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Calcium and vitamin D are both important for healthy, strong bones. Colecalciferol is a type of vitamin D. Vitamin D is mostly made in your skin by exposure to sunlight, but you also get some from your diet. Foods that contain colecalciferol are oily fish (such as sardine, herring, salmon and tuna) and eggs. Your body needs adequate supplies of vitamin D in order for it to absorb the calcium that you eat or drink in your diet.

A mild lack of vitamin D may not cause symptoms, but it can cause general aches and pains. It can also result in an increased risk of ‘thinning’ of the bones (osteoporosis). A more severe lack of vitamin D can result in your bones softening. This causes problems such as rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.

If you are at risk of vitamin D deficiency, you will be recommended to take a vitamin D supplement such as calcium and colecalciferol routinely. These tablets/sachets are available on prescription or you can buy them at pharmacies, without a prescription.

Before taking calcium with colecalciferol

To make sure this is the right treatment for you, before you start taking calcium and colecalciferol it is important that your doctor or pharmacist knows:

• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding. This is because, while you are expecting or feeding a baby, you should only take medicines on the recommendation of a doctor.
• If you have kidney problems, or if you have ever had kidney stones.
• If you have sarcoidosis. This is a condition causing inflammation, particularly in your lungs and lymph system.
• If you know you have too much calcium in your blood or urine. This can happen with some cancers.
• If you are taking any other medicines. This includes any medicines you are taking which are available to buy without a prescription, as well as herbal and complementary medicines.
• If you have ever had an allergic reaction to a medicine.

   

How to take calcium with colecalciferol

• Before you start this treatment, read the manufacturer’s printed information leaflet from inside your pack. It will give you more information about calcium and colecalciferol, and will also provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience.
• Take calcium with colecalciferol tablets/sachets exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you to. It is usual to take one or two doses each day, preferably after meals. If you are taking one dose a day, try to take your doses at the same time of day each day – this will help you to avoid missing any doses. If you are taking two doses a day, take one in the morning and the other in the evening.
• Some tablets should be swallowed whole without being chewed; other tablets must be chewed before being swallowed. Preparations of calcium and colecalciferol supplied in sachets and soluble (effervescent) tablets need to be dissolved in a glassful of water before they are taken. Read the label on the preparation carefully to find out what you should do, and if you are still unsure, ask your pharmacist for advice.
• If you do forget to take a dose, do not worry, just take your next dose when it is due. Do not take two doses together to make up for a forgotten dose.

Getting the most from your treatment

• Try to keep your regular appointments with your doctor. This is so your doctor can check on your progress.
• If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are suitable to take with calcium and colecalciferol.

Can calcium with colecalciferol cause problems?

This medicine is unlikely to cause any side-effects when taken as directed. Rarely, it may cause stomach upset. If you experience any symptoms which you think may be due to it, then ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

How to store calcium with colecalciferol

• Keep all medicines out of the reach and sight of children.
• Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct heat and light.