Calcitrol

[Razbry]

My PCP insisted that I start taking Calcitrol. I have complied....so far. It is (as in the literature) Vit D3. Well how much? They never tell you that. I'm already taking Vit D3 100,000/day. Why do I need a prescription for it? Additionally it is a "soft" pill. Is that liquid Vit D3 or does it have oil in it? Has anyone had any experience with this drug?

 

[southernlady]

No experience but moving this to the Vitamins/Labs section

 

[DianaCox]

Which part of biochemistry and nutrition did your PCP fail? Both, I assume.

Calcitriol (INN) /kælˈsɪtri.ɒl/, also called 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, is the hormonally active metabolite of vitamin D with threehydroxyl groups (abbreviated 1,25-(OH)2D3 or simply 1,25(OH)2D).

What he is giving you is a worthless and pointless gel cap containing an unabsorbable version of the vitamin D3 you are ALREADY taking 100K IU/day in the PROPER form. And you're shitting out most if not all of this prescription drug, unabsorbed. If he wants you to take 150K IU/day, add another capsule of the dry form.

 

[Larra]

I tried looking this up in the online PDR and still couldn't find out whether or not it was in an oil based solution. I would recommend asking your pharmacist about this. Your pcp probably doesn't understand that if it is in an oil based solution it probably isn't going to do you much good as you won't absorb much of it.
The PDR did mention somewhere that it is not very soluble in water, so if I had to guess, I would guess it's in oil, but that's just a guess and NOT actual information.

 

[aaa]

I took it to bring up my calcium after my first Reclast Infusion. It did help. However, I became exhausted from it. (My endocrine. said she'd rarely seen that). We cut it from 1 to 2 pills after a couple of weeks.

 

[swimbikerun]

Endocrinologist gave it to me. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

 

[revisionDS]

Why does your PCP want you to take Calcitriol? What is the reason, if you ask for clarification, your PCP will not be able to justify why. Unless you have kidney issues I would not take cacitriol (kidneys play an important role in maintaining calcium balance which regualtes intestinal calcium absorption, simplified). Calcitriol acts on the kidneys to increase absorption and decrease calcium excretion in the urine, if your kidneys are normal, not necessary and as a DSer we have issues with absorbing medications in oil based form. Calcitriol is in cocnut oil and relatively insoluble in water, hence taking it is pretty much useless for us. You should monitor your 24 hr urine for calcium, also stone risk profile. You should monitor you cacium via PTH and ionized calcium. Calcitriol is a an oldie but goodie of endocrinologists. A PCP RXing this is very different than an endo, I will give more leeway here. My former Yale medical bone endocrinologist RXd this for me, I have no idea what these specialists are thinking, obviously I didn't take it and she is my former.

 

[Larra]

@swimbikerun the "sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't" applies to people with normal absorption of oils. You and I do not absorb oils normally, in fact one of the great things about our DS is that we have such strong malabsorption of fat. So while Calcitriol does help some people, the chances that it will do anything helpful for YOU are not good. Many docs, even endocrinologists, simply don't understand the nature and strength of the malabsorption that is one of the great strengths of the DS.

 

[Razbry]

Thanks to you all. I have discontinued the drug. My PCP prescribed it to me because he thought my progress in reversing osteoporosis (and I am reversing it) was too slow. As so many MDs these days, they are in a big hurry to fix you up with a drug. My PCP is aware that a gel/oil based pill is useless for me. He probably didn't take the time to check it out. I didn't like the idea that it was changing how my kidneys actually functioned. I take comfort in the fact that very little of the drug was probably absorbed. I routinely drop off information for my PCP to read...and he does read it. He is willing to learn, and that means everything. He is a very intelligent MD (recently Mayo tried to recruit him), and his practice has been closed to new patients for years because he is so sought ofter. I will be seeing him in a couple of weeks, and I'll break it to him gently at that time. hahhahaha