Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3

Do not take Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 if you're allergic to any ingredient in it. If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, it is advised to inform your doctor before using Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3. Higher doses of Vitamin D than the recommended daily dose should be used in pregnant women only when advised by the doctor. Cholecalciferol in higher doses may harm the fetus. Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 may pass into the breast milk; hence consult your doctor before taking Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 if you are a breastfeeding mother. Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 should be used with caution in children and only if recommended by a doctor. Cholecalciferol in Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 can affect growth in children. Inform your doctor if your child is not growing normally while using Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3. Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 is not recommended if you have hypercalcemia (high calcium levels), metastatic calcification (extra deposits of calcium in the body), hypervitaminosis D (high vitamin D levels), and malabsorption syndrome (difficulty absorbing nutrition from food). Inform your doctor before taking Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 if you have any heart/kidney/liver/blood vessel diseases, kidney stones, sarcoidosis (growth of inflammatory cells in different parts of the body), Crohn's disease (inflammatory bowel disease), Whipple's disease (bacterial infection affecting joints and digestive system), achlorhydria (little or no stomach acid), low levels of bile, and phosphate imbalance. Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 contains sugar or sorbitol; hence caution should be taken to have an intolerance to sugars, diabetes, and phenylketonuria (increased levels of an amino acid called phenylalanine).

Drug-Drug Interactions: Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 may interact with drugs treating high cholesterol levels (cholestyramine, colesevelam, colestipol), antibiotics (doxycycline, minocycline, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, penicillin, neomycin, and chloramphenicol), anti-cancer drugs (estramustine), drugs treating bone loss (alendronate), thyroid hormone (levothyroxine), weight-loss drugs (orlistat), fits medicines (phenobarbital), mineral oils (paraffin), water pills (furosemide, ethacrynic acid), and heart-related medicines (digitoxin).

Drug-Food Interactions: Avoid or reduce caffeine intake, soft drinks, and alcohol that inhibit calcium absorption.

Drug-Disease Interactions: Brief your doctor if you have a medical history of allergic reactions, cardiovascular adverse effects, phosphate calcifications, cardiac contraction/conduction, malabsorption, renal dysfunction, sarcoidosis, arrhythmia, electrolyte imbalance, hypercalcemia, renal dysfunction, and hepatobiliary dysfunction.

• Include dairy products like milk, yoghurt, cheese, or milk-based custard in your diet.
• Eat a serving of broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables daily.
• Include the best dietary sources of vitamin D, such as fish liver oils and vitamin D–fortified milk.
• Snack on calcium-rich nuts like Brazil nuts or almonds.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds over your food, vegetables, and salads. Sesame seeds are high in calcium.
• Avoid or reduce the intake of caffeine, soft drinks, and alcohol that inhibit calcium absorption.
• Replace the meat with tofu or tempeh for extra calcium in your food.

• Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 may interfere with cholesterol tests. Hence please inform your doctor and laboratory staff that you are taking Elemental Calcium+vitamin D3 before undergoing blood tests.