Desunin (colecalciferol)

How do I take it?

• Desunin tablets can be taken either with or without food. The tablets should be swallowed with a drink of water. They may also be crushed.
• Desunin tablets are usually taken once daily.
• The number of tablets to be taken each day will vary from person to person and depends on the severity of vitamin D deficiency. It is important to follow the instructions given by your doctor. These will be printed on the dispensing label that your pharmacist has put on the medicine.

Use with caution in

• People with mild or moderately decreased kidney function.
• People with a history of kidney stones
• People taking digoxin or thiazide diuretics such as bendroflumethiazide.
• Sarcoidosis.

Not to be used in

• Children under 12 years of age.
• People with a high level of calcium in their blood (hypercalcaemia), for example as a result of bone marrow cancer, cancer that has spread to the bones, sarcoidosis or overactivity of the parathyroid glands (hyperparathyroidism).
• People with very high levels of calcium in their urine (hypercalciuria).
• People who currently have kidney stones (nephrolithiasis).
• People with severely decreased kidney function.
• People with vitamin D poisoning.
• People with rare hereditary problems of fructose intolerance, glucose-galactose malabsorption or sucrase-isomaltase insufficiency (Desunin tablets contain sucrose and isomalt).
• This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.

If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.

• This medicine is safe to take during pregnancy to treat an established vitamin D deficiency. It is important to let your doctor know if you are pregnant and to follow the instructions given by your doctor for how many tablets to take each day. You should not take other vitamin D supplements in combination with this one.
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women who don’t have an established vitamin D deficiency should not take this medicine to prevent vitamin D deficiency, as the dose of vitamin D in Desunin tablets is too high for this purpose. It is recommended that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should take a daily vitamin D supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D to prevent vitamin D deficiency. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice on suitable products.
• Vitamin D passes into breast milk. This medicine is safe for mothers who are breastfeeding to take to treat an established vitamin D deficiency. However, if you have been prescribed a particularly high dose your doctor may want to monitor the nursing infant’s calcium levels. You should not take other vitamin D supplements in combination with this one. You should also talk to your doctor before giving any vitamin D supplements to your baby, as they may be getting enough from your milk.

Side effects

Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.

Uncommon 

• High blood calcium level (hypercalcaemia).
• High calcium levels in the urine.

Rare 

• Skin rash.
• Itching.
• Hives.

The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the medicine's manufacturer.

For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.

How can this medicine affect other medicines?

It is important to tell your doctor or pharmacist what medicines you are already taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before you start treatment with this medicine. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines while having treatment with this one, to make sure that the combination is safe.

You should not take other calcium or vitamin D supplements (including those found in multivitamins) in combination with this medicine, unless these have been specifically prescribed by your doctor.

Thiazide diuretics, such as bendroflumethiazide, reduce the amount of calcium excreted in the urine, and this can increase the amount of calcium in the blood. If you are taking a thiazide diuretic in combination with this medicine you should have regular blood tests to monitor the level of calcium in your blood.

People taking digoxin or other cardiac glycosides may have an increased risk of abnormal heart rhythms if they experience abnormally high blood calcium levels while taking this medicine.

The following medicines may decrease the absorption of colecalciferol from the gut and should not be taken at the same time of day as this medicine:

• colestipol
• colestyramine
• orlistat.

If you are taking any of the following medicines you may need a larger than normal dose of this medicine. Ask your doctor for advice:

• carbamazepine
• corticosteroids such as prednisolone
• phenobarbital
• phenytoin.

References:

https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/4304/pil

https://www.hpra.ie/img/uploaded/swedocuments/2175013.PA1332_044_001.a2c6ed14-eb2a-406a-9bbb-8cf202e4e3d8.000001Product%20Leaflet.160711.pdf

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/i-have-been-prescribed-desunin-800ui-tablets-528867

http://www.desunin.co.uk/about-desuninr/

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/diet-and-nutrition/a8825/desunin-colecalciferol/