Calcium, along with other substances, is essential for the normal functioning of the body. Deficiency of this component, as well as its overabundance, adversely affects the work of almost all organs and systems. A disease with a calcium deficiency is called hypocalcemia. Why is calcium gluconate prescribed?
The drug is made in the form of rounded tablets of a white hue, without a film coating, with horizontal risk on one side.
In one capsule, there are five hundred milligrams of the active ingredient - calcium gluconate monohydrate, as well as a number of additional trace elements. Tablets are packaged in paper packs of ten pieces. In addition, the drug is available in the form of injection ampoules.
Pharmacological actions
According to the instructions for use, calcium gluconate in tablet form is intended for oral use. The medication makes up for the lack of calcium in the human body during an increased need for it. Calcium gluconate is vital for the human body and is considered the main building material of the musculoskeletal system.
In addition, the trace element is involved in the transmission of impulses, as well as the contraction of smooth muscles. A lack of calcium in the body leads to diseases of the central nervous system, malfunctions in the functioning of the myocardium, the appearance of allergies and the suppression of the hematopoiesis system.
Indications
Calcium gluconate can be prescribed to people both for therapy and as a prophylaxis in the following conditions and diseases:
- Damage to the nervous system, which is caused by a lack of calcium in the body.
- Osteoporosis.
- Fractures.
- Diseases of the teeth.
- Rickets (a disease of children with bone formation disorders and insufficient bone mineralization).
- Diseases of the endocrine system.
- The "interesting position" of a woman.
In addition to these indications, calcium gluconate is also used in the following conditions:
- Lactation (the process of formation, accumulation and periodic excretion of milk in humans and mammals).
- Food poisoning.
- Diarrhea (a pathological condition in which the patient has frequent bowel movements, while the stool becomes watery).
- Forced bed rest.
- Hypocalcemia (a condition in which the concentration of calcium in the blood is below standard values).
Contraindications
The drug can be used only as directed by a medical specialist. A person must definitely be examined before starting treatment, since calcium gluconate has certain contraindications:
- Excessive drug sensitivity.
- Severe hypercalciuria (increased calcium in urine as a result of hypercalcemia).
- Kidney disease.
According to the instructions for use, calcium gluconate is prescribed with extreme caution to patients if they have the following ailments:
- A pathological condition provoked by a decrease in the amount of water in the body below the physiological norm, accompanied by metabolic disorders.
- Water-electrolyte disturbances.
- Atherosclerotic plaques.
- Chronic heart disease.
- Damage to the kidneys.
- Bladder calcifications.
How to take the drug?
A tablet of calcium gluconate is recommended to be ground into powder before use. Adults are prescribed one capsule three times a day. In order for the substance to be better absorbed, the crushed tablet must be washed down with tea with lemon. The medication should be drunk one hour before a meal.
According to the instructions for the use of calcium gluconate, it is known that patients with an increased need for calcium are recommended to take up to six tablets per day, the doctor prescribes the daily dosage of the medicine to children over three years old individually. The duration of treatment is determined by a medical professional, but as a rule, this should take at least one month.
Intravenous medication should be administered slowly. Injection of calcium gluconate is carried out for two to three minutes. Five to ten milliliters of a ten percent solution are administered daily to patients, and the procedure is repeated every other day or two. How to do injections of calcium gluconate intramuscularly? Patients are not given such injections (due to the likelihood of tissue necrosis). Before using the drug, it should be heated to body temperature.
Is it possible to use the drug during an interesting position of a woman?
Calcium gluconate tablets during pregnancy should be consumed by women from the second trimester. The daily dosage for expectant mothers is no more than six tablets, which are divided into three doses of two capsules.
The use of calcium gluconate capsules during breastfeeding is possible as directed. Daily dosing is not more than three grams or six tablets - two pieces for three uses.
Before starting treatment with calcium gluconate during pregnancy, the expectant mother must undergo a blood test to determine the concentration of calcium in the body.
Capsule therapy is canceled a couple of weeks before birth, since increased calcium intake can lead to early ossification of the sutures of the fetal skull and the likelihood of injuries during birth.
Negative reactions
The medication is well tolerated by patients, but in rare situations, with increased individual sensitivity, the following side effects from calcium gluconate may appear:
- Intestinal obstruction.
- Increased flatulence (excessive accumulation of gases in the intestines).
- Nausea (one of the reflexive reactions that are necessary for the body's natural defense against various toxins and foreign objects that enter the human digestive system).
These signs are harmless and instantly pass on their own with a decrease in the daily dosage of calcium.
Poisoning
With prolonged use of calcium gluconate tablets orally, too high concentrations of the drug or when combining calcium gluconate with multivitamin preparations, the structure of which this substance is included in, overdose symptoms gradually appear in a person:
- Vomiting.
- Pain in the stomach.
- Impaired kidney function.
If side effects from calcium gluconate occur, calcitonin is administered intravenously to a person, after diluting it in five hundred milliliters of physiological sodium solution. The daily content of calcitonin is determined by a medical professional depending on the severity of poisoning and the weight of the patient.
Interaction
When used together with antibacterial agents from the tetracycline group, insoluble complexes are formed in the body, so you can not drink these drugs together to avoid serious complications.
According to the instructions for use with calcium gluconate, it is known that when the drug is taken together with iron tablets, a violation of the absorption of the latter can be observed. If such a drug interaction is necessary, a person must maintain a gap between the use of medicines for at least two hours.
With the drug interaction of calcium gluconate with thiazide diuretics, hypercalcemia can occur in a person, so you need to be especially careful when prescribing these medicines together and constantly monitor the level of calcium in the body.
Tablets are not recommended to be used together with vitamin-mineral complexes, the structure of which includes a daily dosage of calcium. The combination of these drugs can lead to poisoning and the appearance in the patient of impaired renal function. If a person takes any vitamins, then it is imperative to inform the doctor about this.
Features
In people with impaired renal function, calcium gluconate treatment is carried out under the supervision of a doctor with a periodic check of the concentration of this substance in the blood and the content of its ions in urine. In the treatment of calcium gluconate, alcohol is not recommended to be consumed, as this can provoke undesirable reactions.
During drug therapy, the patient should consume at least one and a half liters of pure water per day - this will reduce the likelihood of diseases from the kidneys and calcium deposits on the walls of the bladder and ureters.
Generics
According to their pharmacological action, some vitamin-mineral complexes, the structure of which includes calcium, are substitutes for calcium gluconate in their pharmacological action:
- "Drive."
- Calcemin.
- "Kaltsinova".
If it is necessary to treat calcium with gluconate, it is not recommended to replace it with one of the generics listed above, since the concentration in these preparations of calcium is often not enough to fully replenish this component in the body. Before changing the medicine, the patient needs to consult a medical specialist.
"Kaltsinova"
The drug is a comprehensive tool, the structure of which includes vitamins and minerals, which are considered important components of metabolic processes. Calcium is involved in the formation of bone tissue, as well as the contraction of smooth muscles, improves the transport of nerve impulses and blood coagulation, and brings the heart to a stable state. The drug increases the protective functions of the body and resistance to infectious diseases, and also reduces the severity of inflammatory reactions.
Calcemin
The effect of the drug is due to the substances that make up its composition. Calcium increases bone density, and also helps strengthen joints and prevent disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
When using the drug, increasing the prescribed dosages is not recommended, since calcium intake in concentrations exceeding the standard ones can lead to a suppression of absorption of zinc, iron and other necessary components in the intestine.
Storage conditions
Tablets are dispensed from pharmacy points without a doctor's prescription. It is necessary to keep the medicine in a dark place, away from children, at a temperature of no more than twenty-five degrees. Shelf life is thirty-six months. Do not use expired calcium gluconate.
The average cost of the drug varies from 10 to 200 rubles.