Is Fosamax making your bones more brittle

[malaise]

over a period of time. Data suggests that lots of femurs are breaking - as in snapping.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/world-news-hear-stories-osteoporosis/story?id=10045989
<snip>
Fosamax, one in a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, is supposed to make bones stronger. Now doctors worry that staying on the drug for more than five years can cause some women's bones to become more brittle.
Photo: Risk of Break in Bone-Building Drug: Popular Class of Osteoporosis Drugs May Have Opposite Effect, Experts Say
Fosamax, one in a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, is supposed to make bones stronger. But now there's mounting evidence that for some women, taking these medications for more than five years could cause spontaneous fractures.
(Getty Images)

Sales of the drug began increasing nearly two decades ago when doctors began prescribing it not only to women with signs of osteoporosis, but those who were simply at risk for the disease.

[MUAD_DIB]

1. My parent's next door neighbor got up in the middle of the night to use the

washroom. She ended up snapping a femur. This happened right after Christmas. Fosamax actually had the reverse effect on her: leaving her with severe bone loss.

Nice going. When drugs actually make the symptoms worse why bother to take them?

[TeeYiYi]

36. Fosamax and Boniva cause disintegration of the jaw bone...

... making it impossible to put dental implants in people who have used it.

TYY

[snagglepuss]

2. For anyone using Fosamax Dr Susan Ott's acclaimed website is a must read. Regarding

femurs breaking -

"I have a more conservative view about long-term safety issues than many other physicians, perhaps because I have a physiological perspective. Bone biopsies from patients taking bisphosphonates show 95% reduction in the bone formation rate, so I usually stop after 5 years of treatment.

The bisphosphonates get deposited in the bone and will accumulate for years. It is possible that many years of continuous medicine would make bone more brittle or impair the ability to repair damage. Bisphosphonates do reduce fractures and improve measurements of bone strength for the first five years in both animal studies and in women who have osteoporosis.

After 5 years, the fracture rates are as high in the women who keep taking alendronate as in the women who quit.


http://courses.washington.edu/bonephys/optreatment.html




Susan Ott, MD
Associate Professor
Department of Medicine
University of Washington

[SoCalDem]

3. I'm taking my chances with Mother Nature..not pharma

I take NOTHING...NO MEDS at all..and I will continue that way probably until I drop dead..

I know that as we age, we become less steady on our feet, so I wear FLAT/comfortable shoes and I take precautions to look before I "leap"..

I have watched my husband's layering of meds and more meds (diabetes) actually CAUSE the need for even more meds..

Oddly, when he forgets his meds, he feels better..but good-patient that he is, he keeps on taking them ..

I don't even take cold meds. colds "end"..but side-effects can linger and may even do permanent harm..

[malaise]

5. I'm with you

I take one 81 aspirin daily and my vitamins - nothing else. I haven't worn high heels since the mid seventies and I take care of my feet and I mean take care - I treat my feet royally! :D

[madmax]

7. Either this week or last week I heard on the news

that the 81mg aspirin thing really doesn't work. These bastards come out with a study and then later come out to contradict it.

[malaise]

9. Works for me

I haven't had a cold in years.

[madmax]

26. This was the study that

advised men to take 81mg of aspirin daily to ward off heart attacks and/or strokes. The study concluded that it didn't help women. I guess because we don't have a heart ;)

Glad you haven't had any colds, Malaise. :toast:

[tridim]

11. I only take Advil and cannabis.

So I basically consider myself pharma-free and 99.9% all natural.

At 39 I don't even know what an opiate feels like, and honestly I don't want to know until absolutely necessary.

I gave up cold meds after discovering the netti pot, they never worked all that well anyway.

[TZ]

17. Must be nice but some of us with things like bone marrow disorders

who would BE DEAD without our meds appreciate them. Try not to trip when you get off that high horse of yours.
BTW, your husband would likely be dead without his meds as well. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of DEATH in this country.
I love how people are proud of being ignorant! :banghead:

[SoCalDem]

19. I must not have checked my "poutrage stenopad"

or perhaps you were left off in error..

It's not ignorance that steers me from meds.. It's just a choice..and for your bone marrow issues, I am sorry you are ill, but what I wrote was not directed at YOU..(I mean really.l,.how could I have known that you would expect ME to know about your personal med issue:)).. It was nothing more than a comment about how I choose to avoid the rx propaganda to "try this..try that" and end up no better off than before..

and as to my husband's diabetes, I KNOW he needs his meds..and he takes them..but the fact that so many different meds are layered one-on-the other, cannot be ignored either..and the side effects of each new med, in combination with others, often necessitates a NEW med..

It was not "pride" that directed my comment..just a statement of fact..If others take meds and need them, it's their business.. I choose to not take any.

At nearly 61, it's worked so far.. If the need arises in the future, I'll re-evaluate..

What's your horse's name? seems like a pretty high one to me.. :evilgrin:

[madmax]

4. Oh fukitol

I'm really getting pissed the fuck off with this shit. I was on Vioxx for 2 years before it was pulled for causing the deaths so many people. I think I read 28k. Is that possible? I have rhuematoid arthritis and brittle bones, have suffered 2 pelvic and 2 sacral fractures. I now take Actonel for my bones along with 5000IU Rx Vitamin D once a week. Now I'll be wondering if this drug is going to help me, kill me, or make me worse off. WTF is up with the FDA?

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[Gormy Cuss]

21. Fukitol has no side effects.

:D

Seriously though, we do need a stronger FDA. It seems to be falling asleep at the switch.

[madmax]

25. I think the FDA

is in the pocket of big Pharma. That's how they rush all this stuff to market at our expense both $ wise and health wise.

I seem to have lost the pix I had of a Fukitol or Fucitol pill :evilgrin:

[sandyj999]

6. I dodged that bullet!

For a few years I was taking a drug called Evista which has no generic. When my co-pay went from $99.00 to $117.00 for 3 months supply I decided that it was just too much to handle. I did a bit of research a few months ago and asked my doctor for the generic of Fosamax. She wrote me the prescription but after reading more about it (this was three months ago) I decided not to fill the RX. Now I know my hunch was correct. I am off all that stuff now and will take my chances. My last bone density was good and I'm no longer willing to take any chances.

[malaise]

8. Smart person

nature will take care of me. When the body says time to say goodbye, I'll check out, but big pharma will never say that he got rich off of me. Hubby has chosen to take meds for his heart problem. :D

[HopeHoops]

16. I take generic alendronate once a week (this morning in fact) - $2/pill.

I'm skeptical of the report in the OP. The effectiveness varies widely anyway. All bisphosphonates do is to slow down the osteoclasts that break down bone so the osteoblasts have a better chance of gaining the upper hand. There are a lot of reasons why the imbalance exists and as such the ability of bisphosphonates to make a difference is highly dependent on one's individual chemistry and the dose. One factor you can count on is that nothing happens quickly. Finding people with no measurable difference certainly shouldn't be hard. The literature that comes with it will tell you that. Besides, you can't really get anywhere without sufficient calcium and slightly higher intake of vitamin D (400 IU is recommended normally, but 1000 IU is a typical dose if you're on bisphosphonates).

[sandyj999]

31. That is the script I have but I'm now uncertain about buying it. n/t

[HopeHoops]

41. It gives me heartburn from hell (sound like a song?)

I take an OTC acid reducer about 2 hours ahead of it. That helps. Anything that reduces acid is counterproductive when you need calcium because the acid in the stomach is necessary to break down the calcium so it can be absorbed in the intestines and transported by vitamin D. Sounds like a bad novel, eh?

Still, $2/pill isn't bad and as I tried to point out in my earlier post, no difference after 5 years is not abnormal. If the osteoblasts aren't capable of overcoming the retarded (meaning restricted by bisphosphonates) osteoclasts they aren't going to really produce much gain in bone density.

I'm in the severe category - T=-2.9 to -3.1. I'm only 46 and male. That's pretty fucked up.

[KamaAina]

10. Yikes! Favorite Human Being is recovering from a broken femur

she has a related condition for which osteoporosis drugs are sometimes prescribed.

If she happened to have been taking Fosamax, KamaAIna wil NT be a happy camper!! :grr:

[renate]

12. folks--ask your doctor about strontium, especially if you're avoiding medication

Strontium ranelate is used in Europe but isn't available in the US--but you can get strontium citrate here, and it's the strontium part and not the ranelate part that matters.

There are tons of research articles on the Google but here are a couple of abstracts:

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/350/5/459
http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/90/5/2816

It does increase bone density, but at least partly because it's heavier than calcium--so the proof of the pudding is in the fact that it decreases the risk of fracture.

[madmax]

29. Thank you - I learn so much more from

DU than I do from my Doctors. :hug:

[Thirtieschild]

13. Fosamax can affect you up to 11 years after you stop taking it

That's what a dentist told me last month. He was afraid I needed a tooth pulled and told me my jaw could deteriorate and that I'd have to sign a waiver before he'd pull the tooth. All because I'd taken Fosamax. Fortunately an antibiotic took care of the infection, but the possibility remains. My mother lived to age 100 and believed it was because she couldn't swallow pills and therefore didn't take any.

[malaise]

14. Damn

These drugs have so many side effects.

[JerseygirlCT]

15. I don't know - took one dose - felt ill within 15 minutes

like I could feel poison going through my system.

I'm using a nasal spray rx now for osteoporosis - and my last scan had me holding steady. (Early osteoporosis - seems to run in the family).

[boomerbust]

18. Diagnosed back in 2003

Severe osteoporosis. T score -4.8 which amounts to the loss of almost half of spinal bone mass density. Extremely painful because of the compression fractures, 4 in all. Took Fasomax for two years only to result in a worse T score, -4.9. Doctor told me that if I quit taking any of these drugs he would no longer be my doctor. Quit the drugs and he is no longer my doctor.

[livetohike]

23. Are you taking any Calcium/Vitamin D supplements?

I've been on the generic Fosamax since October 2009. I had a bone density test and came in at -3.1 for a T score. I had to ask for the bone density test! I broke my foot in two places in Nov. 2008 and then in August 2009, I fell flat on my back and broke my scapula, three ribs and punctured a lung :-).

I hate having to take the alendronate. I take Calcium w. Vitamin D twice a day, too.

My paternal Grandmother had the classic widow's hump and always complained of her back hurting. I would like to avoid that happening, but now with this info I don't know what to do :shrug:.

[boomerbust]

24. Yes

1000 ml Caltrate Plus D

[livetohike]

27. I think I will stop with the Fosamax and just stay on the supplements

I also think I need to find another doctor.

[boomerbust]

28. Link

Here is a lady that has helped me tremendously over the years.

http://saveourbones.com/osteoporosis-exercises-hip/

[livetohike]

30. Thanks!

:hi: I've been receiving her e-mails since October. Good info.

[Donnachaidh]

20. this is obscene -- WHERE is the protection for patients?

Just watched an ad for a Rhematiod Arthritis drug that had a STAGGERING amount of serious side effects. WHY is this shit even being sold on the planet? When DEATH or disfigurement is a side effect -- that should automatically make these drugs a NON-STARTER.

An osteoporosis drug that makes your bones BRITTLE? WHY is this shit on the market?

WTF is the FDA?

[madmax]

32. And you don't even know half of it...

I have suffered with R/A for 10 years. Was on Vioxx for 2 years before they pulled it off the market. I was on Remicade, Humira and Embril for a few years. When I started taking them the warnings were 'increased susceptibility to infections and TB'.

Now - the list grew to also include among other things, cancer. I was diagnosed with cancer last November. Can't say that any of these drugs 'caused' it but, there has never been anyone in my family with cancer. And get this...it's a weird cancer. They 'can't find the primary source'.

I had one small tumor by my pelvic bone but, after 88 tests. You name name it they either scanned it, bled it, or stuck probes into every cavity of my body and still can't find "IT". And if you think it was some second rate hospital or doctor you'd be wrong. It was Duke all the way. After all those tests and all the money - finding nothing Dr. Death tells me I have 3 years to live. WTF!!???!?!?!?!?!?

The FDA is useless and in the pocket of big Pharma, imho.

I now trust NO ONE, I research each Rx, discuss with the 'Dr.' and make my choice. I also found how to deal with pelvic fractures, a method not offered or even heard of by my R/A 'specialist', who I'm sure due to the nature of the disease is quite familiar with fractured bones. Anyway it's called osteoplasty and involves injecting a 'crazy glue' type substance into the fracture. I had 2 fractures in my pelvis and 2 in my sacrum (lower back) I could not walk, lay down, sit without extreme pain. Having fractures on both the left and right side - front and back all of them moved causing pain and the inability to heal due to movement.

It's a MIRACLE instead of taking 6-8 months of pain, within hours the fractures were set and within days I walked normal without pain or drugs. BUT, I had to find this thru the internet on my own. Just what the hell is wrong with this picture? We are bombarded with bullshit commercials for everything from dandruff to smelly crotches yet something that could have ended my pain in a matter of days was kept from me until I found the information on my own, a Dr. who does it and then bitched and screamed to my R/A dr. did I get the help I needed. In the short run drugs are cheaper than this procedure but, I was suffering!

So sorry for the rant but, it feels so good to vent. :grouphug: I'm doing good in the bone department and 2 weeks ago I had another CT Scan - clean as a whistle. NO cancer anywhere! Thank you God, Goddess, Master of the Universe. I'm grateful!

[Donnachaidh]

39. ((((((((madmax))))))))))))) rant away -- it's good to vent!

I cannot begin to fully comprehend the BS you've had to deal with. I'm thrilled you're *clean as a whistle* and keep it that way. And keep telling the drs. to pound sand!

[madmax]

40. Awe thanks lovey

2 years from now I hope to walk into Duke, head straight for Dr. Death's office and bitch slap him into the next week. Then I'm going to tell him he can't sue me - I'm dead. :rofl:

[BrklynLiberal]

22. Oh crap...and they were jsut outing a study that was saying these drugs also help ward off breast

cancer

[Blue_In_AK]

33. They tried to make me take Fosamax

several years ago after I refused to continue estrogen replacement therapy which was making me an emotional basket case. I said I'd take my chances with the osteoporosis, and I've had no broken bones, and I'm still as tall as I ever was. I'm now 63 and doing fine with no meds but Synthroid. They can keep their stupid pills.

What especially pisses me off about all these drugs is that they want to give them to everyone, whether you have symptoms or not. When they tried to get me on the HRT, I was passing through menopause just fine with barely any symptoms. The pills brought back the periods (which I was so happy to be done with), and I felt depressed all the time. Once I stopped, I felt great. I took Fosamax once, and it made my legs ache.

I'm with Malaise -- if it's my time to check out, I'll go quietly. Just don't dope me up with pharmaceuticals. I'll be sitting in my living room smoking a big fat doobie with a smile on my face.

[mainer]

34. It's really a pediatric issue. Kids don't get enough calcium

They drink too much soda instead of milk, they stay indoors and get no sunshine, and they get too little exercise. If you don't put calcium in the bank when you're young, by the time you're in your 40's, you're really screwed.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LeftishBrit]

38. Yes, they can.

That doesn't mean that ALL drugs can; or that the side effects are always worth it.

But tell my friends who were cured of Hodgkins disease by chemo in the 1970s and are still alive and well now, that their symptoms were just 'the body's attempt at balance'. Symptoms generally serve as warning signs.

Tell everyone (including myself) who was cured by antibiotics of serious infections and so didn't die in childhood!

For that matter, 'relief of symptoms' can in itself be vital. It can make the difference between feeling ill or in major pain all the time, and feeling well.

I suppose all cures are temporary as we all die in the end; but I would rather live comfortably to a ripe old age, than die young or worse live in misery, as was the case for many before drugs.

'Sometimes they are necessary; often they are not!'

True and some drugs are undoubtedly over-prescribed - but when they are necessary, they can be VERY necessary. I get a bit sick of the idea that those who need medical drugs are somehow sheep or moral weaklings because of it.

[dugaresa]

37. weight training helped my mother in law with bone loss

she took meds and did weight training
and now she is doing great