1. Community
  2. Injury and accidents
  3. Accidents and Injuries

Bisphosphonate femoral fracture

Posted , 4 users are following.

Guest
Guest

Hi,

Anyone taken a medication called Teriparatide (daily injections) for bone growth in cases on non union in femur fractures caused by intake of Bisphosphonates? 

I had surgery 2 months back- rod and screws -and there is a large gap which shows up clearly on X-rays. So my doctor is suggesting Teriparatide. 

sheila

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • james53168
    james53168 Guest

    Posted

    Hi Sheila  big gap in my break doc says he is happy  but I was not,  my medication is 2 x chewable calcium

    per day and one plenachol cap one a week NHS UK

    • Guest
      Guest james53168

      Posted

      Thx James. I’m pretty much on the same medications right now. My case is different I guess as my fracture was caused by bisphosphonate - not a fall or an accident- so union looks difficult. 

      But thanks for your response!

      Sheila

  • AlexandriaGizmo
    AlexandriaGizmo Guest

    Posted

    Hi Shelia, so have you seen your consultant surgeon since the op, maybe a 6 weeks check up or one at 3 months?? I have a fractured neck of femure that is impacted but also not healing, I have never heard of a drug that can instigate bone growth around a fracture, I personally would contact my surgeon and ask him for his advice before taking anything I was unsure of especially after your experiences with previous medication, Let me know how you get on
  • Spindles
    Spindles Guest

    Posted

    I haven't any experience of Teriparatide yet but I was given an Osteoporosis Society leaflet all about it as I saw a consultant last week.  I have been diagnosed with an atypical femur fracture caused by bisphosphonates. He has suggested that I have a nail inserted but as I wasn't keen he's left if for six weeks to see if the tiny fracture heals up as I stopped the alendronic acid  in September last year after being on it for a total of ten years. After seven years I had a drug holiday for two years and during that time I slipped and broke my left femur and had a nail inserted in that so it would mean having a nail in both legs.  My leg healed in seven months but I had to have the screws removed a year later as they were causing me problems but  healed well.

     I have read that fractures caused by the medication sometimes don't heal properly and the Teriparatide is used for a maximum of two years.  Having looked up the drug online it seems that rats ended up with bone cancer when it was tested on them which is a complication with the medication.   As I have been injecting insulin for 22 years another daily injection wouldn't bother me but it's not something I would really want to do, mainly because there might be even more unknown side effects.  The problems with bisphosphonates causing the femur to break very easily has been known since at least 2005 but they still dish out the tablets and say that fractures are "rare" but it seems to be not as rare as they first believed.    I would be interested in reading any information that you may get about the Teriparatide.

    I am surprised that if someone has tiny fractures in bones that are made brittle by the medication that drilling into the bone and inserting a nail won't cause the bone to break even more.  As I said, I am not keen on having the operation, especially as I have blood problems which would mean a platelet transfusion and a risk of infection after the operation and also the fact that the bones may not heal without more medication.  Sorry I haven't been able to help about the injections but at least I know I'm not alone with having bisphosphonate femoral fractures!

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.