Rocaltrol
Rocaltrol 0.25mcg capsules contain calcitriol, a vitamin D analogue for low blood calcium and overactive parathyroid hormone; choose packs of 30 to 180 capsules.
All strengths and pack prices
| Strength | Pack | Price | Per capsule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25mcg | 30 capsules | $72.00 | $2.40 |
| 0.25mcg | 60 capsules | $135.00 | $2.25 |
| 0.25mcg | 90 capsules | $192.60 | $2.14 |
| 0.25mcg | 120 capsules | $244.80 | $2.04 |
| 0.25mcg | 180 capsules | $359.98 | $2.00 |
- Category
- Bone Health
- Active ingredient
- Calcitriol
- Route
- Oral
- Form
- Capsule
- Strengths
- 0.25mcg
You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- Hypocalcemia · Hyperparathyroidism
- Therapeutic Class
- Vitamin D Analogue
- Pharmacological Class
- Active Vitamin D3
- Minor Side Effects
- Nausea, Headache
- Moderate Side Effects
- Constipation, Abdominal pain
- Dosage Forms
- Capsule
- Administration Route
- Oral
- Originator
- Roche
- Onset Time
- 2–6 hours
- Duration
- 3–5 days
- Storage Instructions
- Store at room temperature in a tightly closed container, away from light.
- Drug Interactions
- Digoxin, Thiazide diuretics
What you will receive
Rocaltrol is the originator brand name, made by Roche. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Rocaltrol.
- The same active ingredient (Calcitriol) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
What Rocaltrol strengths and pack sizes can I order?
Rocaltrol comes as 0.25mcg (microgram) capsules in packs of 30, 60, 90, 120 or 180. It is generic calcitriol, not the original Rocaltrol. Larger packs cost less per capsule. Choose the pack size that suits you.
How is Rocaltrol delivered to Hong Kong?
For Rocaltrol capsules, tracked courier arrives in 5 to 9 business days with online tracking, or standard airmail in 14 to 21 business days, untracked. If your parcel does not arrive within that window, or arrives damaged, it is sent again free, or the order is refunded.
What are the alternative names for Rocaltrol and calcitriol?
Rocaltrol, Calcijex and Silkis are brand names of calcitriol. Here, calcitriol can be bought online as generic Rocaltrol. These are generics, not the original brand.
Is Rocaltrol just a vitamin D supplement?
No. Ordinary vitamin D tablets have to be converted by the body before they can act, while calcitriol is already the finished, active form. That makes its effect on calcium much stronger, which is why the dose is measured in micrograms and why it is used for particular calcium and parathyroid problems rather than general topping up.
What does 0.25mcg mean?
It means 0.25 micrograms, a thousandth of a milligram. Calcitriol works at microgram doses, so the label uses mcg, and reading the same figure as milligrams would be a thousandfold mistake. 0.25mcg is the strength sold here.
How long does a pack of Rocaltrol last?
At one capsule a day, a 30-capsule pack covers about a month, 60 about two months, 90 about three, 120 about four and 180 just under six months. If you take a capsule every other day, each pack lasts roughly twice as long.
Can I take Rocaltrol with water tablets?
It depends which ones. Thiazide water tablets such as bendroflumethiazide make the kidneys hold on to calcium, so levels can rise faster when they are taken with calcitriol. Loop water tablets such as furosemide do the opposite and increase calcium loss. Blood calcium is checked while calcitriol is taken, so any change shows up.
Can I take Rocaltrol at the same time as calcium tablets?
Often yes — calcitriol only works when enough calcium is coming in from food or supplements, and many people take both. Together they can also push the level too high, so the amounts are balanced and blood calcium is watched. Other vitamin D products add to the same effect.
About Rocaltrol
What the capsules do
Calcitriol is the active form of vitamin D — the version the body can use straight away. Vitamin D from sunlight and food has to be converted, first by the liver and then by the kidneys, and in chronic kidney disease that last step is the one that fails. Calcium from meals is then absorbed poorly, parathyroid hormone (PTH, the signal that pulls calcium out of bone) climbs, and bone loses mineral over time. Calcitriol capsules stand in for what the kidneys can no longer make: they increase calcium absorption from food and bring PTH back down. Low calcium and bone disease in kidney disease, and secondary hyperparathyroidism (too much PTH), are the main reasons they are used. Underactive parathyroid glands and established post-menopausal osteoporosis are two further uses.
Doses, blood tests and food
Say a blood test shows calcium running low. The starting dose is small, one capsule in the morning, and the next test decides whether it goes up. Some people are put on a capsule every other day instead. Breakfast makes no difference to the capsule, but the rest of the diet does: calcium has to come from somewhere, and calcium tablets added to a calcium-rich diet can tip the level too high.
When calcium goes too high
Too much calcium in the blood is the main risk, and it usually means the dose, or a supplement taken alongside, has overshot. Tiredness, loss of appetite, dry mouth, a metallic taste, nausea, constipation and passing more urine than usual are early hints. Confusion, heavy vomiting or an irregular heartbeat mean the level has climbed too far and needs urgent treatment. Nausea, headache or an itchy rash can also appear in the first weeks with calcium levels that are perfectly fine.
Other things that raise calcium
Anything else that lifts blood calcium stacks with calcitriol. That covers calcium tablets, other vitamin D products and thiazide water tablets such as bendroflumethiazide, which make the kidneys hold on to calcium, and magnesium antacids and laxatives are worth counting too. High calcium makes digoxin, a heart medicine, more likely to cause side effects. Corticosteroids pull the other way and blunt what calcitriol does for calcium.
0.25mcg capsules, packs of 30 to 180
Rocaltrol comes as 0.25mcg soft capsules in packs of 30, 60, 90, 120 or 180. A liquid form of calcitriol exists, measured out with a dropper, but the capsule is what is sold here. The calcitriol page goes further into the ingredient.
Sources
- Calcitriol: MedlinePlus Drug Information — MedlinePlus / U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Calcitriol 0.25 microgram Capsule - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) - (emc) — UK Electronic Medicines Compendium (EMC)