Cholecalciferol Tablets are used in

• Very low levels of vitamin D (deficiency)
• combination with other medicines to treat certain bone conditions such as thinning of the bones

Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

Dose for treatment of Vitamin D deficiency:

The dose needed to treat vitamin D deficiency will depend on how low your vitamin D levels are. Your doctor will advise you on the strength and number of tablets to take and how often you should take them – usually up to 75,000 IU for adolescents or up to 300,000 IU for adults, which may be spread over several weeks.

After this you may need to take regular doses to maintain your vitamin D levels.

The tablets should be swallowed whole.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist before taking Cholecalciferol Tablets:

• if you are taking medicines from a group known as cardiac glycosides used to treat heart conditions (e.g. digoxin, digitalis).

The following medicines may decrease the effects of Cholecalciferol Tablets:

• medicines used to treat epilepsy (e.g. phenytoin)
• medicines used to help you sleep (e.g. barbiturates)
• laxatives (e.g. paraffin oil)
• cholesterol lowering medicines (e.g. cholestyramine)
• steroids from a group known as glucocorticoids often used to treat allergies or asthma (e.g. hydrocortisone, prednisolone)

The following medicines may increase the effects of Cholecalciferol Tablets

• a group of medicines called thiazide diuretics which are mainly used to treat high blood pressure (e.g. bendroflumethiazide)

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Serious side effects:

• Allergic reaction. The likelihood of this side effect happening to you is not known, however, stop taking cholecalciferol and seek immediate medical help if you have any signs of serious allergic reaction such as a swollen face, lips, tongue or throat, difficulty swallowing or breathing
• Hypercalcaemia (too much calcium in your blood). This is an uncommon side effect of cholecalciferol which can cause nausea, vomiting, excessive passing of urine, loss of appetite, weakness, apathy, thirst, constipation, drowsiness or dizziness. Stop taking cholecalciferol and seek immediate medical help if these symptoms occur. Your doctor should monitor your blood calcium level during long-term treatment with cholecalciferol.

Others side-effects:

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):

• hypercalciuria (too much calcium in your urine) which can cause increased frequency of urination, pain on urination, abdominal pain, bladder or kidney stones and urinary tract infections

Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):

• itching
• skin rash

Frequency not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data):

• nausea, vomiting

Do not take Cholecalciferol Tablets Tablets if you are:

• if you are allergic to Cholecalciferol
• if you have high levels of vitamin D in your blood (hypervitaminosis D)
• if you have kidney stones or serious kidney problems
• if you have high levels of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia)
• if you have high levels of calcium in your urine (hypercalciuria)

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Cholecalciferol Tablets:

• if you have problems with your kidneys
• if you have sarcoidosis (inflammation that produces lumps of cells in various organs in the body). Your doctor will be able to tell you if you do
• if you are already taking other medicines or supplements containing vitamin D

Your doctor may wish to do blood or urine tests to monitor your treatment.

Children: This medicine should not be given to children under 12 years old.

Cholecalciferol Tablets with food and drink: You can take this medicine with or without food and drink.

Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility: If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.

Driving and using machines: Cholecalciferol Tablets should not affect your ability to drive or operate machines.