Patients whose kidneys or parathyroid glands (neck glands that produce organic chemicals to regulate the amount of calcium in the blood) are not functioning regularly are treated and prevented from developing low levels of calcium and bone damage using calcitriol. In addition, it’s used to treat metabolic bone disease in persons with kidney illness as well as secondary hyperparathyroidism, a condition in which the body creates excessive amounts of PTH, a hormone that regulates the quantity of calcium in the blood. Calcitriol is a member of the vitamin D analogues drug class. It functions by assisting the body in utilising more calcium from dietary sources or dietary supplements and by controlling the body’s synthesis of parathyroid hormone.

Both a liquid solution and a capsule form of calcitriol are available. It is often taken in the morning, with or without meals, once daily or every other day. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any instructions on your prescription label that you are unsure about following. Follow the calcitriol directions exactly. Never take it in larger or less amounts or more frequently than directed by your doctor.

Depending on how well your body responds to calcitriol, your doctor may start you out on a low dose and then gradually raise it.

Moreover, calcitriol is occasionally used to treat familial hypophosphatemia, rickets (the softening and weakening of children’s bones due to vitamin D deficiency), osteomalacia (the softening and weakening of adults’ bones due to vitamin D deficiency), and rickets in children (rickets or osteomalacia caused by decreased ability to break down vitamin D in the body). Moreover, calcitriol is occasionally used to raise the calcium levels in preterm infants’ blood. The dangers of using this drug for your illness should be discussed with your doctor.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details if you believe this drug should be used for something else.

Before taking calcitriol,

• Inform your doctor and pharmacist about all prescription and non-prescription drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products you are taking, especially antacids with calcium or magnesium; calcium supplements; cholestyramine (Cholybar, Prevalite, Questran); digoxin (Lanoxin); diuretics (‘water pills’); ketoconazole; lanthanum (Fosrenol); and digoxin, oral steroid medications such dexamethasone, methylprednisolone (Medrol), and prednisone (Rayos); additional types of vitamin D; phenobarbital; phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek); and sevelamer (Renagel, Renvela). Moreover, let your physician or pharmacist know whether you recently stopped taking ergocalciferol (Deltalin, Drisdol) or if you are now taking it. The dosage of your drugs may need to be adjusted, and your health may need to be closely watched for any negative effects.
• If your calcium levels are high, let your doctor know. Most likely, your doctor will advise against taking calcitriol.
• Inform your doctor if you have recently undergone surgery, are in any way unable to move around, have renal or liver illness, or have ever had either condition.
• Inform your physician if you are nursing a baby, intend to get pregnant, or are already pregnant. Call your doctor if you become pregnant while taking calcitriol. Taking calcitriol while nursing is not advised.

Only if you consume the recommended quantity of calcium from diet will calcitriol work. You could encounter dangerous calcitriol side effects if you consume too much calcium, and calcitriol won’t be able to treat your problem if you consume insufficient calcium. Your doctor will advise you on the best foods to eat in order to get these nutrients as well as the recommended daily portion size. Inform your doctor if you have trouble consuming enough of these items. In that situation, your doctor may suggest or prescribe a supplement.

Your doctor may also recommend a low-phosphate diet if you are receiving treatment with dialysis (the technique of cleansing the blood by passing it through a machine). Pay close attention to these guidelines.

You should hydrate well while taking calcitriol if you do not have kidney problems. Ask your doctor how much fluid you should consume each day if you have kidney problems.

If you miss a dosage, take it as soon as you recall. If the next dose is soon due, skip the missed one and carry on with your regular dosing plan. To make up for a missing dose, do not take a second one.

Some side effects can be serious. The following symptoms are uncommon, but if you experience any of them, call your doctor immediately:

• Feeling drained, having trouble concentrating, losing your appetite, being sick, being constipated, feeling more thirsty than usual, urinating more frequently, or losing weight
• Weakness
• Headache
• Stomach pain
• Mouth arid
• Body aches
• Bones hurt
• Metallic aftertaste
• Difficult or uncomfortable urinating
• Vision changes
• Lack of interest in your surroundings
• Hallucination (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)
• Cold or fever
• Abdominal pain
• Fatty, pale stools
• Eyes or skin that have a yellow tint
• Clogged nose
• Less sexual arousal
• Unsteady heartbeat
• Rash
• Hives
• Itching
• Breathing or swallowing challenges

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme online or by phone if you have a serious side event (1-800-332-1088).

Keep this medication tightly closed in the original container and out of the reach of children. Keep it away from excessive heat and moisture at room temperature (not in the bathroom). Don’t expose this drug to sunlight.

Unused prescriptions must be disposed of carefully to prevent pets, kids, and other people from ingesting them. You should not, however, dispose of this medication in the toilet. Instead, utilising a medicine take-back programme is the easiest approach to get rid of your medication. To find out about take-back programmes in your area, speak with your pharmacist or the garbage/recycling department in your city. If you do not have access to a take-back programme, see the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medications website at http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p for additional information.

Although many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and are simple for young children to open, it is crucial to keep all medications out of sight and out of reach of children. Always lock safety caps and promptly stash medication up and away from young children where it is out of their sight and reach to prevent poisoning. http://www.upandaway.org

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Moreover, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

Overdose signs could include the following:

• Feeling drained, having trouble concentrating, losing your appetite, being sick, being constipated, feeling more thirsty than usual, urinating more frequently, or losing weight
• Weakness
• Headache
• Stomach pain
• Mouth arid
• Aching bones or muscles
• Metallic aftertaste
• Difficult or uncomfortable urinating
• Alterations to vision
• Hallucination (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)
• Cold or fever
• Abdominal pain
• Fatty, pale stools
• Eyes or skin that have a yellow tint
• Clogged nose
• Less sexual arousal
• Unsteady heartbeat

Keep all of your appointments with your physician and the lab. To determine how you are responding to calcitriol, your doctor will request specific lab tests.

No one else should take your medication. Any queries you may have regarding medication refills should be directed to your pharmacist.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.