Fosamax vs generic
Common Questions and Answers about Fosamax vs generic
fosamax
The prescription drug Fosamax (the generic is alendronate sodium) is a medication which has been prescribed to hundreds of thousands of postmenopausal women to treat osteoporosis and help increase bone mass thereby reducing the chance of spinal or non-spinal fractures. Fosamax has also been prescribed to increase bone mass in men with osteoporosis. Brand name Fosamax is manufactured in the United States by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.
Do you mean Fosamax (alendronate)? If you do, its for treating bone problems like Osteoperosis by adding bone mass and slows bone loss. I use it for Osteopenia.
I believe there is a link between prolonged use of fosamax and oseonecrosis of the mandible.
Who might I contact for positive confirmation?
I need your expert opinion on something: I'm taking weekly generic Fosamax, daily 1200 calcium, daily 1400 D, and every other week 50,000 D. I hit menoapuse about 4 years ago. I have some pretty bad arthritis in my R hip, but my L is much more normal, though not totally normal. I walk briskly and climb stairs 5 days a week.
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> 2-3 years ago I had taken the high dose D for 1 year, so my scores momentarily shot way up. Then last year my osteoporosis scores dropped 0.1 or 0.
The generic doesn't seem to work as well for a lot of people. My endo also feels the same way, that brand name is good and generic stay away from.
I take synthroid and was wondering if the generic is just as good? Someone told me to never take the generic so I pay extra for the name brand. TIA!
I am a "heart patient" and have been taking Fosamax to improve bone density. Lately I have seen several things that implied I might not should be taking Fosamax. I would enjoy hearing some opinions on this matter.
Thanks.
s a tad more complicated than is appropriate for this forum)
There has been a VERY long lived debate about the efficacy of generic vs brand name meds. For most people, they seem to be able to use either interchangeably with little or no difference in the effectiveness. For other people, they report a BIG difference in the effectiveness of the generic and have to stick with a brand name, sometimes even a specific brand name.
Some meds have more of a reputation for this than others.
MY FRIEND HAD TO HAVE INVASION DENTAL WORK, BUT WHEN THE DENTIST DISCOVERED THAT SHE WAS ON FOSAMAX AND HAD BEEN FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, HE INSISTED THAT SHE TAKE A HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED BLOOD TEST. SHE HAD DIFFICULTY FINDING A LAB THAT WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE TEST AND ONE THAT PERFORMED THE TEST. THE RESULTS OF THE TEST INDICATED THAT HER JAW BONE WAS NOT SUFFICIENTLY STRONG[?
I was on it for about six years (first three on brand name - there was no generic yet) then on generic and it stopped working (unrelated situation). However, as you mentioned above, the only thing consistent between generics is the active ingredients, every generic has a different mix of inactive and binding agents. If you can afford it, brand name is great, but if not, there are many different companies that make generic sertraline now, so one bad generic doesn't mean all are bad.
I just started the generic Cytomel yesterday so it's too soon to tell a difference, but I talked to a pharmacist and was told that if you're starting on generic you should be fine. People who took the brand name and then switched to generic may have a little problem. From what I've read, the medicine is the same between brand and generic, but the dosing might be slightly different.
I have been on Fosamax for almost a year . In the last few months I have developed really bad heartburn. Zantac helps for a few hours but then it starts again.
The Lexapro is so darn expensive, even with insurance $70/month!! Paxil has a generic so it should be cheaper but is it just as good? Anybody tried both and can compare? Side effects of the Paxil similar to Lex?
I can share with you what my endo told me. He is not impressed by the generic levothyroxine. He stated the generic is often manufactured in places like India where the potency range only has to fall between 30-60% effective to be accepted, whereas when Synthroid is manufactured in the USA, its potency has to be 60-95% effective. The generic is often bought from India because it can be bought for pounds of meds on the dollar, whereas in the US it is ounces on the dollar.
Does anyone know any adverse effect with Fosamax, a medication for treating osteoporois or brittle bones? My regular doc (who knows I have HCV) prescribed it to me.
I know that the liver processes all drugs and reading the side effects is scaring me. I have stage 2 fibrosis and failed the traditional interferon/ribavirin treatment already.
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