Calcijex

Calcijex is a prescription medication used to treat low levels of calcium in the blood of patients undergoing dialysis. 

The ingredient in Calcijex belongs to a group of drugs called vitamin D analogs. In treating hypocalcemia, it works by restoring levels of calcium in the blood. 

This medication is available in an injectable form to be given directly into a vein (IV) by a healthcare professional.

Common side effects of Calcijex include weakness, fatigue, nausea, and headache.

Calcijex is a prescription medication used to treat low calcium levels in patients undergoing dialysis.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

• AbbVie Inc.

Common side effects of Calcijex include the following:

• weakness
• headacha
• nausea
• vomiting
• dry mouth
• constipation
• muscle pain
• bone pain
• metallic taste
• anorexia
• stomach pain
• upset stomach

This is not a complete list of Calcijex side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
 

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• antacids
• calcium supplements
• cholestyramine (Questran)
• colestipol (Colestid)
• digoxin (Lanoxin)
• thiazide diuretics ('water pills') such as chlorothiazide (Diuril), hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide, Oretic, many combination products), indapamide, and metolazone (Zaroxolyn)
• ketoconazole (Nizoral)
• lanthanum (Fosrenol)
• laxatives
• oral steroids such as dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexone), methylprednisolone (Medrol), and prednisone (Deltasone)
• other forms of vitamin D
• phenobarbital (Donnatal)
• phenytoin (Dilantin)
• sevelamer (Renagel)
• ergocalciferol (Drisdol, Calciferol) 

This is not a complete list of all drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with this medication, and certain precautions should be followed:

• Overdosage of any form of vitamin D is dangerous. The ingredient in Calcijex, calcitriol, is a form of vitamin D. Tell your doctor if you experience signs/symptoms of vitamin D toxicity including dehydration, vomiting, decreased appetite, irritability, constipation, fatigue, muscle weakness). 
• It is recommended to avoid all non-prescription medications to avoid elevated phosphate levels in the body.

Do not take this medication if you

• are allergic to Calcijex or to any of its ingredients
• have hypercalcemia or evidence of vitamin D toxicity

Calcijex will work only if you get the right amount of calcium from the foods you eat. If you get too much calcium from foods, you may experience serious side effects of Calcijex, and if you do not get enough calcium from foods, Calcijex will not control your condition. Your doctor will tell you which foods are good sources of these nutrients and how many servings you need each day. If you find it difficult to eat enough of these foods, tell your doctor. In that case, your doctor can prescribe or recommend a supplement.

If you are being treated with dialysis (process of cleaning the blood by passing it through a machine), your doctor may also prescribe a low-phosphate diet. Follow these directions carefully.

If you do not have kidney disease, you should drink plenty of fluids while taking Calcijex. If you have kidney disease, talk to your doctor about how much fluid you should drink each day.

Before receiving Calcijex,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to Calcijex, other forms of vitamin D such as calcifediol (Calderol), dihydrotachysterol (Hytakerol, DHT), doxercalciferol (Hectorol), ergocalciferol (Drisdol, Calciferol), paricalcitol (Zemplar) or any other medications or vitamins.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking.
• tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking ergocalciferol (Drisdol, Calciferol) or have stopped taking it in the past few months.Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
• you should know that many nonprescription medications are not safe to take with Calcijex. Ask your doctor before you take any nonprescription medications while you are taking Calcijex.
• tell your doctor if you have recently had surgery or are unable to move around for any reason and if you have or have ever had kidney or liver disease.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. If you become pregnant while taking Calcijex, call your doctor. You should not breastfeed while you are taking Calcijex.
• if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking Calcijex.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

This medication falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if Calcijex crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using this medication.

This medication is available in an injectable form to be given directly into a vein (IV) by a healthcare professional.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication
• your weight
• your height
• your age
• your gender

Since this medication is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.

• It is advised to have a dietary intake of calcium at a minimum of 600 mg daily. The U.S. recommended daily allowance (RDA) for calcium in adults is 800 mg to 1200 mg.
• Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory.