Calcitonin (Cont.)

When and How to Use Calcitonin

General considerations for when and how to take calcitonin injection include the following:
 
  • The medication comes as an injection, given either just under the skin (subcutaneously) or into the muscle (intramuscularly).
  • You can take calcitonin injection with or without food.
  • You can take calcitonin injection at any time(s) of the day, but it is a good idea to take it at the same time(s) each day.
  • If you or your caretaker will be administering the calcitonin injections, they should be given just under the skin, rather than into the muscle.
  • Make sure your healthcare provider shows you exactly how to give the calcitonin injections.
  • For the medication to work properly, it must be taken as prescribed. Calcitonin will not work if you stop taking it.
     
General considerations for when and how to take calcitonin nasal spray include the following:
 
  • The medication comes as a nasal spray. It is usually taken once a day as one spray, alternating nostrils daily.
  • You can take calcitonin nasal spray with or without food.
  • You can take calcitonin nasal spray at any time of the day, but it is a good idea to take it at the same time each day.
  • The first time you use each bottle of calcitonin nasal spray, you will need to prime the pump by spraying until a fine mist appears.
  • You do not need to inhale calcitonin nasal spray. It is absorbed into the body from the nasal tissues. Also, you do not need to tip your head back.
  • Once you assemble a bottle of calcitonin nasal spray, it must be stored in the upright position, not on its side.
  • For the medication to work properly, it must be taken as prescribed. Calcitonin nasal spray will not work if you stop taking it.
     
(Calcitonin Continued: Page 4)

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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;