
Calcium gluconate is a salt of calcium: the mineral most abundant in the body, the great majority of it held in bone, with the small remaining fraction doing the work of muscle contraction, nerve signalling and blood clotting.
It is diluted and infused slowly over ten to twenty minutes. It is never given as a rapid push, and it is not mixed with bicarbonate or phosphate solutions, which would cause it to precipitate.
What it is used for
- A mineral needed for the maintenance of normal bones and teeth*
- Involved in normal muscle function*
- Involved in normal nerve transmission*
- Contributes to normal blood clotting*
- Part of the classic Myers Cocktail formulation*
How we give it
As a piggyback alongside your main bag, infused over at least ten to twenty minutes.
When glutathione is also ordered, calcium goes in first; glutathione is always the closing step.
Good to know
Why does my nurse keep checking the IV site?
Calcium is one of the few things we give where leakage out of the vein into surrounding tissue can cause real injury rather than just a bruise. Your nurse inspects the site every fifteen minutes throughout any infusion; with calcium running they will be particularly attentive. Say something immediately if you feel burning, stinging or swelling.
Others in vitamins & minerals
Magnesium
An essential mineral involved in normal muscle and nerve function, added to your bag and infused slowly.
B-Complex
A group of water-soluble vitamins the body uses in normal energy metabolism, added directly to your bag.
Vitamin B12
An essential vitamin involved in normal red blood cell formation and nervous system function. Available in your bag or as a shot.
Vitamin C
An essential vitamin and antioxidant involved in normal immune function and collagen formation.