Patient/caregiver was educated on the side-effects of using Calcitonin as follows:
Gastrointestinal side-effects
- Calcitonin use can result in common general constitutional symptoms such as, nausea and vomiting. Taking dose of calcitonin with some food or a snack can help avoid having unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms with the medication.
Central nervous system side-effects
- Optimum serum calcium levels are very important for normal nerve functions, sensory awareness, mood, and behavior. By lowering serum calcium levels, calcitonin carries the risk of inducing/aggravating tingling and numbness in the extremities and around the mouth.
- Lowered serum calcium with calcitonin use can result in deterioration of mood and worsening of history of mood disorders. Individuals can present with complaints such as, feeling low and depressed, anxiety, irritability, and reduced appetite & intake with consequent weight loss.
- Calcitonin use can result in altered level of consciousness, dizziness, confusion, hallucinations, delirium, and memory loss. Individuals with history of altered sensorium can be at increased risk to present with these symptoms following calcitonin use. Starting the medication at a low dose, watching for the response, and gradually changing the dose, to help optimum control of your symptoms, can contribute to controlling/reducing the risk for altered levels of consciousness due to the medication.
Other constitutional side-effects
- Parenteral calcitonin administration as intravenous or intramuscular or subcutaneous shots can result in redness, swelling, and irritation at the site of injection. These inflammatory signs could be self-limiting and resolve in due course of time. Report any of these unrelieving inflammatory signs to your physician or other health care personnel for further intervention and advice.
