Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3
About Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3
Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 belongs to the class of 'Vitamins,' primarily used to treat nutritional deficiencies. Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 effectively treats various conditions caused by low calcium levels in the body, like Vitamin D deficiency. Nutritional deficiency occurs when the body cannot absorb or get enough nutrients from food. It could lead to various health problems, including defective bone growth, skin disorders, digestive issues, and dementia (memory loss).
Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 consists of elemental calcium and vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol). Elemental calcium is a mineral used to prevent or treat a calcium deficiency. It provides essential nutrients to maintain bone formation. Vitamin D3 is a steroid hormone produced in the skin when exposed to ultraviolet light or obtained from food sources. It helps maintain blood calcium and phosphorus levels and the mineralization of bone.
Take Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 as recommended. Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 is likely safe to consume. Sometimes, it may cause side effects like constipation and stomach upset. These side effects do not require medical attention and gradually resolve over time.
Do not take Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 if you're allergic to any ingredient in it. Please inform your doctor if you have hypercalcemia (high calcium levels), hypervitaminosis D (high vitamin D levels), malabsorption syndrome (difficulty absorbing nutrition from food), low levels of bile, and phosphate imbalance before starting Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should consult their doctor before taking Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3. Do not use Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 if you have kidney problems/stones or have a high Vitamin D level in your blood. Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 is safe for children only when recommended by the doctor.
Uses of Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3
Medicinal Benefits
Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 is used to treat low blood calcium levels. It effectively treats various conditions caused by low calcium levels in the body, like Vitamin D deficiency, osteoporosis, hypoparathyroidism, latent tetany, and rickets or osteomalacia. The Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 consists of two medicines: Elemental calcium (mineral) and Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3). Elemental calcium is a mineral that is used to prevent or treat a calcium deficiency. It provides essential nutrients to maintain bone formation and maintenance. Cholecalciferol is a steroid hormone produced in the skin when exposed to ultraviolet light or obtained from food sources. It helps maintain blood calcium and phosphorus levels and the mineralization of bone.
Directions for Use
Storage
Side Effects of Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3
- Constipation
- Stomach upset
- Nausea/vomiting
- Bone/muscle pain
- Fast or pounding heartbeat
- Headache
Drug Warnings
Do not take Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 if you're allergic to any ingredient in it. If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, it is advised to inform your doctor before using Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3. Higher doses of Vitamin D than the recommended daily dose should be used in pregnant women only when advised by the doctor. Cholecalciferol in higher doses may harm the fetus. Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 may pass into the breast milk; hence consult your doctor before taking Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 if you are a breastfeeding mother. Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 should be used with caution in children and only if recommended by a doctor. Cholecalciferol in Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 can affect growth in children. Inform your doctor if your child is not growing normally while using Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3. Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 is not recommended if you have hypercalcemia (high calcium levels), metastatic calcification (extra deposits of calcium in the body), hypervitaminosis D (high vitamin D levels), and malabsorption syndrome (difficulty absorbing nutrition from food). Inform your doctor before taking Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 if you have any heart/kidney/liver/blood vessel diseases, kidney stones, sarcoidosis (growth of inflammatory cells in different parts of the body), Crohn's disease (inflammatory bowel disease), Whipple's disease (bacterial infection affecting joints and digestive system), achlorhydria (little or no stomach acid), low levels of bile, and phosphate imbalance. Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 contains sugar or sorbitol; hence caution should be taken to have an intolerance to sugars, diabetes, and phenylketonuria (increased levels of an amino acid called phenylalanine).
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interactions: Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 may interact with drugs treating high cholesterol levels (cholestyramine, colesevelam, colestipol), antibiotics (doxycycline, minocycline, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, penicillin, neomycin, and chloramphenicol), anti-cancer drugs (estramustine), drugs treating bone loss (alendronate), thyroid hormone (levothyroxine), weight-loss drugs (orlistat), fits medicines (phenobarbital), mineral oils (paraffin), water pills (furosemide, ethacrynic acid), and heart-related medicines (digitoxin).
Drug-Food Interactions: Avoid or reduce caffeine intake, soft drinks, and alcohol that inhibit calcium absorption.
Drug-Disease Interactions: Brief your doctor if you have a medical history of allergic reactions, cardiovascular adverse effects, phosphate calcifications, cardiac contraction/conduction, malabsorption, renal dysfunction, sarcoidosis, arrhythmia, electrolyte imbalance, hypercalcemia, renal dysfunction, and hepatobiliary dysfunction.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
cautionDrinking alcohol can affect calcium absorption; hence, limiting the alcohol intake while using Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3.
Pregnancy
consult your doctorDuring pregnancy, use higher doses of Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 than the daily dietary allowance only when the doctor advises. Your doctor will weigh the potential risks and benefits before recommending Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3.
Breast Feeding
cautionConsult your doctor before taking Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 if you are breastfeeding. Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 can pass into the breast milk. If Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 is used during breastfeeding, please monitor the serum calcium levels of the mother and the infant.
Driving
cautionElemental Calcium+vitamin D3 usually does not affect your ability to drive or operate machinery. If you experience any unmanageable side effects while using Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3, do not drive or operate machinery.
Liver
cautionLet your doctor know if you have any history of liver diseases before taking Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3. Hepatic impairment/liver disease can alter the metabolic and therapeutic activity of certain Vitamin D forms.
Kidney
cautionYou should seek doctor advice before starting Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 if you have kidney diseases like kidney stones or undergoing dialysis. Should be used with caution in patients undergoing dialysis to maintain adequate phosphorus levels and avoid ectopic calcification (calcium deposition).
Children
consult your doctorIf you have any concerns regarding the use of Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 for children, please consult a doctor.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Include dairy products like milk, yoghurt, cheese, or milk-based custard in your diet.
- Eat a serving of broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables daily.
- Include the best dietary sources of vitamin D, such as fish liver oils and vitamin D–fortified milk.
- Snack on calcium-rich nuts like Brazil nuts or almonds.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds over your food, vegetables, and salads. Sesame seeds are high in calcium.
- Avoid or reduce the intake of caffeine, soft drinks, and alcohol that inhibit calcium absorption.
- Replace the meat with tofu or tempeh for extra calcium in your food.
Special Advise
- Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 may interfere with cholesterol tests. Hence, please inform your doctor and laboratory staff that you are taking Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 before undergoing blood tests.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Vitamin D deficiency: When a person cannot get enough Vitamin D through food and exposure to sunlight, it leads to vitamin D deficiency. It often leads to thin, brittle, or misshapen bones.
Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is a bone disease that weakens and brittle bones by decreasing bone density.
Tetany: A disease condition due to low levels of calcium (hypocalcemia) in the body that causes cramps and spasms in the hands, feet, and larynx (voice box).
Osteomalacia/Rickets: Osteomalacia/Rickets disease is caused by softening and weakening bones in children due to inadequate vitamin D.
Hypoparathyroidism: It is a disease characterized by low parathyroid hormone levels. This can cause low calcium levels and trigger tetany (muscle cramps, spasms, or tremors).
FAQs
Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 is primarily used to treat nutritional deficiencies. It effectively treats various conditions caused by low calcium levels in the body, like Vitamin D deficiency.
Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 consists of two vitamins: elemental calcium and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Elemental calcium is a mineral that is used to prevent or treat a calcium deficiency. It provides essential nutrients to maintain bone formation. Vitamin D3 is a steroid hormone produced in the skin when exposed to ultraviolet light or obtained from food sources. It helps maintain blood calcium and phosphorus levels and the mineralization of bone.
Antacids may increase the absorption of Calcium from Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3. Hence it is advised to take Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 two hours before or four hours after taking antacids.
Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 is used to increase low levels of calcium in the body. Hence it is not advised to use Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 during hypercalcaemia since it causes the overdose of calcium leading to kidney stones and other effects.
Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 can cause kidney stones due to excess calcium deposition when used for a prolonged period. Please consult your doctor before taking Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 as a daily supplement if you have any kidney problems or a history of kidney stones.
Milk is considered to be the best source of calcium. You can take Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 with milk.
The food sources of Vitamin D3 and Calcium include cheese, milk, paneer, curd, and other dairy products, kale, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, and milk products.
Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones as it helps the body absorb calcium, preventing weakness and fractures. It raises vitamin D levels in your blood. It boosts the immune system to fight infections, may help improve mood and reduce depression, and keeps muscles strong, reducing the risk of falls. You can get vitamin D from sunlight, foods like fatty fish, or supplements if necessary.
Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 causes side effects such as constipation, stomach upset, dizziness, abdominal pain, blurred vision, dry mouth. Please, consult a doctor, if the side effects persists for longer durations.
