Analgesic Effect of Calcitonin
Calcitonin is also thought to have an analgesic effect on bone pain associated with vertebral fractures. For this reason, calcitonin is often used to treat the pain associated with acute vertebral fragility fractures. For example, the Guidelines on Glucocorticoid-induced Osteoporosis published by the American College of Rheumatology, suggest the use of calcitonin as an analgesic in patients with osteoporotic fracture (e.g., a vertebral fracture), whose pain is not relieved with simple analgesics. The guidelines recommend treatment until the pain is controlled, followed by tapering of the medication over 4-6 weeks.