How It Works
Calcitonin is a hormone that is used to decrease bone destruction caused by cancer that has spread (metastatic cancer). It also has some direct pain-relieving actions. It is given as a shot or as a nasal spray.
How Well It Works
Calcitonin may help relieve some types of nerve pain, including phantom pain.1 Phantom pain is a feeling of pain or other uncomfortable sensations in body parts that are no longer there, such as after an amputation. Although the limb is gone, the nerve endings at the site of the amputation continue to send pain signals to the brain that make the brain think the limb is still there. Women who have had a breast removed because of breast cancer may also feel phantom pain.
Calcitonin has also been used to help relieve bone pain caused by metastatic cancer. Some people may get relief, but the research done so far does not prove that calcitonin works for bone pain.2 The benefits of calcitonin may take many weeks to notice, and they often go away soon after the medicine is stopped.
Side Effects
Side effects of calcitonin are not common but can include:
- Redness, tenderness, swelling, or warmth at the injection site.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Decreased appetite.
- Stomach pain.
- Unusual taste sensation, such as a salty or metallic taste.
- Increased urination.
- Flushing of the face, ears, hands, or feet.
- Tingling or tenderness of palms of hands or soles of feet.
- Headache.
- Nasal congestion.
- Dizziness.
- Weakness.
- Chills.
See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)
What To Think About
The benefits of calcitonin usually go away soon after you stop taking it.
Calcitonin should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast-feeding. Calcitonin should not be given to children.
Injections of calcitonin must be taken daily or at least several times a week. You or a family member usually will learn how to give the shot properly. It is important not to give the shot in the same place twice in a row, because this could damage your muscle tissue.
Calcitonin as a nasal spray must be used several times a week.
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References
Citations
Foley KM (2005). Management of cancer pain. In VT DeVita Jr et al., eds., Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, 7th ed., pp. 2615–2649. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
National Cancer Institute (2007). Pain (PDQ)—Health Professional Version. Available online: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/pain/healthprofessional.
Credits
| Author | Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Michael Seth Rabin, MD - Medical Oncology |
| Last Updated | October 30, 2007 |
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