Worries about alendronic acid

My dentist didn't bat an eyelid when I told him I was now taking AA. So far, so good, four tablets in. Tiredness yes ... But I already suffered from chronic fatigue so nothing much new there, same re achey bones. Had achey bones for twenty yrs, no change since going on AA. No worse. The biggest issue for me is I am very accident prone. So I am now attempting to be a little calmer, slower and considered when moving about! Lol

Meanwhile re AA, most things have a downside, the question is, do the benefits outweigh the negatives. In my case, I was told by three people, I wouldn't be in this state had I taken my AA. They can't know for sure of course. So for me, the benefits are likely to outweigh the negatives. That's my line of thinking at present. Well see how it goes. I definitely feel I need something though.

One wonders the effect of the government stopping the free school milk all those years ago. Will we see an increase in Osteoporosis in men and women. I think bone care needs highlighting with parents. I am hot on my kids now re their calcium intake.

Hi all.

I posted this info in previous posts somewhere, but several people started new conversations re AA, so it's hard to keep up!

I've personally stopped AA, after about in my opinion, to many years. Was very concerned about health side effects (see other posts) and my GP said (if I understood her correctly) that the new thinking is that all the good that AA can achieve, is done in the first 5 years.

As mentioned before I would strongly suggest people look into the Acid / Alkaline balance of their bodies, as there is much now known to suggest that people often get weak bones due to over acidic bodies (diet, stress and lifestyle etc).

Over acidity has also been connected to ME / Chronic Fatigue, Arthritis, Cancer etc...

The Western diet and lifestyle is apparently hugely over acidic. (Please don't expect your GPs to know about this though, as it would be a rare one who is up to date with this knowledge unfortunately)..

To repeat here, things I've found helpful are:

Websites: 'Energise for life' and 'Bobby’s Healthy Shop'.

(Aluminium-free Sodium Bicarbe and or diluted lemon juice (wash out mouth immediately to protect teeth enamel) are quick and cheap alkalisers. See sites for more info.

Book: ‘Treating Arthritis the Drug-Free Way’. By Margaret Hills, SRN: (A short and straight forward easy to read book).

Hi Paws, I shall definitely look into that acidity thing. Thank you for that

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. In about 2008-2009, Fosamax became widely available in its generic form (alendronate sodium).

 

Side effects of Fosamax may include the following:

1. Esophagus problems including irritation, inflammation, or ulcers

2. Low blood calcium levels (hypocalcemia) which may lead to muscle spasms, twitches, or cramps as well as numbness or tingling in the face, fingers, toes, and around the mouth

3. Severe jaw bone problems (osteonecrosis of the jaw often abbreviated as “ONJ”)

4. Bone, joint, or muscle pain

5. Unusual femur (thigh bone) fractures

 

ABC News ran a story on May 10, 2012 about the dangers of “bone drugs” stating, “In a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration raised concerns about the potential for some serious side effects in women taking bone-building drugs called bisphosphonates, specifically Fosamax, Actonel and Reclast. The published findings are not new. In 2011, the agency voiced concerns that taking the drugs long-term may actually make bones weaker and increase the risk of rare but serious side effects such as atypical fractures of the thigh bone, esophageal cancer and osteonecrosis of the jaw, a rare but painful condition in which the jaw bone crumbles. To investigate, the FDA reviewed data from women who had taken the drugs for six to 10 years.” Underscoring just how commonly these medications are prescribed, ABC News commented, “According to the FDA, doctors wrote more than 150 million prescriptions for bisphosphonates between 2005 and 2009.”

 

At the end of 2013, Merck settled with about 1,200 plaintiffs alleging that Fosamax caused them to suffer osteonecrosis of the jaw (“ONJ”). ONJ is a rare condition in which the patient suffers degeneration and deterioration of the jaw and often necessitates surgical repair with bone grafting. This recent settlement requires a total of about $27.7 million to be paid by Merck. Before anyone feels bad for Merck, he or she should also know that some researchers estimate that Merck “earned” about $3 billion (with a “b”) in 2007 from Fosamax. There are still many unsettled suits.

 

While alendronate sodium does have some appropriate indications, there are serious side effects which can occur. Most of the United States lawsuits focus on one of two harms – femur fractures or osteonecrosis of the jaw. Each is treated differently by many of the lawyers handling these cases. I don't know whether there are similar suits in the UK, but it might be worth looking into with a UK lawyer who is experienced in handling such a matter.

- Paul J. Molinaro, M.D., J.D.

I'm a member of the Hip Replacement group and a member is taking this drug and this is the equivalent to Fosamax in the U.S. Lots of bad results from this drug.

You would do much better with Higher dosing of Magnesium Citrate, Vit D3 and K2 and calcium, but not tons.

I'm not a doc but know about alternative healing as I've been doing alternative medicine for 25 yrs or so....

Those drugs are dangerous.

I am on the Hip Replacement board as I've ended up with complications from the Anterior Hip Replacement.....long story.

I would never take these drugs....what I take to keep my bones as strong as I can and I have no osteoarthritis, is higher doses of magnesium citrate, optimal doses of Vit D3 and K2 and some calcium (not a lot)....as many get calcium deposits from too much calcium....

I'm not a doc but have been working with alternative healing for about 25 yrs....and am 76 and in the U.S. (so calif)

Hello I'm new to this site iv been taking electronic acid for over three year,.after the bank Holliday l will be informing my doctors l will stop taking it as a lot of my problems are listed as side effects

I've been fine on alendronic acide...though I thought I had side effects.  General fatigue, bone ache, feeling like being jet-lagged, not sure where feet were.  Before giving up the AA I tired stopping everything else new since diagnosis (about six months).  It turns out all those effects were casued by the AdCal supplement prescribed at the same time.

Some sites are saying what you have. Look at different ones. Type in osteoporosis and go to different discussions to get s big picture.

be careful in case you assume feeling lousy is from the alendronic acid - I took that and AdCal and it turns out my feeling lousy, as if jet lagged and didn't know where my feet were, was from the calcium supplement not the Alendronic Acid.