Calcitonin
Aliases: Miacalcin · Salmon calcitonin
Last verified: 2026-09-23
The short version
A 32-aa hormone (salmon form used, more potent) — approved for osteoporosis, Paget's disease and hypercalcemia. The nasal spray is a classic.
Identity & type
- Molecular type
- analog
- Origin
- A 32-aa hormone (salmon form used, more potent) — approved for osteoporosis, Paget's disease and hypercalcemia.
Mechanism of action
Calcitonin receptor on osteoclasts → inhibits bone resorption; analgesic for bone pain.
Dosing & routes
Official / clinical context
Approved drug — indications, dosing and warnings are defined by the official label. Nasal 200 IU/day; SC/IM 100 IU.
Regulator-approved labeling and published study designs — never a recommendation.
Community-reported practice
Nasal 200 IU/day; SC/IM 100 IU. Nasal spray/injections: moderate bone protection and analgesia in vertebral fractures; weaker than modern options.
Unverified self-reports. Not medical advice. Not endorsement.
Expected effects (community)
Nasal spray/injections: moderate bone protection and analgesia in vertebral fractures; weaker than modern options.
Protocol — official vs community
Official / label
Salmon calcitonin (Miacalcin and generics): osteoporosis — 200 IU (one nasal spray actuation) intranasally daily, or 100 IU SC/IM daily; Paget's disease of bone — 100–200 IU SC/IM or 200 IU nasal daily; hypercalcemia — 4 IU/kg SC/IM every 12 hours initially, per label.
Duration: Shortest effective course per indication. EMA restricted long-term osteoporosis use over a small malignancy signal; it is now second-line at best in the EU.
Nasal rhinitis and nausea are the common effects. Its historical role in osteoporosis has been overtaken by antiresorptives and anabolics; the analgesic effect on acute bone pain remains its most distinctive niche.
Community (anecdotal)
No community protocol exists; any use outside labeled indications is negligible.
- Cycle:
- —
- Break:
- —
Calcitonin is a drug-clinic compound with no biohacker following; the nasal spray is a historical curiosity rather than a practice.
Human evidence
Decades of use; now second-line for osteoporosis.
Preclinical evidence
The preclinical phase was completed and submitted to regulators as part of registration; pharmacology and toxicology details are part of the official label.
Known risks
- Rhinitis (nasal), nausea; EMA restrictions over slight malignancy-risk increase with long use.characterized
Teal: characterized in clinical/labeling contexts. Amber: theoretical or reported outside controlled settings.
Unknowns & evidence gaps
- Real-world data outside controlled trials