Patient leaflet - CALCIUM 500 MG EFFERVESCENT TABLETS, CACIT 500 MG EFFERVESCENT TABLETS
Cacit® 500mg Effervescent Tablets
Calcium
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you. Always take this medicine exactly as described in this leaflet or as your doctor or pharmacist has told you.
- Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
- Ask your pharmacist if you need more information or advice.
- If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
- You must talk to a doctor if you do not feel better or if you feel worse.
- This medicine is available without prescription. However, you still need to use Cacit Effervescent Tablets carefully to get the best results from it.
What is in this leaflet:
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1. What Cacit Effervescent Tablets are and what they are used for
2. What you need to know before you take Cacit Effervescent Tablets
3. How to take Cacit Effervescent Tablets
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Cacit Effervescent Tablets
6. Contents of the pack and other information
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1. What Cacit Effervescent Tablets are and what they are used for
Cacit Effervescent Tablets contain calcium carbonate as the active ingredient (which when dispersed in water provide 500mg of elemental calcium as calcium citrate). The tablets provide extra calcium, in addition to a normal diet, and are used to treat conditions in which the body’s calcium levels need to be increased. Calcium is essential for healthy growth of bones and teeth.
2. what you need to know before you take cacit effervescent tablets
Do not take Cacit Effervescent Tablets:
- if you are allergic to calcium carbonate or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
- if you have an overactive parathyroid gland (hyperparathyroidism) or too much vitamin D in your body (hypervitaminosis D).
- if you have a high concentration of calcium in your urine (hypercalciuria) or blood (hypercalcaemia). A high concentration of calcium in the blood may be caused by impaired kidney function, an overactive parathyroid gland, too much Vitamin D in your body or certain bone tumours.
- if you have been immobilised for long periods and had a high concentration of calcium in your blood or urine.
- if you have kidney stones.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Cacit Effervescent Tablets:
- if you have a tendency to form kidney stones or impaired kidney function – your treatment will need to be monitored carefully if your kidneys are not working properly to ensure you do not build up too much calcium in your blood.
- if you have sarcoidosis (formation of nodules especially in the lymph nodes, lungs, bones and skin).
If you are on long-term treatment your doctor may, from time to time wish to check the level of calcium in your blood and take a urine sample to monitor kidney function. Depending upon the results, your doctor may reduce the dosage or decide to discontinue the treatment.
Other medicines and Cacit Effervescent Tablets
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.
Especially:
- vitamin D
- heart medicines such as digoxin and cardiac glycosides
- tetracycline antibiotics
- thiazide diuretics (water tablets)
- bisphosphonates and sodium fluoride (drugs used to treat bone disorders).
Calcium salts may decrease the absorption of iron, zinc and strontium ranelate. Consequently, iron, zinc or strontium ranelate preparations should be taken at least two hours before or after Cacit Effervescent Tablets.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding can take Cacit Effervescent Tablets.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
Driving and using machines
Cacit Effervescent Tablets are not expected to affect your ability to drive or operate machinery.
Cacit Effervescent Tablets contain sunset yellow FCF (E110) colouring
Sunset yellow FCF (E110) colouring may cause allergic reactions including asthma. Allergy is more common in those people who are allergic to aspirin.
Cacit Effervescent Tablets contain sodium
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium free’.
3. how to take cacit effervescent tablets
Always take this medicine exactly as described in this leaflet or as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
The tablets must be dissolved completely in a glass of water and the solution consumed immediately.
Your doctor will normally prescribe a suitable dose for you:
Use in Adults and Elderly
- To treat conditions caused by lack of calcium, the recommended dose is usually between 2 and 5 tablets per day.
- To prevent bone damage caused by osteoporosis, a recommended dose of 1 to 3 tablets is required per day.
- To supplement calcium in your diet, the recommended dose is up to 3 tablets a day.
Use in Children
To treat conditions caused by lack of calcium and to supplement calcium in your diet:
- 6 to 10 years – the recommended dose is 1 tablet daily (500 mg per day),
- over the age of 10 years – the recommended dose is 2 tablets daily (1 g per day).
If you take more Cacit Effervescent Tablets than you should Do not exceed the recommended dose. If you take too much medicine, tell your doctor immediately or visit your nearest Accident & Emergency Department (take the pack with you if possible). Symptoms of overdose may include nausea (feeling sick), polydipsia (excessive thirst), polyuria (frequent passing of urine), constipation.
If you forget to take Cacit Effervescent Tablets
If you miss a dose, take the next dose as soon as you remember and continue taking your medicine as before. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. If you have any further questions on the use of this product, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Stop taking the tablets and tell your doctor immediately if you experience:
- an allergic reaction: rash, itching, difficulty in breathing, swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue.
Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following side effects or notice any other effects not listed:
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)
- nausea
- abdominal pain
- diarrhoea
- constipation
- wind
- skin rashes and itching
- high concentration of calcium in the blood (hypercalcaemia) or urine (hypercalciuria).
- Milk-alkali syndrome: frequent urge to urine, headache, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, unusual tiredness or weakness, along with elevated levels of calcium in the blood and kidney impairment.
Patients with kidney problems have an increased risk of higher phosphate levels in the blood and kidney stones.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet, you can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. how to store cacit effervescent tablets
Keep out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton after ‘Exp’.
The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Keep the tube tightly closed in order to protect from moisture. Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. contents of the pack and other informationwhat cacit effervescent tablets containthe active substance is calcium carbonate. each tablet contains 1.25g (500mg elemental calcium when dissolved in water as calcium citrate).
The other ingredients are citric acid (E330), sodium saccharin (E421), sodium cyclamate, sunset yellow FCF (E110) and flavour – see Section 2 ‘Cacit Effervescent Tablets contain Sunset Yellow FCF (E110) colouring and Sodium’.
What Cacit Effervescent Tablets look like and contents of the pack
- Each effervescent tablet is white-pink, round, biplane and faultless.
- The tablets are supplied in boxes of 76 tablets