Vitamin D2
Generic title: ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) (ER goe kal SIF e position)
Model title: Calcidol, Calciferol, Drisdol, Vitamin D2
Drug class: Nutritional vitamins
Medically reviewed by Medicine.com on Mar 11, 2021. Written by Cerner Multum.
Facet Results
Alfacalcidol is normally taken with meals. Comply with all instructions on the product package deal. You probably have any questions, ask your physician or pharmacist.
In case your physician has prescribed this treatment, take as directed by your physician. Your dosage relies in your medical situation, quantity of solar publicity, weight loss plan, age, and response to therapy. If you’re utilizing the liquid type of this treatment, rigorously measure the dose utilizing a particular measuring machine/spoon.
Don’t use a family spoon as a result of chances are you’ll not get the right dose. Don’t swallow complete wafers. Place every dose on the tongue, permit it to dissolve fully, after which swallow it with saliva or water.
Sure medicines (bile acid sequestrants equivalent to cholestyramine/colestipol, mineral oil, orlistat) can lower the absorption of vitamin D. Take your doses of those medicines so far as doable out of your doses of vitamin D (at the very least 2 hours aside, longer if doable). It might be best to take vitamin D at bedtime in case you are additionally taking these different medicines. Take this treatment usually to get essentially the most profit from it.
That can assist you bear in mind, take it on the identical time every day in case you are taking it as soon as a day. It might assist to mark your calendar with a reminder. In case your physician has advisable that you simply observe a particular weight loss plan (equivalent to a weight loss plan excessive in calcium), it is extremely necessary to observe the weight loss plan to get essentially the most profit from this treatment and to stop severe unintended effects.
Don’t take different dietary supplements/nutritional vitamins except ordered by your physician.
What Is Ergocalciferol?
Ergocalciferol is vitamin D2. Vitamin D helps your physique soak up calcium.
Ergocalciferol can also be used to deal with rickets (softening of the bones attributable to vitamin D deficiency) or low ranges of phosphate within the blood (hypophosphatemia).
Warnings
Ld not take ergocalciferol you probably have had an allergic response to vitamin D, or you probably have:
excessive ranges of vitamin D in your physique (hypervitaminosis D);
excessive ranges of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia); or
any situation that makes it onerous in your physique to soak up vitamins from meals (malabsorption). An excessive amount of vitamin D might hurt an unborn child, and your dose wants could also be completely different throughout being pregnant.
Ergocalciferol can go into breast milk and should trigger unintended effects within the nursing child. Don’t give ergocalciferol to a toddler with out medical recommendation.
Vitamin D2 Versus Vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is produced by the human physique in response to daylight and can also be out there via dietary sources, equivalent to fish.
In distinction, vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) shouldn’t be produced within the human physique, however is created by exposing sure plant-derived supplies to ultraviolet mild. Provided that each ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol endure metabolic adjustments within the human physique, which differ from different animals, it ought to make sense {that a} binding research in rats might not be enough to point out equivalence.