I have been on Fosamax once weekly for a view years. It was 35mg once weekly. Now the dosage has been increased to 70mg once weekly. A nurse said I could just take two of the 35mg and use up the supply I have on hand. Has anyone taken two of these at once?? They can be a little tricky with the swallowing.
I've taken 70mg once a week for 3 weeks but it was one 70mg pill not two 35 mg pills. The 70mg was supposed to give time release medication for a week. I would call your doctor or pharmacist and ask if taking 2 pills makes any difference and would give you enough medication for a week.
Hello, everyone! I decided to register so I could tell you my experiences with Fosamax.
First, my aunt told me a couple of years ago that her doctor had put her on the "drug" for osteoporosis. It wasn't too long before she began complaining to me that she had joint pain and that food no longer tasted good, that she almost gagged when she tried to eat. She was also suffering eye troubles. Two years after beginning treatment, she began falling down with what the doc called seizures for want of a better term. She would become completely disoriented after these "episodes". I began to wonder if Fosamax could be responsible, since she had none of these problems prior to taking it. So, I came home and began researching the drug.
I discovered that Fosamax is the same poison acid that takes the soap scum off your bathtub. The reason one cannot lie down after taking it for at least 30 minutes, is that if reflux occurs, it will burn your esophagus and throat. It also burns the stomach, intestines and liver, so that you can get ulcers. Fosamax does not build living bone. All it does is kill the osteoclasts that remove old dead bone. Because of this, the osteoblasts cannot build in new, living bone like they should. So your bone scans show increased density, but it is layers of dead bone that have not been removed. This causes the bones to be weaker than they were to begin with.
A dear friend of mine at my church began having the same symptoms as my aunt. She ended up in the hospital because she was falling down with these same "seizures", had the joint pain, and eye trouble as well as stomach hurt. I asked her if she were taking Fosamax. The answer was "yes!" She stopped taking it and has had no further "seizures". She had started walking with a cane because her joints had gotten so bad, but now she can walk without just fine. My sister and I have discovered 8 people in our churches and neighborhoods who have the same symptoms and are all taking Fosamax. This is no coincidence. Even my doctor says we are on to something here.
Unfortunately for my aunt, her daughter says she must obey doctor's orders and keep taking the "drug". They've taken away her car and her townhouse, put her into assisted living. She is down to 77 pounds now with her clothes on. It is killing her - I fully expect her to die from it. No amount of reasoning will change the mind of her doctor. She claims if I were right, the company or the FDA would have come up with these side effects. Trouble is, no doctors are connecting these symptoms with Fosamax, just like they didn't with Vioxx, which is made by the same company and was not properly tested long-range. So, please do not take this drug. It is devastating. There are other drug companies that are making Fosamax under different names, so beware of those, too. Have any of you suffered seizure-like or ministroke-like episodes on this drug? My prayer is that the word will get out before millions are hurt or killed by it. Lindajo
Lindago,
Thank you for sharing the information about Fosamax --you mean I was ingesting soap cleaner for 3 weeks? That's as long as I could take it because it immediately caused me stomach problems. Sure wish a medication that doesn't burn your stomach and throat, etc., can be developed.
You also mentioned that your Aunt has to take the Fosamax because her doctor says so. I would check into that statement because we all have choices about whether to accept the doctor's recommendations for treatment. The only exception I know of is when there is Court ordered treatment such as if an individual is in a facility and their right to make medical decisions has been taken away by Court and they are deemed incompetent to make their own medical decisions. The Court order has to be specific also about what treatment or medication can be involuntarily administered. It's worth checking this out so she doesn't die from the medication which would be way worse than suffering from osteo.
Of course, you are right - she has a choice, but her daughter will not allow her to go against the wishes and dictates of her doctor. This daughter is a Social Worker who believes in the infalability of doctors. She also believes she knows what is best for her mother. So she won't even consider that Fosamax is what is causing my aunt's demise. Lindajo
My mom is 89 yrs. old and was taking Fosamax since some hip surgery for a sl ight fracture.....was not herself afterwards bec. of all the anesthesia, I guess.... they put her on fosamax and hasn't acted right since,but her appetite was good....(she was also put on lots of other meds).....anyhow she complained about taking so many pills, so the doctor changed from fosamax to boniva once a month.......she got diarrhea and stopped eating and has been totally confused ever since....I took her back to the doctor and he said it had nothing to do with the boniva switch....I know that boniva's 1/2 life is only about 7 days max....but she is still not eating and confused....her doctor wants to continue with the boniva.....any advice? This is a new doctor and he really doesn't know her at all....and I do think he is a good doctor, but I worry about switching meds on someone so old..... please help me..I don't want to interfere but I am concerned.....
My mom is 89 yrs. old and was taking Fosamax since some hip surgery for a sl ight fracture.....was not herself afterwards bec. of all the anesthesia, I guess.... they put her on fosamax and hasn't acted right since,but her appetite was good....(she was also put on lots of other meds).....anyhow she complained about taking so many pills, so the doctor changed from fosamax to boniva once a month.......she got diarrhea and stopped eating and has been totally confused ever since....I took her back to the doctor and he said it had nothing to do with the boniva switch....I know that boniva's 1/2 life is only about 7 days max....but she is still not eating and confused....her doctor wants to continue with the boniva.....any advice? This is a new doctor and he really doesn't know her at all....and I do think he is a good doctor, but I worry about switching meds on someone so old..... please help me..I don't want to interfere but I am concerned.....
The first thing that comes to my mind is - 89 years old and taking Fosamax? Why?!
Hello, I am having severe joint, bone and muscle pain due to Boniva, which is similar to Fosamax. Thank you for your very informative post. Please let me know if you have any more information. I would surely appreciate it.
I've taken 70mg once a week for 3 weeks but it was one 70mg pill not two 35 mg pills. The 70mg was supposed to give time release medication for a week. I would call your doctor or pharmacist and ask if taking 2 pills makes any difference and would give you enough medication for a week.
Hi Happy New Year - I posted on the site before Xmas with a diagnosis of osteopenia (based on peripheral scan of forearm). I now have a diagnosis of osteoporosis after DXA scan on hips/spine showed density of -2.8 which is not good. Anyway, the doctor has strongly recommended Fosomax or one of the bisphonates and I have a prescription to change for 70 mg once a week. I am also looking into alternative routes (posted earlier today about Ayurvedic treatment which has not really been researched). So I now feel that, given the potential seriousness (I watched my mother shrink to nothing as a result of osteoporosis) of the condition that I have no choice but to try Fosamax. I have asked for a blood test before starting treatment to test hormone levels in case the Indian treatment I have been taking has had som effect on that. I have a appointment with an Ayurvedic doctor next month so will see what he says. Have you experienced any side effects? How long have you been diagnosed? How does it affect your every day life. I am devastated by the diagnosis as my lifestyle is good - lots of exercise, good food, no smoking and so on but I guess it is genetic although my sister has, it seems, been lucky enough to escape. Sorry to be so long winded about it but it really is a lot to take in at the moment.
Suzie, there is no clinical proof that drugs like Fosmax will prevent natural shrinkage. Did you know that? It's just one of the myths of osteo prevention drugs. Listen, carefully, to the commercials. They imply that the drugs will prevent this, but cannot say that they will. The plastic-like substance that Fosamax fills your bones with, has been found to make bones even more brittle than ever, after 3 or 4 years. Fosamax kills one of the 2 types of bone cells that are absolutely necessary to build bone naturally, through diet and resistance training. Once on Fosamax, natural bone growth can never happen. There will be NO chance of building actual bone and you risk jaw necrosis, a very serious disease that will seriously affect your ability to heal after any dental work or oral surgery, even causing serious, life-threatening infections. Please don't buy into the myth that this type of drug is either safe or effective. Do some searches on natural ways to build bone. Our bodies were made to heal themselves, but often, our poor food and drink choice, have compromised that ability. No booze, no cigarettes, no caffeine. All good stuff, calcium, exercise is THE best way to build REAL bone.
Great point, Peregrine. Why do doctors DO these things? Why risk the severe gastrointestinal side effects of a bone building drug on an 89 year old?! Always question a doctor when he says, "It can't be the drug", because he has NO clue if it can or can't and no way to prove it either way. We all have to use our common sense, which seems in short supply where doctors are concerned. All I can say is that the drug companies efforts to downplay side effects (effects, actually) and to exaggerate claims that people "need" their drugs and that they cure diseases, has been very, very successful. Most of us believe whatever they say. One-fifth of all drugs are eventually pulled from the market, but only after countless thousands have suffered. It takes so long because doctors aren't making connections, even when their patients do, and not reporting these things, so the cycle of ignorance just keeps on going.
My doctor put me on fosamax about six months ago. He said I had slight bone loss in one hip. I had no problems for several months other than a stale taste in my mouth. I took the drug exactly according to the directions. On New Years day I had a sudden and quite intense heartburn. I had just eaten some lasagna so I attributed it to that. I haven't had heartburn for over 25 years when I had my gall bladder removed. Several days ago I ate a tuna/cheese/celery/onion mixture in a hamburger bun. Within an hour I began experiencing acid reflux which increased in intensity until I was having severe chest pain. This continued on through the night. Naturally, the next morning I was exhausted, but I went to work. I slept good the next two nights, but I still have the discomfort in my stomach and after taking a calcium +D tablet, it got worse. Today was my morning to take fosamax and I decided to not do it. I did call my doctor the day after my episode, but his receptionist relayed a message from him that he doubted it was the fosamax and I should probably get some over the counter medication for the indigestion (I think she said prilosec). I just don't like the idea of taking one medication to counteract the bad effects of another medication. I have pretty much decided, after reading and researching a lot on the subject, to discontinue the fosamax regardless of my doctors preference. I am going to research natural ways of preventing bone loss and discontinue the caffeine, sodas and other things that seem to be part of the problem. Any information anyone could give me in this regard would be greatly appreciated.
"All it does is kill the osteoclasts that remove old dead bone. Because of this, the osteoblasts cannot build in new, living bone like they should. So your bone scans show increased density, but it is layers of dead bone that have not been removed. This causes the bones to be weaker than they were to begin with."
This is not true. Bisphosphonates reduce bone turnover (absorption and formation) to normal premenopausal levels. It does not kil ALL of the osteoclasts. Initial evidence showed that it simply prevented the oseoclasts from absorbing bone. However, there is some data that shows they may cause osteoclast apoptosis (cell death). By preventing the oseoclasts from aborbing to much bone (ie: reduces the depth and number of resorption sites) it allows the osteoblasts to come in "earlier" and lay down more bone. It also allows for proper secondary mineralization. This reduces turnover and results in a net gain in BMD. Basically, you are bringing resorption and formation back into normal premenopausal range. 10 yr clinical data in real world patients shows no signs of brittle bone or bone with accumulated microdamage (weak bone). In order to get the weaker bone that you speak of you would have to pretty much completely shutdown bone turnover (especially resorption)...and that just isn't happening here with the bisphosphonates at the recommended doses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lindajo
Hello, everyone! I decided to register so I could tell you my experiences with Fosamax.
First, my aunt told me a couple of years ago that her doctor had put her on the "drug" for osteoporosis. It wasn't too long before she began complaining to me that she had joint pain and that food no longer tasted good, that she almost gagged when she tried to eat. She was also suffering eye troubles. Two years after beginning treatment, she began falling down with what the doc called seizures for want of a better term. She would become completely disoriented after these "episodes". I began to wonder if Fosamax could be responsible, since she had none of these problems prior to taking it. So, I came home and began researching the drug.
I discovered that Fosamax is the same poison acid that takes the soap scum off your bathtub. The reason one cannot lie down after taking it for at least 30 minutes, is that if reflux occurs, it will burn your esophagus and throat. It also burns the stomach, intestines and liver, so that you can get ulcers. Fosamax does not build living bone. All it does is kill the osteoclasts that remove old dead bone. Because of this, the osteoblasts cannot build in new, living bone like they should. So your bone scans show increased density, but it is layers of dead bone that have not been removed. This causes the bones to be weaker than they were to begin with.
A dear friend of mine at my church began having the same symptoms as my aunt. She ended up in the hospital because she was falling down with these same "seizures", had the joint pain, and eye trouble as well as stomach hurt. I asked her if she were taking Fosamax. The answer was "yes!" She stopped taking it and has had no further "seizures". She had started walking with a cane because her joints had gotten so bad, but now she can walk without just fine. My sister and I have discovered 8 people in our churches and neighborhoods who have the same symptoms and are all taking Fosamax. This is no coincidence. Even my doctor says we are on to something here.
Unfortunately for my aunt, her daughter says she must obey doctor's orders and keep taking the "drug". They've taken away her car and her townhouse, put her into assisted living. She is down to 77 pounds now with her clothes on. It is killing her - I fully expect her to die from it. No amount of reasoning will change the mind of her doctor. She claims if I were right, the company or the FDA would have come up with these side effects. Trouble is, no doctors are connecting these symptoms with Fosamax, just like they didn't with Vioxx, which is made by the same company and was not properly tested long-range. So, please do not take this drug. It is devastating. There are other drug companies that are making Fosamax under different names, so beware of those, too. Have any of you suffered seizure-like or ministroke-like episodes on this drug? My prayer is that the word will get out before millions are hurt or killed by it. Lindajo
I would NOT take two at once. You are more likely to encounter problems. Studies have shown that tolerability problems have more to do with frequency of dosing and not total dose. So, two pills at one time is probably not the best way to go, especially if you already have trouble swallowing them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cwing
I have been on Fosamax once weekly for a view years. It was 35mg once weekly. Now the dosage has been increased to 70mg once weekly. A nurse said I could just take two of the 35mg and use up the supply I have on hand. Has anyone taken two of these at once?? They can be a little tricky with the swallowing.
Here is a quote from the FDA APPROVED prescribing information for Fosamax...
"FOSAMAX, over a three- or four-year period, was associated with statistically significant reductions in loss of height vs. placebo in patients with and without baseline radiographic vertebral fractures. At the end of the FIT studies the between-treatment group differences were 3.2mm in the Three-Year Study and 1.3mm in the Four-Year Study."
Here is another quote from that same document....
"Alendronate is a bisphosphonate that binds to bone hydroxyapatite and specifically inhibits the activity of osteoclasts, the bone-resorbing cells. Aldenronate reduces bone resorption with no direct effect on bone formation, although the later process is ultimately reduced because bone resorption and formation are coupled during bone turnover."
QUESTION...What is your source of information for saying that Fosamax makes bones more brittle than ever, after 3 to 4 years? I would be interested to see that information. Is it in humans? Is it in a peer reviewed academic journal?
And by the way....Vitamin D and calcium IS THE PLACEBO GROUP in all bisphosphonate studies. Please notice what the BMD gains (OR LACK OF) were for those placebo groups......
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bernadette12
Suzie, there is no clinical proof that drugs like Fosmax will prevent natural shrinkage. Did you know that? It's just one of the myths of osteo prevention drugs. Listen, carefully, to the commercials. They imply that the drugs will prevent this, but cannot say that they will. The plastic-like substance that Fosamax fills your bones with, has been found to make bones even more brittle than ever, after 3 or 4 years. Fosamax kills one of the 2 types of bone cells that are absolutely necessary to build bone naturally, through diet and resistance training. Once on Fosamax, natural bone growth can never happen. There will be NO chance of building actual bone and you risk jaw necrosis, a very serious disease that will seriously affect your ability to heal after any dental work or oral surgery, even causing serious, life-threatening infections. Please don't buy into the myth that this type of drug is either safe or effective. Do some searches on natural ways to build bone. Our bodies were made to heal themselves, but often, our poor food and drink choice, have compromised that ability. No booze, no cigarettes, no caffeine. All good stuff, calcium, exercise is THE best way to build REAL bone.
