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Sensipar ( sin-a-KAL-set) is a medicine used to treat hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic kidney disease who are on dialysis. Hyperparathyroidism is a condition that is caused when the parathyroid glands located in the neck make too much parathyroid hormone (PTH). This hormone controls the concentrations of calcium and phosphorus in your blood. Sensipar helps lower the amount of PTH which lowers the calcium and phosphorus concentrations. Sensipar is also used to lower calcium in the blood in patients with parathyroid cancer. Sensipar is available only with your doctor's prescription, in the following dosage forms: Oral Tablets (U.S.)
Sensipar is used alone or with other medications to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism [a condition in which the body produces too much parathyroid hormone (a natural substance needed to control the amount of calcium in the blood )which can cause serious problems with the bones, heart, blood vessels, and lungs] in patients with chronic kidney disease (condition in which the kidneys stop working slowly and gradually) who are being treated with dialysis (medical treatment to clean the blood when the kidneys are not working properly). Sensipar is also used to treat high levels of calcium in the blood of patients who have parathyroid cancer (cancer of the glands in the neck that make parathyroid hormone). Sensipar is in a class of medications called calcimimetics. It works by signaling the body to produce less parathyroid hormone in order to decrease the amount of calcium in the blood. Sensipar comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken once a day with food or shortly after a meal. To help you remember to take Sensipar, take it at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take Sensipar exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Swallow the tablets whole; do not split, chew, or crush them. Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose of Sensipar and gradually increase your dose, not more than once every 2–4 weeks. Sensipar may help control your condition but will not cure it. Continue to take Sensipar even if you feel well. Do not stop taking Sensipar without talking to your doctor. Brand names: - Cinacalcet - Sensipar |