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Vitamin D (Calciferol, Ergocalciferol, Rocaltrol)

Category:

  • Vitamin

Description:

  • Dietary supplement; fat-soluble vitamin

Indications:

  • Vitamin D deficiency

    • Ricketts in children

    • Osteomalacia in elderly

  • Familial hypophosphatemia

  • Familial hypoparathyroidism

  • Bone, cartilage development

  • Calcium absorption  

Contraindications:

  • Do not administer intravenously.

Precautions:

  • Pregnancy category C

  • Potency is expressed in the form of International Units (IU)

  • Vitamin D is considered a hormone that promotes active absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the small intestine.

  • Vitamin D deficiency leads to progressive hearing loss, rickets and/or osteomalacia.

  • Patients may develop hypervitaminosis D with excessive dosages (greater than 60,000 IU per day).  Symptoms of hypervitaminosis D are:

    • Hypercalcemia

    • Hypercalciuria

    • Hyperphosphatemia

    • Anorexia

    • Nausea

    • Weakness

    • Weight loss

    • Vague aches and stiffness

    • Constipation

    • Diarrhea

    • Mental retardation and a multitude of other symptoms.

Adverse Reactions (Side Effects):

  • Relatively non-toxic in therapeutic doses

  • Early: weakness, headache, somnolence, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, myalgia

  • Late: 

    • Polyuria

    • Polydypsia

    • Anorexia

    • Irritability

    • Nocturia

Dosage:

  • Dietary sources: Converted from dietary cholesterol by UV radiation (sunlight exposure), milk (Vitamin D fortified), oily fish, liver, eggs

  • Administered orally (soft gelatin capsules, tablets, liquid) and IM injection

  • Dietary supplementation (RDA: recommended daily allowance):

    • Adults <25 years old: 400 IU per day

    • Adults >25 years old: 200 IU per day

  • Vitamin D resistant rickets: 12,000-500,000 IU per day

  • Hypoparathyroidism: 50,000-200,000 IU per day

  • Familial hypophosphatemia: 10,00-80,000 IU per day

 

 


The information contained here is an abbreviated summary. For more detailed and complete information, consult the manufacturer's product information sheets or standard textbooks

Source: Operational Medicine 2001,  Health Care in Military Settings, NAVMED P-5139, May 1, 2001, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Department of the Navy, 2300 E Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20372-5300

This information is provided by The Brookside Associates.  The Brookside Associates, LLC. is a private organization, not affiliated with any governmental agency. The opinions presented here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Brookside Associates or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the US Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. All material presented here is unclassified.

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