General considerations for when and how to take risedronate and calcium include the following:
The medication comes in tablet form and is taken every day. The risedronate tablets are taken once a week, while the calcium tablets are taken on the other six days of the week. Never take the calcium tablet and the risedronate tablet at the same time.
For the risedronate tablets (the orange tablets):
Risedronate must be taken first thing in the morning at least 30 minutes before you eat or drink anything (other than water). You must wait at least 30 minutes after taking the medication before eating or drinking anything other than water or taking any medications. Food, beverages, and medications can interact with risedronate and prevent it from being absorbed into the body.
Take risedronate with a full glass of plain water only (not coffee, juice, soda, or even mineral water). You should follow the dose with at least a quarter of a cup of plain water.
Swallow the tablets whole with a full glass of water while sitting or standing upright. You must not lie down until you have waited at least 30 minutes after the dose and after you have eaten something. The tablets should not be chewed, broken, or sucked on. These precautions are necessary to prevent risedronate from irritating your esophagus.
For the calcium tablets (the blue tablets): The calcium tablets should be taken with food once daily on the other six days of the week.
You need to make sure that you get enough vitamin D while taking risedronate and calcium, as the medication cannot build bone without it.
For the medication to work properly, it must be taken as prescribed. Risedronate and calcium will not work if you stop taking it.
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