Calcitonin

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What is the most important information I should know about calcitonin?

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to salmon calcitonin.

To make sure you are not allergic to this medication, your doctor may perform an allergy skin test before your first dose of calcitonin injection.

Calcitonin injection is not a cure for Paget’s disease and you may have a relapse, especially if your body forms antibodies and you become immune to calcitonin. Talk with your doctor at any time if you think the medication is not working as well as it did before.

To be sure this medication is helping your condition, your blood will need to be tested on a regular basis. Your urine may also need to be tested. Do not miss any scheduled appointments.

Calcitonin injection can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

It is important to use calcitonin injection regularly to get the most benefit. Get your prescription refilled before you run out of medicine completely.

Warning

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

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What is calcitonin?

Calcitonin is a man-made form of a hormone that occurs naturally in the thyroid gland.

Calcitonin injection is used to treat Paget’s disease of bone, postmenopausal osteoporosis, or high levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia).

Calcitonin may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Precautions

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to salmon calcitonin.

Before using calcitonin injection, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any food or drugs. You may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely use this medication.

FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

It is not known whether calcitonin passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Calcitonin may slow breast milk production. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Follow your doctor’s instructions about any restrictions on food, beverages, or activity while you are using calcitonin injection.

Calcitonin injection can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Instructions

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose symptoms may include nausea or vomiting.

Use the medication as soon as you remember the missed dose. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and use the medicine at your next regularly scheduled time. Do not use extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

Side Effects

You may have increased bone pain during the first few months of treatment with calcitonin injection. This is not a sign that the medication isn’t working properly.

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

feeling light-headed, fainting; or
muscle stiffness.

Less serious side effects may include:

warmth, redness, itching, or tingly feeling under your skin;
nausea, loss of appetite, stomach pain;
vomiting;
skin rash or itching;
increased urination, especially at night;
eye pain;
swelling in your feet; or
swelling or irritation of the skin where an injection was given.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Interactions

There may be other drugs that can affect calcitonin injection. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.