Bisphosphonate Side Effects: Cause For Growing Concern

[Regina]

hello,i dont know how i got to this site but gladi did ,i took boniva for 7 mo.& was almost crippled ,the pain was horrible in lower back, both his ,muscle weakness& spasms everywhere ,even in stomach,diarrhea for i yr. i was one of the lucky oes ,my dr. agreed with me that it was the boniva ,but kept sending me t otherdrs. i finally told him to STOP , give me enoughpain meds. to keep meon my feet & leave me alone . which he is doing now. there are 487 of us on askapatient.com that have had awfull side effects ,Roche has my medical records now . if anyone has had any bad side efects please report yourself to FDA medwatch 800 332 1088, & Roche 800 5266367 . check healthdiaries.com also

[Malcolm Everett]

"Truth Cannot Live on a Diet of Secrets Withering
Within Entangled Lies" H. Michael Sweeney

http://www.mashcan.org/

"Medical judgment (however it is expressed) is the highest form of visible authority in Canada. It is also the greatest tool of intentional death as it plays itself out among medical providers who are trained to react rather than think. "

Get the FACTS:

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http://www.geocities.com/gbs_overlap/UntoldSt...

http://www.geocities.com/gbs_overlap/Diagnost...

[Nedra]

Fosomax has caused me to lose bone mass in my jaw,
and I will lose one molar, and possibly more. I
must go to see a specialist to determine the long
term damage. My dentist told me that once it is
my system, there is nothing I can do about it.
Can I sue the producer of Fosomax? Are there any
"class action" lawsuits ongoing?

[makov]

nedra

type fosamax lawsuit in google and you ll find dozen's ..

to all others: switch back to the good old calcitonin spray asap!

[Brett]

Scared by big Pharm wrote:

O.K., last thought. If this drug can damage the jaw and it is noticed during minor mouth surgery, what IS it doing to hip bones, elbows, etc?
So when are hip replacment patients going to start not healing? Why does is just seem to be the jaw bone?
Any thoughts+?

It tends to occur in the oral cavity more because of the higher rate of turnover in the bone. There has been to my knowledge one article detailing ONJ in an extraoral site. Also, due to differences in blood supply it tends to occur in the lower jaw (mandible) more than the upper jaw (maxilla) by almost a 2:1 ratio.

[Linda]

Glad to hear there are others who feel the way I do about 'bisphosphonates'(e.g. Fosamax). My doc gave me a prescription for them but I did some research and was shocked at what I found. More so because every doctor I know prescribes them. There are some terrible side-effects; digestive problems are theleast of them but to get round the digestive problems the drug is now
administered through the vein. This can cause
problems with the heart.

A non pharmaceutical drug you can buy over the counter in the US is AlgaeCal and Strontium Boost.
In the UK we know Strontium can have adverse side-
effects and causes bone to appear denser than it
actually is and scan results have to be adjusted by 10%. A lot of people taking this supplement in
US appear to be ignorant of this fact and think
they are getting improved BMD. I was thinking of
taking this particular product but now have my doubts. Is there any warning on the label re.
adjusting scan results when taking strontium?

[Osteo Mike]

Dear Forum,

I have osteoporosis too, and have taken Fosamax. I became concerned about the long term effects and decided to look for an alternative. There is one! I found a Chinese Herbal Medicine called Xianling Gubao. It is hard to find here in the states, as it is under approval by our FDA at this time. It is offered in OTC form in China, however, and I have a supplier there.
Unlike many Chinese Traditional Medicines, this one is manufactured by a highly respected firm who does clinical trials to verify the efficacy of their medicines. Xianling Gubao in its trials shows efficacy equal to the biophosphonates! It has no side effects, either!
I have decided to try and market it, and have a website. If you are interested, I have links to the clinical trial information. The price is reasonable, considering shipping from China.
Feel free to contact me for any information!
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

Sincerely,
Mike

[BoneLady]

Fosamax and the other bisphosphonates are scary! I think they cause more harm than good, yet people have limited choices from the medical establishment when it comes to drugs for osteoporosis.

Many do not realize they can purchase strontium citrate from a health food store or on-line distributors of supplements. Strontium citrate supplements with 680 mg elemental strontium have the same amount of strontium (the active ingredient) as strontium ranelate, the prescription drug available in Europe. Strontium has been shown to improve bone mineral density and reduce bone fractures.

The University of California at Davis (UCD) is about to begin a clinical trial on strontium citrate. For more information on strontium, including the UCD study, visit http://strontiumforbones.blogspot.com/ .

[Sue]

I am so sick of hearing about osteoporosis from the drs, the tv, magazine ads, etc. etc. Ok I have osteoporosis, and thanks to Actenol and Foxamax I have been diaganosed with Fibromyalgia, which is SEVERE muscle and joint pain. This is what 2 drs have told me. There isnt a day that goes by where I am pain free.
Also, please ladies, understand the DEXA test is
set for a 35 year old women, who weighs 125 lbs.
I am 60 years, old and weigh 113 lbs. So, how can they compare??? They set the bar for this DEXA
test way to high. Also, DEXA doesnt measure how strong your bones are, it measures the density. So
I can have osteoporosis, but that doesnt mean I will fracture anything!!! We have been taught in the last 15 years to FEAR this condition. Why happened to the industry to start producing these awful drugs? Its nothing but hype, and 20 years ago, my mother and grandmother were NEVER even asked about osteoporosis. BE WARNED!!! These drugs and hype are dangerous

[Lorraine]

A year ago I was given Reclast for Osteoporosis. Now a recent EKG showed an irregular heartbeat. I'm scheduled for an Echo 6/1 to further investigate. If my heart has sustained damage from this drug, what recourse will I have for legal action?

[Sandy]

Can bisphosphonates cause hand pain?

[Baby Boomer]

My oh my... Was researching the Internet trying to find a forum on osteoporosis and am I glad I found this one! I am 59 year-old-woman, living in Athens, Greece. Several years ago I started monitoring my bone density with yearly MRIs. It was relatively low so, being a firm believer of pro-action, I started seeing an endoctrinologist. Will not go into details now, as I am not sure this post will be published (I am not registered), but will get back with what medicines I've taken and why today I am facing a dilemma, with my bone density on the threshhold of ostopenia and osteoporisis.

[Beth]

In 2008, my DEXA was horrendous. T-scores of -4.14 in the hips and -3.5 in the lower spine. I REFUSED flatly to take any of these medications. My gyn sent me to an endocrinologist. I continued to refuse the meds. The endo guy ran complete blood panels and 24 hour urine calcium and vitamin D level tests. This was to rule out problems with things like parathyroid tumors or low vitamin D levels. Nothing was wrong, I was just losing bone rapidly. But he still placed me on 50,000 units weekly of Vitamin D for 4 months. My original vitamin D level was in the high 30s. He wanted to see it in the high 40s, at least. After 4 months supplementation, that level had gone to 81 ng, after which he took me off the supplement. In July 2009, my DEXA had increased. My hips are now at -3.0. So is my spine. My point here is that some people need more vitamin D than others to make their bones wake up and remodel correctly. Now I would like to say that it is dangerous to treat yourself like this. Some doctors believe maintaining a D level of between 40 and 70 ng is best for osteo patients. The Vitamin D council recommends between 50 and 80 ng. The chances might be very good that raising your D levels would begin to reverse osteo without the use of ANY of the osteo drugs. Now I'm still in the osteo range and I will probably have to adjust my levels to raise them again during the fall and winter. The best way is to get direct sun for 15 to 20 minutes a day by exposing at least 40 percent of your body. Do not burn, please. But insist that your D levels are checked by your doctor and read everything you can find on the subject. Good luck.

[Amanda]

The drug companies spin the results of their drug trials to make their drugs appear effective.These drugs cause swelling of bone so that it appears larger on x ray but this is due to inflamation and does not reflect increased bone strength.
The drug companies run tests on their new drugs . Most people think the FDA tests new drugs for efficacy and safety . Even so , osteoporosis drugs ,according to the drug companies , only prevent one fracture in 270 people treated for three years and only if those people had extreme osteoporosis to begin with. Big Pharma does not even claim their drugs have a preventative effect on people who dont yet have osteoporosis.

[Amanda]

Bisphosphonates destroy osteoclast . This makes bone weaker because osteoclasts are need to remove old bone so it can be replaced by osteoblasts.Bisphosphonates also add calcium but this make bone more brittle

[Stop Blaming Doctor]

To Whom it may concern:
I find it alarming that many of the posts here seem to think that Doctors a getting some kind of direct monetary support or "kickback" as you put it from drug companies. As a veterinarian I can tell you that Drs and DVMS bty don't get a "commision" or direct "kickback" from prescribing one drug over the other. Keep in mind that most Drs. became so to help people, not to make money. Believe me there are far easier ways to make big bucks then by sufferring through 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of medical school and 4-7 years of a residency. Dr. prescribe medications because they think it is in your benefit, they don't do so to line thier own pockets. Any medication carries an inherent risk and those risks need to be carefully weighed against any possible beneficial effects. These are not easy decisions to make, so with this in mind, give your Drs. a break!

[Sue H]

I think our doctors should give us a break! Mine knows next to nothing of the side effects or I'm sure she wouldn't be insisting I take it. She told me I may suffer indigestion or a sore throat, ha!

More research is needed, and doctors should be aware and understand the concern here. We trust our doctors, and generally do as advised, but in this instance I'll trust my own judgement!

There are many sites like this and not one has anything good to say about these drugs. As for the drug companies, ofcourse they are in it for the money, its big business for them. Why else now would Merck put aside 48 million to protect themselves?