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 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.
t deal specifically with osteoporosis but as far as I know, there is no jaw bone loss associated with fosamax usage. There is some concern about possible delayed healing or risk of infection after removing teeth with patients using fosamax though.
I have started mega doses of supplements and calcium and D and excercise and I want someone to tell me that that has worked for them. Most comments I get is to take the drug because it's more effective. I can't believe everyone is taking bisphosphonates or other drugs like that.
Please let me hear from you if you see this!,,, Thanks, and hope you are doing well!
I was stunned when the results came back because I have been active most of my life, plenty of weight bearing exercise, have no family history of osteoporosis and so on. After the diagnosis, I went looking and found that Combination Therapy is strongly associated with decreased bone mineral density in both men and women. The studies suggest that Ribavirin, rather than Interferon is the culprit.
If you have osteoporosis, I think it is best to take the medication prescribed by your doctor. Supplements and herbal remedies are not approved by the FDA. I have not seen any studies to indicate that this is an effective alternative. While this may be beneficial, I would think the treatment plan would be the one your doctor prescribes.
So I told my doctor that I wanted to increase my intake of calcium and do a wait and see on the Fosamax. She told me that she's not worried about me for now but for what may happen to me in 20 years. The scenario sounded horrible--breaking a hip and dying--if I didn't start treatment now. But she conceded and we agreed that I would be screened again in a couple of years.
I am amazed at how the pharmaceutical companies drive diagnosis.
Hi, I am a 65-year-old with a recent diagnosis of severe osteoporosis. I have been on Fosamax for # months but am worried about the side effects. Is there any calcium that works better than others? I have been on calcium and vitamin D supplements for years but went from osteopenia level to full-blown severe osteoporosis in a few years I would appreciate any advice since the medical field tells you nothing but to take medication and deal with the outcome!!
Ijust had an ext and bone graft and it was recommended for me to also stop my osteoporosis meds as they do affect healing. I didn't aske for details,both my DS and MD agreed.
I had a bone density done and my spine and hips have low end osteoporosis. I was wondering how many of you out there at my age or near my age have it too? I had osteopenia of the spine 4 years ago and now it is osteoporosis. The hip has gotten worse on one side by 3% and the other side by 6 %.I can't take estrogen due to having previous blood clots and I have 1000mg of calcium a day and vitamin D is at 60. That is very normal.
Has she had a bone-density scan? It does sound like osteoporosis, but x-rays and ultrasounds are not the way to diagnose it, she should have a scan specifically to look at how much strength is left in her bones. If her regular doctor has not ordered a bone-density scan, her ob/gyn certainly will. (I've had two of them, and I'm younger than your mom, both ordered by my gynecologist.) This will help to rule out (or rule in) the doctor's idea that her bones are "bowing out.
Hello Emanuelle,
I definitely feel for your concern. Although I am 36 I have pretty severe osteoporosis and at one time was recommended to take medication for it. I have several spinal injuries which have resulted in Degenerative Disk Disease, other joint syndromes and overall bone density loss.
I had not personally heard of the the fractures (femur) from the Fosamax, but I did hear of the other risk factors for some of the older drugs.
I recommend checking out the website "Save Our Bones". It is an alternative to using bisphosphonates (Fosamax, Boniva, Actonel, et al) These drugs interrupt the remodeling of bones by adding a "sheath" or layer of hardening to the outside of the bones in an effort to prevent bone "loss". Bones remodel (replace) naturally every few years.
One of the problems with bones is our diets are often highly acidic by processed foods.
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.
DEXA scan showed increased bone density loss to that of a DEXA scan done before bc (ordered by gastro due to 30+ yrs of steroids). BC surgeon prescribed Fosamax and Calcichew/Vit.D3. A bone scan showed osteo arthritis in both hips, hands and feet. No meds prescribed. I am on weekly injections of 12.5 mg methotrexate for Crohn's.
My GP suggested I stop the Arimidex for 3-4 weeks to see if the pain diminished, which miraculously it has.
An xray was done which showed my bones were thin and I was diagnosed has having osteoporosis! No one in my family has it and doctors explained that this disease happens over a period of time and not related to my incident. However, I know my body and it is this incident and whatever I was injected with that caused my bone to lose all the calcium and my bowel changes.
I have seen so many doctors but no one can figure out what is causing the increasing rate of osteoporosisi in my body.
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