Change Alendronic Acid to Risedronate Sodium

Hi Robin, first of all I'd get my GP to check whether the pains in legs, knees and shoulders could be caused by any other condition. . . Because of your concern about AA meds., he's agreed to change you to another one - risedronate. The only thing is that risedronate is essentially the same medication and one of it's listed "common side-effects" is " pain in your bones, muscles or joints". Both of these meds. are considered the 'workhorses' for osteoporosis. They are also the cheapest. Were you taking the generic form of AA or was it called Fosamax? It the former, they have been found to have a higher incidence of side-effects and are not as effective either. Risedronate also comes in generic form. The non-generic one is called Actonel. It's generally tolerated a bit better than Fosamax. I've been taking Actonel since December last and have no problems with it. But it's also true to say that some people just can't tolerate this group of meds. at all. If so, there are alternatives, so don't panic. Ask the doc. to prescribe you the non-generic risedronate (Actonel), take it, and see how you go. Give it a few months.. If it doesn't suit, it doesn't suit and the world won't end. If the GP can't think of an alternative at this point, go to a Rheumatologist for advice. Hope this helps a little. J

The medications are all scary I feel. I have fosamax ready to take but have yet to start. Firstly delayed by some dental work, now diagnosed with narrowing of the esophasgeas, I am reluctant to begin. Natural remedies seem to be insufficient to deal with osteoporosis. Obviously, more research needs to be undertaken. In Australia we only have the bone density test at 70 and people generally do not know about osteoporosis so many just co tinge through life oblivious they even have a bone problem. Maybe ignorance is bliss after all!

I thought I was tolerating Risedronate after switch from AA, however since challenging with Park Run and tennis, find suffering ankle and knee pain again. Discussed with GP, stopping for a month/six weeks - continue with challenge and will be offered alternative meds if musculoskeletal pain improved after withdrawal of Risedronate. 

Generic or not, one name or another, the bisphosphonates all share the same deeply troubling potential-side-effect profile. The underlying cause for concern is these drugs' staggeringly long half-life (which refers to how long they remain in one's system): up to ten years! So it may not be sufficient just to stop taking the med if a side-effect develops, as the impact from the drug could continue indefinitely. This is not to say that osteoporosis is not also a cause for concern; unfortunately, it is. But not every problem has a solution, even though doctors and pharmaceutical companies would like us to think otherwise. Also, even if the meds do improve bone density in some people, this is no guarantee that if a person were to fall he or she wouldn't sustain a fracture, meds or no meds. And if the meds' mechanism for improving bone density is to make the bones harder in a way that renders them more brittle, the meds themselves end up increasing the risk of the "atypical femoral fractures" that have been reported, which defeats their very purpose. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration is now recommending a "drug holiday" after about three years, in the hope that this might lessen the risk of these drug-related fractures (as well as the other reported catastrophic effect of ostenecrosis of the jaw, a.k.a. bone death). However, people with osteoporosis are as likely as not to be told that they must resume the drugs after any such "holiday," if they are to continue to benefit from them (if in fact they are benefitting at all). Personally, I do not think that starting and stopping drugs with half-lives of ten years will be enough to ward off their ill effects. And if their beneficial effects cease or drop dramatically due to the safety precaution of "drug holiday," one hasn't even reaped the benefit of the kind of "tradeoff" that doctors are so fond of citing as a rationale for taking unsafe drugs.

Hi....I have recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis and prescribed the "standard" treatment...Adcal and Alendronic Acid.  I am taking the Adcal, but have hesitated to take the AA, after reading about its side-effects.  Does anyone on here have any experience/knowledge of homeopathic treatment for osteoporosis?  

Thank you, Kathleen...I am also taking K2 and Magnesium.  I have already fallen and broken my wrist 3 times and recently cracked two vertebrae, doing exercises which the physiotherapist gave me to do for what my GP said was strained muscle around my hip joint!!!  Oh, the joys of growing old, hey??  All the best with your natural treatments..

I am sorry t hear you have osteoperosis. Because it is rarer in men, you have been, unlucky. I am not convinced your pains were related to taking AA, but sometimes you need to experiment a little. The only side effect I had with taking it, was, I wanted to sleep for 2 days. I started on Risedronate and I am fine with it. I had

already suffered 2 vertebrae fractures and my risk of another was so high, it outweighed any risk ( a much lower risk ) of any side effects from the drugs. Having a tumour on my balance nerve, makes me more at risk of falling too. We all have different factors in our lives and naturally, they contribute to our decisions. Like everyone else, I weighed everything up and decided what is best for me. Still got all my teeth, so far, and managed to fall off the treadmill 2 weeks ago, landed on my wrist and bashed my leg, but...... Nothing broken. Progress, who knows, but I am staying positive. Good luck