Calcium and ergocalciferol tablets

About calcium and ergocalciferol

Calcium and vitamin D are both important for healthy, strong bones. Ergocalciferol is a type of vitamin D. Vitamin D is mostly made in your skin by exposure to sunlight but you also get some from your diet. Foods that contain vitamin D are oily fish (such as sardine, herring, salmon and tuna) and eggs. Your body needs adequate supplies of vitamin D in order for it to absorb the calcium that you eat or drink in your diet.

A mild lack of calcium and vitamin D may not cause symptoms but it can result in an increased risk of 'thinning' of the bones (osteoporosis). You will be recommended to take a supplement such as calcium and ergocalciferol tablets routinely. The tablets are available on prescription, or you can buy them without a prescription at a pharmacy.

To make sure this is the right treatment for you, before you start taking calcium and ergocalciferol it is important that your doctor or pharmacist knows:

• Om du är gravid eller ammar. Detta beror på att när du väntar eller matar ett barn, bör du endast ta mediciner på rekommendation av en läkare.

• If you have kidney problems, or if you have ever had kidney stones.

• If you have sarcoidosis. This is a condition causing inflammation, particularly in your lungs and lymph system.

• If you know you have too much calcium in your blood or urine. This can happen with some cancers.

• Om du tar några andra läkemedel. Detta inkluderar alla läkemedel du tar som finns att köpa utan recept, samt växtbaserade och komplementära läkemedel.

• Om du någonsin har haft en allergisk reaktion mot en medicin.

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about calcium and ergocalciferol, and will provide you with a list of any side-effects which you may experience from taking the tablets.

• Take calcium with ergocalciferol tablets exactly as your doctor or pharmacist tells you to. It is usual to take one tablet each day. You can take the tablet at whatever time of day you find easiest to remember but try to take your doses at the same time of day each day, as this will help you to take your doses regularly.

• Crush the tablet before swallowing. It will help to take it with a drink of water. Alternatively, you can chew the tablet if you prefer.

• If you forget to take a dose, do not worry, just take your next dose when it is due. Do not take two doses together to make up for a forgotten dose.
  

• Försök att hålla alla regelbundna möten med din läkare. Detta är så att din läkare kan följa upp din utveckling.

• If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are suitable to take with calcium and ergocalciferol.

The tablets are unlikely to cause any side-effects when taken as directed. Rarely, they may cause stomach upset. If you experience any other symptoms which you think may be due to the tablets then please ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

• Förvara alla läkemedel utom räckhåll och synhåll för barn.

• Förvara på en sval, torr plats, borta från direkt värme och ljus.