Before Using

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

If you are taking a dietary supplement without a prescription, carefully read and follow any precautions on the label. For these supplements, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to medicines in this group or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Problems in children have not been reported with intake of normal daily recommended amounts. Some studies have shown that infants who are totally breast-fed, especially with dark-skinned mothers, and have little exposure to sunlight may be at risk of vitamin D deficiency. Your health care professional may prescribe a vitamin/mineral supplement that contains vitamin D. Some infants may be sensitive to even small amounts of alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol, dihydrotachysterol, or ergocalciferol. Also, children may show slowed growth when receiving large doses of alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol, dihydrotachysterol, or ergocalciferol for a long time.

Studies on doxercalciferol or paricalcitol have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing the use of doxercalciferol or paricalcitol in children with use in other age groups.

Geriatric

Problems in older adults have not been reported with intake of normal daily recommended amounts. Studies have shown that older adults may have lower blood levels of vitamin D than younger adults, especially those who have little exposure to sunlight. Your health care professional may recommend that you take a vitamin supplement that contains vitamin D.

Pregnancy

It is especially important that you are receiving enough vitamin D when you become pregnant and that you continue to receive the right amounts of vitamins throughout your pregnancy. The healthy growth and development of the fetus depend on a steady supply of nutrients from the mother.

You may need vitamin D supplements if you are a strict vegetarian (vegan-vegetarian) and/or have little exposure to sunlight and do not drink vitamin D-fortified milk.

Taking too much alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol, dihydrotachysterol, or ergocalciferol can also be harmful to the fetus. Taking more than your health care professional has recommended can cause your baby to be more sensitive than usual to its effects, can cause problems with a gland called the parathyroid, and can cause a defect in the baby's heart.

Doxercalciferol or paricalcitol have not been studied in pregnant women. However, studies in animals have shown that paricalcitol causes problems in newborns. Before taking this medicine, make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant.

Breastfeeding

It is especially important that you receive the right amounts of vitamins so that your baby will also get the vitamins needed to grow properly. Infants who are totally breast-fed and have little exposure to the sun may require vitamin D supplementation. However, taking large amounts of a dietary supplement while breast-feeding may be harmful to the mother and/or baby and should be avoided.

Only small amounts of alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol, or dihydrotachysterol pass into breast milk and these amounts have not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.

It is not known whether doxercalciferol or paricalcitol passes into breast milk. Be sure you have discussed the risks and benefits of the supplement with your doctor.

Drug Interactions

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking any of these dietary supplements, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using dietary supplements in this class with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with dietary supplements in this class or change some of the other medicines you take.

  • Burosumab-twza

Using dietary supplements in this class with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Boceprevir
  • Brivaracetam
  • Carbamazepine
  • Clarithromycin
  • Clobazam
  • Clonazepam
  • Clorazepate
  • Cobicistat
  • Conivaptan
  • Diazepam
  • Digoxin
  • Erdafitinib
  • Eslicarbazepine Acetate
  • Ethosuximide
  • Ethotoin
  • Ezogabine
  • Felbamate
  • Fosphenytoin
  • Gabapentin
  • Gabapentin Enacarbil
  • Idelalisib
  • Indinavir
  • Itraconazole
  • Ketoconazole
  • Lacosamide
  • Lamotrigine
  • Levetiracetam
  • Lopinavir
  • Lorazepam
  • Methsuximide
  • Midazolam
  • Nefazodone
  • Nelfinavir
  • Oxcarbazepine
  • Perampanel
  • Phenobarbital
  • Phenytoin
  • Posaconazole
  • Pregabalin
  • Primidone
  • Ritonavir
  • Rufinamide
  • Saquinavir
  • Stiripentol
  • Telaprevir
  • Telithromycin
  • Tiagabine
  • Topiramate
  • Valproic Acid
  • Vigabatrin
  • Voriconazole
  • Zonisamide

Other Interactions

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of dietary supplements in this class. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

  • Heart or blood vessel disease—Alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol, or dihydrotachysterol may cause hypercalcemia (high blood levels of calcium), which may make these conditions worse.
  • Kidney disease—High blood levels of alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol, dihydrotachysterol, or ergocalciferol may result, which may increase the chance of side effects.
  • Sarcoidosis—May increase sensitivity to alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol, dihydrotachysterol, or ergocalciferol and increase the chance of side effects