Prescription medication · Calcitonin (Nasal/Injectable)
calcitonin
Also sold as Miacalcin, Fortical. This medicine is used to treat certain bone conditions.
Data updated 2026-05-15
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calcitonin (Miacalcin) is a prescription Calcitonin (Nasal/Injectable). This medicine is used to treat certain bone conditions.
Calcitonin is a medicine that helps manage calcium levels in your body. It comes as a nasal spray or an injection.
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What it does
This medicine is used to treat certain bone conditions.
Common side effects
No common side effects listed.
Key warnings
No specific warnings noted. Always follow your prescriber's instructions.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from calcitonin's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Calcitonin is a hormone that lowers calcium levels in your blood. It works by slowing down the breakdown of bone. This helps to keep calcium in your bones and out of your bloodstream.
How to Take It
If you are 12 years or older, take 20 drops in a little water, two times per day. If you are between 6 and 12 years old, take 10 drops in a little water, two times per day. If you are under 6 years old, take 5 drops in a glass of water, two times per day. Take this medicine 15 minutes before meals.
This is a plain-language summary of calcitonin's FDA labeling, not individualized dosing advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber before changing how you take this medication.
Known Drug Interactions
7.1 Aminoglycosides and Calcitonin Caution is advised when bisphosphonates are administered with aminoglycosides or calcitonin, since these agents may have an additive effect to lower serum calcium level for prolonged periods.
Mechanism: Both of these medicines lower the amount of calcium in your blood. Taking them together can cause your calcium levels to drop too low for a long time.
What to do: Your doctor will likely check your blood calcium levels regularly. You may need to take calcium supplements while using these drugs.
This is a plain-language summary of interactions documented in FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber before combining medications.
Common Questions
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What the FDA Data Shows for calcitonin
The FDA label for calcitonin (sold under brand names such as Miacalcin, Fortical) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Calcitonin (Nasal/Injectable) class. This medicine is used to treat certain bone conditions. Labeling covers dosing, contraindications, and monitoring requirements derived from clinical trials.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. Voluntary reports accumulate over the lifetime of a drug and reflect wide-ranging clinical use. The database also lists 1 documented drug interaction derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. Acquisition-cost data is surveyed weekly by CMS and updated as manufacturers report changes.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information further shape supply and switching decisions. This page summarizes public FDA data for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, always consult a licensed healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. Always consult a healthcare professional before making medication decisions.
Last updated: November 14, 2022
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages