Calcitonin (nasal route)
Available brands
Fortical, Miacalcin, Miacalcin Ns
About this medication
Calcitonin nasal spray is used together with calcium and vitamin D to treat bone loss in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis who have been postmenopause for at least 5 years. This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription. This product is available in the following dosage forms:
Before using this medication
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered: Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of calcitonin nasal spray in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of calcitonin nasal spray in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have unwanted side effects (eg, irritation or redness of the nose, stuffy or runny nose), which may require caution in patients receiving calcitonin nasal spray. There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco. The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
How to use this medication
Use this medicine only as directed by your doctor. Do not use more of it, do not use it more often, and do not use it for a longer time than your doctor ordered. This medicine is for use onlyin the nose. Do not get any of it in your eyes or on your skin. If it does get on these areas, rinse it off with water right away. Each spray bottle contains 30 doses of the medicine. Keep track of the doses you use and throw away any unused medicine after 30 doses, even if the bottle is not completely empty. This medicine usually comes with patient instructions. Read the instructions carefully before using this medicine. If you have any questions about using the pump spray, ask your doctor. To assemble the pump: To prepare this medicine: To use the nose spray: The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine. If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use. Store theunopenedbottle in the refrigerator. Do not freeze. You may store theopenedbottle in an upright position at room temperature, away from heat and direct light. Anopenedbottle ofMiacalcin®can be stored for up to 35 days, and an opened bottle ofFortical®can be stored for up to 30 days. Throw away any unused medicine after 30 or 35 days based on the brand you are using.
Disclaimer: August is a health information platform and its responses don't constitute medical advise. Always consult with a licenced medical professional near you before making any changes.