Natcolan 500 Mg (Lanthanum Carbonate)

What Is Natcolan 500 Mg?

Natcolan 500 mg is a type of medicine called a binder. The main ingredient in Natcolan 500 mg is Lanthanum Carbonate. Doctors usually prescribe Natcolan 500 mg to help with phosphate levels, in the blood. This condition is called hypophosphatemia. It means you have a lot of phosphate in your blood.

➯ Manufacturer:

Natco Pharma in India is the original brand manufacturer of the Natcolan 500 mg pills.

➯ Composition And Appearance:

• Active ingredient: The main generic substance present in the Natcolan 500 mg pills is Lanthanum Carbonate Dehydrate. It binds to the dietary phosphate inside the guts.
• Inactive ingredients: Apart from Lanthanum, there are a few other inactive substances present in the medicine acting as binders and fillers. These allow the tablet to maintain its structure, shape, retain its original properties, and release the generic substance on reaching the stomach.
• Appearance: The Natcolan 500 mg pills are uncoated and round typically white to off-white in colour.

➯ Onset Of Action:

• Beginning of absorption and work: The medicine begins to absorb immediately releasing the generic substance inside the tablet right when it reaches your stomach. Here it begins to reduce the acidic levels in your stomach.
• Systemic onset: For getting visual clues and reduction of symptoms, you may need about 1 to 2 weeks of time.
• Peak clinical effects: for peak effects to occur and to get a substantial or complete removal of the symptoms it may need about 4 to 6 weeks.

How Does Natcolan 500 Mg Work?

• Action within the stomach: When you chew the tablet, it mixes with the ongoing digestion food in your stomach. The acidic environment in the stomach leads to breakdown of the generic substance Lanthanum carbonate leading to generation of Lanthanum Ions La3+. These ions have high affinity for phosphate ions, and it binds with them forming lanthanum phosphate.
• Blocking intestinal absorption: The newly formed lanthanum phosphate is not able to be absorbed as it passed through the stomach and the intestines. Otherwise, the phosphate from the food would have been digested in the intestines.
• Elimination from the body: As it is left undigested, it is processed into stool and eventually passed out.

Dosage Of Natcolan 500 Mg:

• Standard dose for adults: The general dosage given by doctors to adults is three pills of 500 mg totalling to a daily dose of 1500 mg. you need to take such medicines each time after having your meal i.e. breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Maintenance dose: The maintenance dose depends on how well the patient is able to adjust to the effects of the medicine. It is usually 1500 mg to 300 mg.
• Maximum safe dosage: In adults, the maximum safe dosage recommended by doctors is 3000 mg that is six pills of 500 mg taken two pills at a time before three meals of the day.
• Increase of dose: If the doctors find that phosphate, levels are not reducing even after a week of taking the usual dose they can increase it to 750 or 1000 mg in spilt doses in-between meals.
• Method of use: The method of intake is to first chew the pill so that it forms into a nice fine paste and then swallow it.

Benefits Of Natcolan 500 Mg:

• Control of phosphorous levels in your blood: By taking Natcolan 500 mg each time after a meal, you are reducing the absorption of phosphate in the blood, which helps bring down the phosphorous levels in your blood.
• Prevention of calcium deposits: With phosphorous levels high, it can bind with calcium in your blood vessels forming a chalky deposit, which accumulate in the blood vessels and arteries. This can over time increase BP or even increase the risk of blood vessel damage or a heart attack, which is reduced when you keep taking Natcolan pills.
• Ensuring good bone health: With high phosphate, levels the parathyroid glands take away calcium, which can lead to making bones brittle over time increasing the risk of fractures. This risk is reduced by taking Natcolan pills on time.

Drug Interactions:

• Quinolone antibiotics: Taking natcolan with any antibacterial medicine from the quinolone group of medications can reduce its absorption and thus be unhelpful to get rid of the bacterial infection. Avoid using it with Ciprofloxacin, Norfloxacin and so on. Use it at least 4 hours after taking natcolan.
• Thyroid medicines: Natcolan can bind with such medicines and reduce the effects of thyroid medicines, which are taking to get thyroid back to normal levels. Take it at least 2 to 3 hours after taking Natcolan.
• Medicines that bind with cationic acid: Natcolan behaves like mineral antacids and thus any pill interacting with them will interact with Natcolan. Therefore, you should avoid taking medicines like-
• Tetracycline antibiotics such as Doxycycline
• Cholesterol reducing medicines like Atorvastatin.
• BP medicines or ACE inhibitors like Enapril
• Anti-malaria medicines like Chloroquine

Side Effects:

• Constipation: If constipation lasts, more than 2 to 3 days contact a doctor.
• Nausea and vomiting: These issues always occur if you take the medicine in an empty stomach.
• Diarrhea and loose motions: It is important to take a bland meal as high phosphorus levels in stool can make it liquid.
• Flatulence: Bloating and gas production can increase for a few minutes after taking the medicine but eventually goes away.
• Low calcium levels: This is a severe side effect where the doctors have to change the dose of natcolan.

Precautions and Warnings:

• Critical gastric warnings: The effective compound formed in the end that is Lanthanum carbonate is an insoluble and heavy substance. It can cause the digestive tract to obstruct the natural flow of food and even lead to tear. To avoid this, it is important to chew the medicine in your mouth before swallowing the paste.
• Checking lanthanum levels in your blood: Lanthanum is an earth metal and each time you take it a very small portion of it is accumulating in your body in the bones and liver. Even though you will take this medicine only for a few weeks, it is better to visit a doctor and check your lanthanum levels a few times. It can bind to bones making them brittle and bind to liver reducing its enzyme levels.
• Pregnancy: Doctors generally do not recommend the medicine at the time of pregnancy but only when they find that the benefits will be much more than the risk factors on the foetus.
• Breastfeeding: There is no clinical data to show that lanthanum can pass down to your breastmilk. However, just to be on the safe side the doctors may not recommend a long-term dose and recommend smaller doses.

When Not To Use:

Red flags:

Avoid using the Natcolan from your next dose and immediately visit a doctor if you notice signs of-

• Severe stomach cramps
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Severe vomiting and nausea
• Blood in stool or when vomiting
• Fever and swelling in the abdomen area.

Avoid with health issues:

Do not take natcolan pills if you have existing health issues like-

• Bowel obstruction
• Severe constipation tendency
• Low blood phosphorous levels
• Peptic ulcers
• After major abdomen or intestinal surgeries
• Colon cancer

Hypersensitivity or allergic tendency

You have to notify the doctors if you are allergic to using lanthanum. These cases are rare in people, but they do occur. In case such a patient allergic to lanthanum uses Natcolan 500, mg they can have signs of severe breathing trouble, skin rashes, swelling of face and throat, inflammation of abdominal muscles and so on.

Storage And Disposal:

Store the Natcolan 500 mg pills in the normal room temperature only not in a fridge. However, keep it out of very hot and humid areas such as keeping it too close to ovens or stoves, close to windows or keeping it in the bathroom where it is highly humid. Avoid taking expired medicines and dispose the sachets in a medical waste bag to avoid contamination.

Where To Buy Natcolan 500 Mg In Australia?

The generic substance Lanthanum carbonate is safe for use in Australia but only as a prescription basis. Natcolan sells in Australia on all the large retail pharma stores and online pharmacy websites. You can get this medicine on authentic and licensed pharmacy portals such as AustraliaRXMeds.