Calcitonin Dosage: What You Need to Know About Use, Side Effects, and Alternatives

When doctors prescribe calcitonin, a hormone naturally produced by the thyroid that helps regulate calcium levels in the blood. Also known as salmon calcitonin, it's used mainly to treat osteoporosis and high blood calcium (hypercalcemia), especially when other treatments aren't suitable. Unlike newer drugs that rebuild bone, calcitonin slows bone loss by blocking cells that break down bone tissue. It’s not a first-line treatment anymore, but it still has a place for certain patients—especially those who can’t take bisphosphonates or need quick relief from bone pain.

Calcitonin dosage varies depending on the condition. For postmenopausal osteoporosis, the typical dose is 100 IU daily via nasal spray or injection. For acute hypercalcemia, higher doses—up to 4 IU per kg of body weight—are given by injection, often in a hospital setting. The nasal spray is easier to use at home, but studies show it’s less effective than injections for severe cases. Side effects are usually mild: nausea, flushing, or a runny nose with the spray. Rarely, people develop allergies or lose the drug’s effectiveness over time, which is why many doctors move patients to other options after a year or two.

Related to calcitonin are other bone-strengthening drugs like bisphosphonates, a class of medications that inhibit bone breakdown and are the standard for osteoporosis treatment, and denosumab, an injectable antibody that targets a specific protein involved in bone resorption. These are more powerful, longer-lasting, and better studied than calcitonin. But if you’ve had stomach issues with pills or can’t tolerate injections like denosumab, calcitonin might still be an option. It’s also sometimes used short-term for bone pain from metastatic cancer, where its fast action helps.

What you’ll find below are real comparisons and guides from patients and doctors who’ve dealt with calcitonin—whether they switched from it, stuck with it, or looked at alternatives like those used for blood pressure, inflammation, or even eye conditions. These aren’t just drug lists—they’re stories about what works, what doesn’t, and why some people choose to stop using calcitonin altogether. If you’re trying to figure out if your dosage is right, or if there’s a better path forward, these posts give you the details you won’t get from a pamphlet.