Fosamax Health Risks Questioned

[Sue]

pharm
wanted to let you know.........i was on Actenol and Fosamax for 3 1/2 years, and my bone density test was worse than before I took this junk.
Well three weeks ago I was out in a car lot looking for a new car. No boots on, was icy as heck. I slipped and fell HARD, hitting two of my ribs on the outside mirror of the car. Well,
I have two broken ribs. The dr said, well I hope your happy, you have your FIRST osteoporotic fracture. I said BULL!!!!!!! Anyone who falls that hard could of broken ribs. Even a 250lb 6 foot man. He said, well, know you know what you will be living with the rest of your life. I told
him I would rather have a broken bone heal, then
take poison like Fosamax and end up with worse
problems. He and I parted ways, which was fine with me. Ribs are healing nicely, but does take time, just like a NORMAL person without osteoporosis. I HATE the scare tactics the drs use. Just makes me FURIOUS

[Harold E]

Hey Sue, I'm sorry to hear about your ribs. I responded to you once and gave you a history on my wife Lisa. Sounds like a similar situation with the bisphosphonates damaging the bone. Glad to hear that yours are healing. I wonder about the dumber of fractures that people are experiencing that are blamed on their osteoporosios? One thing we all are going to face is the doctors that parrot the pharmaceutical companies propaganda. My wife broke 2 more ribs during the holidays. After another positive bone scan, she was refered to an oncologist (again). He confirmed the fractures were not due to cancer and he recommended the bisphosphonates, along with forteo and hormone therapy, both treatments are no nos in Lisa's case (post breast cancer and treated with radiation). When I questioned him about what he thought about the FDA's warning about bisphosphonates and risk of severe pain and canada's release of a study showing that people having taken these drugs have a 3 fold increase risk of osteonecrosis (any bone), he accused me of witch doctoring my wife to death. Needless to say, we parted ways.
Our research has found the most complete data to be posted by Susan Ott, MD - if you haven't already google her.
The real situation is now coming to light. Drs. are beginning to see more of the problems that these drugs cause.
For those that are oversuppressed, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Study by Clarita Odvina MD using a slow release sodium flouride is showing promise on building bone.
I know that as a dentist, I've changed my medical history forms and patients on these drugs are handled with much more care.
Harold E. DMD

[Harold E]

Hey Sue, Sorry to hear about your ribs, but I'm glad to hear that they are healing. You may remember me responding to one of your posts a few months ago, telling about my wife, Lisa, who is oversuppressed by the bisphosphonates and has multiple rib fractures that aren't healing. Over the holidays, she broke two more. Another positive bone scan got us refered to an oncologist (again). No cancer. This dr. did tell us that she should be taking the bisphosphonates along with forteo and hormones. Note: these are inappropriate for someone that is post breat cancer having been treated with radiation. He took offense when I asked if he was familar with the FDA's latest warning about the bisphosphonates and severe pain and about canada's latest study showing that people takeing these drugs have a 3 fold increase risk of osteonecrosis (any bone). He told me that I was going to witch doctor my wife to death. He also wasn't concerned about his patients with ONJ.(of course I would rather have ONJ and a chance to beat CA then die of CA).
There seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. A new study drug is showing promise on building new bone...slow release sodium flouride.
Harold E

[Sue]

Thanks for responding Harold. So sorry to hear about your wife breaking more ribs. May I ask you a question? Are her breaks the result of an injury or accident? I asked my Dr about bone cancer, and he
said that I did not have it, as all the tests were negative for that. He said it was just a result of my "poor" habits and not heeding his advice. He recommended Forteo also, as did my endocrinologist, but I refused. I am glad I did
because when I was researchig Forteo just a few days ago, it said people with a history of kidney stones should NEVER take Forteo and I have had four kidney stones in the last 10 years. I wonder why the drs never knew this. I have been researching and finally the FDA is conducting a study on why so many women are suffering from these drugs. I do hope Lisa continues to improve and we see the light at the end of the tunnel very soon. Hope to hear from you

[scared by big pharma]

Sue/Harold:

Just a quick FYI. My cousin refused to take Fosamax. She is now 61 and went for follow up bone density. Her dr. was AMAZED. Her density went up...her "secret"...walking, calcium/magnesium, vitamin D and a product called BIOSIL (available at www.vitacost.com ).
I have added the bisil to my regimine and I think it is also helping my perimenopausal hair loss too!
Good Luck to all. I will try to find the link to the study that shows how these stupid poisions actually cause the bone to be more brittle...just thicker, but NOT stronger. We are being dupped big time by BIG PHARMA (just like Lipitor). I think I was damaged by my migraine 'wonder" drug (Imitrex--nerve damage)..so that started my crusade.

God bless and you are in my prayers for recovery.

[Harold E]

Sue, to answer your question, Lisa has had 6 atraumatic fractures...ie no trauma. Our research has proven that if you define osteoporosis as an inappropriate increase in bone loss, Lisa was misdiagnosed. Doctors today coorelate low bone density (via DEXA scan) = osteoporosis = fosamax. Lisa's NTx was initially low. Presently its non existant. Lisa never had a good bone density and has a low bone formation rate. These drugs have not helped her, they have destroyed her bone's healing ability. We are interested finding out about others with rib fractures that don't heal, joint problems, and increased ocular pressure.

[Harold E]

has anyone found any information regarding chleation therapy?

[Martha]

My stepmother is 74 and has been taking fosomax for 3 years. She is 5' tall and weighs 113 lbs.
2 years ago she started complaining about her dentureshurting. We kept going back and forth to the dentist and he would continue adjusting the dentures with no avail.
About a year mom started having bad stomach problems but mom being mom just suffered through.
In Augest she started swelling on her left jaw where she had been having problems with what she thought was her dentures.
We took her to ear nose and throat DR. She had a massive infection in her jaw and exrays showed that part of her jaw bone is gone.
She has had it drained and it drains every day and is very painful. She has been to 3 drs. and has been on the strongest antibiotics constantly since Augest.We now have her on introveines med. that she has to administer every 6 hrs.
Mom was a very active women, shoveled her own snow, did all of her own gardening and housework,she was very independant and lived on her own easily.
So far 3 drs have dismissded her and said they have done all they can do. If this treatment doesnt work the only one left is the hypobarric chamber for 7 week 7 days a week for 3 hrs each day. She has to find a place to stay for those 7 weeks and has to pay for that herself among other things.Each treatment will cost $20,000.00, so of course the insurance co. doest want to pay for it.
Any one thinking of taking Fosomax better know the circumstanses that may happen.

[Harold E]

what I see is the oncologist doesnt care if you develope ONJ. Its the oral sureon's responsibility to handle that problem. My understanding is you 1) treat the infection and 2)as minimally invasive as possilbe pallatatively treat the ONJ. hopefully with time healing will occur.

[Sue]

Martha
I am sooooooo sorry to hear about your stepmother I am absolutely appalled at what these drugs are doing to people. Where is the FDA in all this mess??? What is wrong with our Drs. You may of seen in my last post I am dealing with 2 broken ribs, and for a split second, I was contemplating taking fosamax again, but after reading what your step mother is going thru, I wouldnt touch it ever again.
I wish her well, and hope she will recover quickly. Prayers are with you and her

[Sue]

Harold
thanks for responding. I had an NTX test but the dr never really commented on it, just that it was normal. I dont even know what it was for. This was when I was taking fosamax. It is suppose to be non-existent? I am so confused. Also, if you havent already read Gillian's Sanon's book, THE
MYTH OF OSTEOPOROSIS, its a must read!!!

[Harold E]

Sue, NTx is a urine byproduct of bone breakdown. normal premenopause levels is approximately 15-20. Normal postmenopausal is 20-25. Higher levels indicate too much bone breakdown. Bisphosphonates are suppose to "lower the breakdown of bone, thereby reducing NTx." However, what they do is KILL the osteoclasts (bone dissolving cells). The pharmaceutical companies thinking is this will allow the osteoblasts (bone forming cells) to continue forming bone, increasing bone density. HOWEVER, while this does occur, the benefit is limited. The healing of bone is compromised (you need the osteoclasts to remove old and/or damaged bone inorder for the osteoblasts to form new bone). The chemical communication between the osteoblasts and osteoclast stop. This causes the osteoblasts to stop function after a period of time. Studies show for the people who take oral bisphosphonates the bone density increases for up to 5 years then the density begins to drop again (the osteoblasts have quit working). The problem is that the bisphosphonates are now in your bone for long term. There is no known way to reverse there action. The biologiical half life is estimated to be TEN years. Therefore it will take FIFTY years for the levels in the bone to drop enough to not be a problem. Unfortunately most postmenopausal women don't have 50 more years and if they did, they will be at an age that they won't benefit from finally having this poison out of their systems. The benificial increase in bone density is in the spine. The vertebrae are under only compression forces. Therefore an increased density is great. However, all of the remaining bones experiece tension forces (the type of force that causes things to bend). The increased density of old bone weekens the bones ability to withstand these tensional forces. Resulting in increased risk of fracture. With the drop in the bones healing ability there is an accummilation of micro fractues resulting in an eventual catastropic failure of the bone. A person also need to be aware of their "bone alkaline phosphatase". This is a marker of how well your body is building bone. Harold E

[paul]

Does anybody know (exactly) how the astronauts'bones are treated after months (sometimes more than one year) in zero gravity? Do they receive biphosphonates??
Thanks
Paul/Brussels/Belgium

[Mimi]

In the April 2008 issue of Consumer Reports "On Health" it states: "The Food and Drug Administration reported in January that bisphosphonates, a widely used class of osteoporosis drugs, can trigger severe bone, join, and muscle pain..." Also, in the same article it says, "And evidence linking the drugs with atrial fibrillation is still tentative."

Also, in "Yahoo" Health Day News, March 19, there was an article "Fosamax Linked to Unusual Femur Fractures". "These fractures occurred when the women were basically doing nothing." This study was featured in the March 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Many health problems, including osteoporosis, are caused by a vitamin D deficiency. Most vitamin D scientists now recommend that many people need much more vitamin D than what is now advised. The Canadian Cancer Society now recommends that people take 1,000 IU vitamin D daily in the winter and fall to prevent cancer. It added that those who are older, have dark skin, wear clothing that covers most of the body, or don't go outside often, should take 1,000 IU all year. The Canadian Pediatric Society now recommends that pregnant and nursing women take 2,000 IU vitamin D daily, which is 10 times more than what is now recommended in the United States. Many people are vitamin D deficient. A small person might need 2,000 IU (or more) daily for maximum benefit. A 200 pound person might need 4,000 IU daily, or more. However, if taking high doses, it would be best have your calcium checked every few months, as 2,000 IU daily is now considered the "upper safe limit".

[shelly]

I was on miacalsin and did not see improvement, maybe because of the radiation I recieved and or tomoxofin for breast cancer, so they switched me to fosimax. I've been on it for about 1 1/2 years and am worried because I have a large boni Tori on my right jaw that I want to have out. Scary, so I'm thinking going off the meds for a year, maybe back to miacalsin and doing the surgery then. Any ideas.

[jackie]

I have been on Fosamax for 6 months. It was awful!!!!Migraines,joint pain, my hands hurt,and I was sooo tired all the time. My identical twin sister was on it for 2 yrs.it showed no bone improvement. She then started lifting weights, walking and taking calcium, and her bones improved! I am off it now for 2 weeks, and I hope I start feeling better.The drug companies don't care about people. They will kill us all....

[makov]

shelly
The miacalcin does help even though some dexa scans doesn't show it. The reason is that it helps due to increasing the bone matrix (the way that the various cells are lined up). This means that the bone is not thicker by dimensions but much more stable. Meanwhile the fosamax (besides all those scary side effects like ONJ or the newest one frozen bone - read here: http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/bisphosphon... ) gets only thicker but not more stable. But beware, doctors will always tell you that miacalcin (or the generic version fortical) is less effectiv then fosamax. But read this study from an independent government study: http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/i...
PS: Miacalcin is calcitonin

[Mary Peterson]

I have just been diagnosed with Osteoporosis of the spine and have been prescibed Fosamax. After reading the side effects and cautions I am hesitant to start taking it. First of all I love the sun and walking and it says to avoid sun exposure. It cautions against driving until evaluating how you do which is a concern, and it cautions against alcohol, but doesn't give specifics and I like to have a glass of wine when we go out to dinner. All of the side effects sound very serious so now I am not sure what to do.

[sue]

Mary
Please research drug this thoroughly. You will see from all the posts that 99% of women have serious side effects. Get a second opinion, talk to you pharmacist, and read the latest news on how these
drugs cause the bones to actually become thinner.
You can google fosamax side effects. There is more information coming out all the time about the
serious side effects.
Good Luck

[Peppopat]

Linda Fisher wrote:

I have been on Fosamax for one year and went back for a bone density test to measure the improvements and found that there weren't any, as if I had never been on it. At the same time I was diagnosed with gall stones and have had no family history of gall bladder problems, I am not over weight and do not eat fried foods. The doctor had no explanation as to why I would have the stones. Upon talking with a nurtritionist, she connected the the two thinking that my body didn't metabolize the Fosamax properly and sent an over load to the bladder. Has anyone else experienced this same situation? I am curious.

I switched from daily doses to a weekly dose of Fosamax. After 6 weeks of taking the weekly dose, I ended up in the ER for a kidney stone. It has yet to pass so I can't tell anyone here whether it's a calcium-based stone, but I will, in time. It looks like it will have to be surgically removed because it's larger than 5mm. I started taking Fosamax daily (but wasn't taking it correctly most of the time) 8 years ago for osterpenia. I still have osteopenia but I don't know my T-scores from then and now to determine whether this drug is useless or not. I have made decision, as of today, based on the bad comments I've read, to discontinue.

Additionally, I have NOT had any hair loss in clumps or BUT I have noticed my hair is not quite as thick as it used to be. It's duller, though. I was shocked about the hair loss issue!!