CAC-1000 Plus: What It Does, What It Costs and Cheaper Alternatives

What is actually in CAC-1000 Plus

CAC-1000 Plus is an effervescent calcium supplement made by GSK/Haleon, sold in tubes of 10 and 20 tablets in orange, cola, lemon and a sugar-free mango flavour. The label lists, per tablet:

One thing worth understanding: the "1000" in the name refers to 1000 mg of calcium lactate gluconate, which is a calcium salt, not 1000 mg of pure calcium. Every calcium salt is only partly calcium by weight, and the two salts here work out to roughly 260 mg of elemental calcium per tablet. An adult needs about 1,000 mg of calcium a day (1,200 mg for women over 50), so that is a useful top-up rather than an entire day's calcium in one go. This is true of every calcium product on the shelf, not a trick unique to this one, but it does mean diet still has to do most of the work.

Who actually needs it

Calcium supplements earn their money in specific situations, and doctors here prescribe CAC-1000 Plus most often for:

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding, when calcium demand jumps and the baby takes priority over the mother's bones.
• Women over 40, especially approaching menopause, when bone density starts falling faster than diet alone can defend.
• People with low-dairy diets. If your day has no milk, dahi, or cheese in it, hitting your calcium needs from roti and salan alone is hard.
• Diagnosed deficiency or weak bones, where a doctor has seen your reports and told you to supplement.

And who probably does not need it: a healthy adult who eats dairy daily. A glass of milk and a bowl of dahi cover a large share of your calcium needs for a fraction of the price, and calcium from food comes with none of the constipation that tablets can bring. If you are supplementing "just in case", that money often does more good elsewhere.

The vitamin D problem nobody mentions at the counter

Calcium cannot enter your bones without vitamin D, and vitamin D deficiency is extremely common in Pakistan despite all our sunshine. The 400 IU of D3 in each CAC-1000 Plus tablet helps, but it is a modest amount, and people with a real deficiency are usually prescribed far more by their doctor. If you have been taking calcium for months with no improvement in bone pain or reports, unmeasured vitamin D is the usual missing piece. Get your level tested before buying a third tube. Our guide to vitamin D tablets in Pakistan explains doses and testing, and for prescribed high-dose support a product like Vit KD (vitamin D3 10,000 IU with K2 as MK-7 180 mcg, Rs 870) exists, though that strength is a doctor's call, not a daily default.

CAC-1000 Plus price in Pakistan (2026)

Prices have crept up like everything else. These pack prices were checked in August 2026 at pharmacies that deliver nationwide, so read them as a guide rather than a quote: pharmacies move their prices, and several of them discount off the pack price (Dvago was showing the 20-tablet tube nearer Rs 560 on the same check).

So budget roughly Rs 27 to Rs 33 per tablet depending on pack and store. A tablet a day means around Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 a month, which is real money over a year of use. That is exactly why it is worth knowing your options.

Cheaper ways to get the same job done

Food first. Milk, dahi, lassi, cheese, til (sesame), and saag are the honest foundations. At current rates a glass of milk still costs less than a CAC-1000 tablet and brings protein along with the calcium.

Plain calcium plus D tablets. Ordinary swallowed tablets usually cost less per dose than an effervescent, because the fizz is a convenience you pay for and not a medical upgrade. Calin-G is the plain version of the same job, calcium carbonate 500 mg with vitamin D3 400 IU per tablet at Rs 420 a pack, and it is worth dividing any pack price by its tablet count before you decide. What matters more than format is taking calcium correctly, and our guide to how much calcium you need and the best time to take it covers the timing rules that make any tablet work better.

Local effervescent alternatives. If you specifically like the fizzy glass (many people take it more consistently, which counts), Pakistani-made effervescents cover the same routine. Calosent, Rs 350 a pack, is an effervescent calcium tablet with vitamin D3, vitamin C and B6: drop one in a glass of water, let it dissolve, drink it after a meal. The full composition is printed on its pack, so compare that with the CAC-1000 Plus label above and with the tablet count before you switch. It is delivered anywhere in Pakistan with cash on delivery.

How to take it properly

Dissolve one tablet fully in a glass of water and drink it with a meal, as the pack directs. Beyond that, three rules save people the most trouble:

• Keep calcium and iron apart. Calcium blocks iron absorption, so if you also take an iron tablet (as many Pakistani women do), put them at opposite ends of the day.
• Do not double-dose. More is not better with calcium; excess just risks constipation, gas and, over long periods, kidney stones. One tablet daily unless your doctor says otherwise.
• Kidney patients, ask first. Anyone with kidney disease, a history of kidney stones, or a heart condition should clear any calcium supplement with their doctor or pharmacist before starting.

Common minor side effects are burping, bloating and mild constipation, usually settling if you take the tablet with food and enough water.