How to Use

This drug is for injection only. If you will be giving yourself the injections, make sure you understand exactly how to give them, including how to fill the syringe before injection. If you have any questions about this, check with your family doctor.

Use the calcitonin only when the contents of the syringe are clear and colorless. Do not use it if it looks grainy or discolored.

Dosage

The number of doses you receive, the time allowed between doses and the length of time you receive the drug depends on the medical problem for which you are receiving calcitonin .

For calcitonin-human
• For injection dosage form:
  • For Paget's disease of bone:
    • Adults To start, 500 micrograms - mcg injected under the skin once a day. Your family doctor may reduce your dose or increase the time between doses. Or, your family doctor may give you a smaller dose to start and increase your dose over two weeks.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For calcitonin-salmon
• For injection dosage form:
  • For Paget's disease of bone:
    • Adults To start, 100 Units injected into a muscle or under the skin once a day, once every other day, or three times a week. Your family doctor may reduce your dose or increase the time between doses.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
  • For hypercalcemia - too much calcium in the blood:
    • Adults To start, 4 Units per kilogram - kg - 1.8 Units per pound of body weight injected into a muscle or under the skin every twelve hours. Your family doctor may increase your dose or increase the time between doses.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
  • For postmenopausal osteoporosis:
    • Adults 100 Units injected into a muscle or under the skin once a day, once every other day, or three times a week. Or, your family doctor may give you a smaller dose to start and increase your dose over two weeks.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

Missed dose If you miss a dose of this drug and your dosing schedule is:

• Two doses a day If you remember within 2 hours of the missed dose, give it right away. Then go back to your regular dosing schedule. But if you do not remember the missed dose until later, skip it and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.
• One dose a day Give the missed dose as soon as possible. Then go back to your regular dosing schedule. If you do not remember the missed dose until the next day, skip it and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.
• One dose every other day Give the missed dose as soon as possible if you remember it on the day it must be given. Then go back to your regular dosing schedule. If you do not remember the missed dose until the next day, give it at that time. Then skip a day and start your dosing schedule again.
• One dose three times a week Give the missed dose the next day. Then set each injection back a day for the rest of the week. Go back to your regular Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule the following week. Do not double doses.

If you have any questions about this, check with your family doctor.

Storage To store this drug:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Store calcitonin-human at a temperature below 77 °F. Do not refrigerate. Use prepared solution within 6 hours.
• Store calcitonin-salmon in the refrigerator. However, keep it from freezing.
• Do not keep outdated drug or drug no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded drug is out of the reach of children.