Fosamax 11/25

Client Attorney Privileged/Attorney Work Product/At Request of Counsel

1. Consult Doctor About Long-Term Use of Osteoporosis Drugs

   Nov 25, 2015 | The Brunswick News

   By Anthony Komaroff
   
   
   ...Osteoporosis does make your bones more susceptible to fractures, and a group of drugs called bisphosphonates do successfully treat osteoporosis. These drugs include alendronate (Fosamax), ibandronate (Boniva), risedronate (Actonel) and zoledronic acid (Reclast).

Client Attorney Privileged/Attorney Work Product/At Request of Counsel

1. Consult Doctor About Long-Term Use of Osteoporosis Drugs

   Nov 25, 2015 | The Brunswick News

   By Anthony Komaroff

   Dear Doctor K: I’m taking a pill for osteoporosis because my doctor says that stronger bones will reduce my risk of fractures. But a friend recently told me that some osteoporosis medicines actually cause fractures. Can you un-confuse me?

   Dear Reader: I know what you’re referring to, and it is confusing — even for doctors. So let me try to make it less confusing.

   Osteoporosis does make your bones more susceptible to fractures, and a group of drugs called bisphosphonates do successfully treat osteoporosis. These drugs include alendronate (Fosamax), ibandronate (Boniva), risedronate (Actonel) and zoledronic acid (Reclast). People typically remain on these drugs for years.

   There is no doubt that these drugs work. They slow and even reverse the thinning of bones. They reduce the risk of common fractures, such as hip fractures, by 50 percent or more.

   However, paradoxically, these medicines can cause two rare types of fractures: a fracture of the jaw and fractures of the middle of the thigh bone. That’s particularly true in people taking bisphosphonate drugs for a long time.

   How long should the drugs be taken? They definitely reduce common fractures in people taking them for three to five years. There is no strong evidence that they continue to work if continued beyond five years, but it’s reasonable to believe that they might.

   After talking with my colleagues here at Harvard Medical School who are experts on this question, here’s what I’m telling my patients. If a person has a relatively high risk for developing a common type of hip fracture (which involves the upper part of the thigh bone) or a fracture of the vertebrae (bones of the spine), he or she should stay on the drugs. If the risk is relatively low, he or she should consider going off the drugs after five years...

   For full story:

   http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/opinion/advice_columns/consult-doctor-about-long-term-use-of-osteoporosis-drugs/article_05b6c4a8-f8fe-5ffc-a95a-6ac096a9ec3c.html
   

   Return to headline | Return to top