What is cholecalciferol for?
- Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) has a hypercalcemic effect, that is, it increases calcium levels in the blood by stimulating its release from the bones, also increases the amount of calcium we absorb in the small intestine and decreases its excretion in theurine.
- It is used to treat:
- Patients with vitamin D deficiency causing osteomalacia and rickets.
- Patients at high risk of osteoporosis.
- Patients who do not consume a sufficient amount of vitamin D or calcium in their diets.
Dosage and routes of administration of cholecalciferol
Cholecalciferol is a medicine thatis taken strictly orally, to achieve its absorption either in tablets or drops. Depending on the associated risk, the dose to be taken will vary as we will see below:
- Patients at risk of vitamin D deficiency: 200 IU/day.
- Infants who are not exposed to sunlight: 10 micrograms (400 IU/day), from birth until they are no longer exclusively breastfed and start to eat more solid foods.
- Older adults at risk of osteoporosis: Depending on their bone density, older adults may need doses of 400 to 800 IU per day. (1)
- Patients at risk of breast or colorectal cancer: Daily doses of 400 IU reduce the incidence of malignancies by up to 18%. (two)
What products contain cholecalciferol?
Some of the medicines that contain cholecalciferol are:
- Benferol®
- Delcrin®
- Deltius®
Benferol®
- Benferol® is the trade name for the supplement cholecalciferol, a form of vitamin D .
- This drug is indicated as part of a preventive treatment against a lack of calcium or vitamin D in the patient’s body.
- .
Delcrin®
- Delcrin® is a product that contains cholecalciferol as an active principle, which is indicated as part of the prevention against bone diseases such as rickets, osteomalacia or osteoporosis.
- It comes in capsule presentations of 20,000 IU and drops in solution of 20,000 IU/ml.
- .
Deltius®
- Deltius® is the trade name for cholecalciferol, used to treat bone disease related to low levels of calcium in the system or patients who do not get enough sunlight.
- This drug is marketed in hard capsule presentations of 25,000 and 50,000 IU mg, as well as solution in drops of 25,000 IU/2.5 ml and 50,000 IU/2.5 ml, with oral administration route.
Cholecalciferol Side Effects
Cholecalciferol is a drug that should be used with caution, since an excess of vitamin D Can cause serious adverse effects, known as hypercalcemia. Among the most frequent side effects we have:
Important: Suspend the use of this drug and see your doctor immediately, if you have the aforementioned side effects seriously affecting your health.
Contraindications and warnings of cholecalciferol
Supplementation with drugs such as cholecalciferol can be a practical solution for many patients, but prescribing these to patients who do not need them carries serious risks . Therefore, among the cases where cholecalciferol should not be received, we have:
- Hypersensitivity to any of the components of the drug formula.
- Women who are pregnant or Breastfeeding .
- Kidney failure or liver failure.
Avoid if you have
- Hypercalcemia (high levels of calcium in the blood).
- Hypercalciuria (excessive excretion of calcium in urine).
- Kidney stones.
Warnings:
- It is advisable to consult a doctor for the proper prescription of this drug.
- Avoid consuming high doses of this drug.
- Special caution should be taken in cases of diseases such as malabsorption syndrome, where the assimilation of the drug may be decreased.
- Keep this drug out of the reach of children.
- It is recommended to store the medicine in a dry and cool place.
University Professional in the area of Human Resources, Postgraduate in Occupational Health and Hygiene of the Work Environment, 14 years of experience in the area of health. Interested in topics of Psychology, Occupational Health, and General Medicine.