Been prescribed Alendronic acid 70mg

Debbie, I am very pleased you have had no side effects and I appreciate that because of your age an perhaps other reasons it was important you receive drug therapy.  But I think I should point out for the benefit of others that alendronic acid has been shown to stay in the bones for at least ten years (hasn't been researched further) so for those who do react adversely to the drug it may not be quite as simple to reverse bad effects as ceasing treatment. 

No issues swallowing at all. I do take with a large glass of water though. I wasn't aware of potential jaw issues but have since been diagnosed with TMJ... Although not sure related. Hopefully not!

What's TMJ? XX

Thank you Helen, that's brilliant news for you.  I will keep on researching, every post from people like you will help me come to a decision, so thank you

Helen, please be aware that you are reaching the optimum time for taking this drug before a drug holiday may be advised.  There is a tipping point where the improvement plateaus and adverse effects begin to mount, for the reason I pointed out in another post - old bone cells have not been removed as they are in the normal way, and so the bones will become more brittle as time goes by.  The reason AA and similar drugs "work" is because with oseoporosis bone construction has not kept pace with bone rebuilding, hence bone thinning.  The drugs inhibit the removal of the old bone cells which means the bone building increases.  So the very reason the drugs work and can be so very important in helping people with seriously low bone mass is also the reason they can't be taken indefinitely.  This is why I'm constantly advising people, whether they take bone meds or not, to please eat the right foods and take the right supplements to promote bone health, as well as doing whatever appropriate exercise is safe and comfortable for them.  The bone meds will give you a boost at the beginning, but the other strategies can be carried on indefinitely with no side effects, except improved health!

Hi everyone.  My post is being moderated again as included a link to THE NATIONAL OSTEOPOROSIS SOCIETY.  I looked at their homepage, it has been updated, says that 1 in 2 women, 1 in 5 men over 50 will break a bone, but doesn't actually say this is due to osteoporosis. kathleen and Anhaga have, as usual given the best, brilliant advice, 'and also the new bone being created begins to lose strength and become brittle as normal bone remodelling has been disrupted by AA' (from Anhaga), this means that it doesn't 'prevent' fractures) and (from Kathleen on  diet).The obvious ones are calcium and vitamin D3. Another good one is K2 because it aims the calcium at the bones. Some can be gained from the diet so foods to have include leafy greens, prunes, avocados, skin of cucumbers, bone broth, fish,  My beef with AA is the cost to the NHS (in UK), individuals (UK and elsewhere) and the fact it isn't actually proven, is it luck you take AA and don't get a fracture?  And Jean, Calcium and D3 in UK normally prescribed for osteoporosis, I take that, and 'strong' B compound plu Thiamine (also prescribed).  My GP surgery wholly supportive of my decision not to take.  I do believe a few rays of sunshine are showing themselves, and that's a good idea too, snatch it while you can.