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calcium acetate
Used for Hyperphosphatemia, Kidney Disease
Used for Hyperphosphatemia, Kidney Disease
Calcium acetate is a phosphate binder that's used to lower phosphate levels in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on dialysis. The medication works by attaching to the phosphate from your meals so your body doesn't absorb the extra phosphate. Calcium acetate is taken by mouth with each meal you have. Side effects can include nausea, vomiting, and high calcium levels in the blood.
What is Calcium acetate?
What is Calcium acetate used for?
- High blood phosphate levels in people with end-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD)
How Calcium acetate works
Calcium acetate is a phosphate binder. It attaches to the phosphate in your food before the phosphate can be absorbed by your body. Your body then gets rid of this extra phosphate through your stool. This helps lower your blood phosphate levels to protect your kidneys and bones.
Drug facts
| Common Brands | PhosLo, Phoslyra |
|---|---|
| Drug Class | Phosphate binder |
| Controlled Substance Classification | Not a controlled medication |
| Generic Status | Lower-cost generic available |
| Availability | Prescription only |
Side effects of Calcium acetate
The following side effects may get better over time as your body gets used to the medication. Let your healthcare provider know immediately if you continue to experience these symptoms or if they worsen over time.
Common Side Effects
- High calcium levels in the blood (16%)
- Nausea (6%)
- Vomiting (4%)
Calcium acetate serious side effects
Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience any of the following.
- Very high calcium levels: tiredness, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, constipation, bone pain, confusion, delirium
The following Calcium acetate side effects have also been reported
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
More common
Abdominal or stomach pain
confusion
full or partial loss of consciousness
headache
incoherent speech
increased urination
loss of appetite
metallic taste
muscle weakness
nausea or vomiting
thirst
unusual tiredness
Incidence not known
Swelling
Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
More common
Less common
Incidence not known
Dizziness
weakness
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Get your GoodRx coupon
$75.77
GoodRx discount
$26.64
Pros and cons of Calcium acetate
Pros
- Few side effects
- Dose can be adjusted by your provider if needed
- Available as a lower-cost generic
Cons
- Must take with each meal for it to work
- Should avoid calcium-containing supplements and antacids because of risk for high calcium levels
- Not approved for use in children
Pharmacist tips for Calcium acetate
- Take calcium acetate with each meal you have during your day. Ask your healthcare provider if you should take calcium acetate with snacks too.
- Tell your providers and pharmacists about all the medications you take. Calcium acetate might affect how well the body absorbs other medications you take by mouth. To lower this risk, your providers might recommend that you take your other oral medications 1 hour before or 3 hours after calcium acetate.
- It's best to avoid taking products that contain calcium, like some supplements or antacids (e.g., Tums), while you're taking calcium acetate. Taking this medication with calcium-containing products can raise your risk for high blood calcium levels. Ask your pharmacist if you're not sure whether your other medications have calcium in them.
- To help manage your phosphate levels, your provider will recommend that you follow a low-phosphate diet while you're taking calcium acetate. Your provider might recommend that you avoid or limit foods that have a lot of phosphorus (like dairy products and beans).
Risks and warnings for Calcium acetate
Calcium acetate can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
High calcium levels in the blood
- Risk factors: Taking calcium supplements | Taking other medications containing calcium (e.g., antacids) | Eating calcium-rich foods
Calcium acetate can raise your blood calcium levels (hypercalcemia). This can sometimes cause nausea, vomiting, constipation, or a loss of appetite. But it can also lead to dangerous heart rhythm problems and seizures.
Make sure you get all your regular blood tests that your provider recommends. Tell your provider if you have any symptoms of having high calcium levels. Depending on how high your calcium levels are, your provider might adjust your dose of calcium acetate or pause your treatment.
Interaction with digoxin (Lanoxin)
Calcium acetate can cause your blood calcium levels to go up. And high calcium levels can raise your risk for digoxin toxicity if you also need to take digoxin (Lanoxin). Digoxin toxicity can cause many problems, including nausea, vision changes, headache, confusion, and heart rhythm problems.
Tell your healthcare provider if you're also taking digoxin (Lanoxin). Your provider might need to check the levels of digoxin in your blood more often to make sure your medications are safe to take together.
Calcium acetate dosage
The average cost for 90 capsules of 667mg of Calcium acetate is $26.64 with a free GoodRx coupon. This is 64.84% off the average retail price of $75.77.
Interactions between Calcium acetate and other drugs
Calcium acetate may interact with certain medications or supplements. Always let your doctor and pharmacist know about any other medications or supplements (including prescribed and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and dietary or herbal supplements) that you are currently taking. The list below does not include all possible drug interactions with Calcium acetate. Please note that only the generic name of each medication is listed below.
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Baloxavir Marboxil
- Bictegravir
- Digoxin
- Dolutegravir
- Eltrombopag
- Elvitegravir
- Erdafitinib
- Ketoconazole
- Raltegravir
- Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Chlorothiazide
- Chlortetracycline
- Ciprofloxacin
- Delafloxacin
- Demeclocycline
- Doxycycline
- Enoxacin
- Grepafloxacin
- Levofloxacin
- Levothyroxine
- Lomefloxacin
- Lymecycline
- Methacycline
- Minocycline
- Norfloxacin
- Omadacycline
- Oxytetracycline
- Pefloxacin
- Potassium Phosphate
- Potassium Phosphate, Dibasic
- Potassium Phosphate, Monobasic
- Rolitetracycline
- Sarecycline
- Sodium Phosphate
- Sodium Phosphate, Dibasic
- Sodium Phosphate, Monobasic
- Sparfloxacin
- Strontium Ranelate
- Tetracycline
- Ticlopidine
- Zalcitabine
How much does Calcium acetate cost?
To access savings, use a GoodRx coupon and pay just a fraction of the retail price.
Calcium acetate (generic)
$26.64
Calcium acetate contraindications
Contraindications are specific health conditions or situations in which a person should not take a medication due to safety concerns. If you have any of the following conditions or if any of the following apply to you, let your healthcare provider know because Calcium acetate will not be safe for you to take.
- High calcium levels in the blood (hypercalcemia)
What are alternatives to Calcium acetate?
There are a number of medications that your doctor can prescribe in place of Calcium acetate. Compare a few possible alternatives below.
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