User:Mr. Ibrahem/Calcitriol

Calcitriol is the active form of vitamin D, normally made in the kidney. A manufactured form is used to treat kidney disease with low blood calcium, hyperparathyroidism due to kidney disease, low blood calcium due to hypoparathyroidism, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, and familial hypophosphatemia. It is taken by mouth or by injection into a vein.

Excessive amount commonly results in weakness, headache, nausea, constipation, urinary tract infections, and abdominal pain. Serious side effects may include high blood calcium and anaphylaxis. Regular blood tests are recommended after the medication is started and when the dose is changed. Calcitriol increases blood calcium (Ca2+) mainly by increasing the uptake of calcium from the intestines.

Calcitriol was approved for medical use in the United States in 1978. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines as an alternative to calcipotriol. It is available as a generic medication. A month supply in the United Kingdom costs the NHS about 9.70 £ as of 2019. In the United States the wholesale cost of this amount is about US$27. In 2017, it was the 256th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than one million prescriptions.