|
|
Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/16/2009
Posts: -1
Points: -64
Location: NH
|
My doctor recommends that I take one of the following: Boniva, Fosamax or Reclast. Each of them come with a list of scary side effects. I am a very small boned woman and have Osteopenia. However, I also have Fibromyalgia and other related conditions. I spend my life trying to balance what is good for whatever. And so, before I make any decisions, I am doing a lot of research. Have any of you, taken these drugs? If so, what side effects or lack thereof have you encountered. To me, this is definitely a case of one size does not fit all. Please weigh in on this only if you have taken the medicine or have a close family member who is taking one.
This is research, so please be precise. Thanks
|
|
Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 6/17/2008
Posts: 0
Points: 309
Location: Colorado
|
My doctor has finally given up recommending those types of meds, Anne. I just kept telling him I refuse to take a drug that requires me to be standing or sitting up for a half-hour after I take it. I did try a few times several years ago, didn't take it long enough for side effects to set in, but I just had a very bad feeling about it. And shortly after that, the negative stuff started to show up in the news. I did talk to a more holistic doctor at that time, she said that the quality of the bone is an issue, because these drugs aren't building new bone as much as keeping the old brittle bone tissue around for a longer time.
|
|
Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/16/2009
Posts: -1
Points: -64
Location: NH
|
Thanks Rita. I am also nervous about these drugs. There does not seem to be a consensus and I am finding that the more I read the less likely I am to take them. I have been taking Evista for years which was supposed to help with bone, heart and breast cancer prevention. Now my new doctor said it can cause blood clots and stroke in older women..so I should stop. For each positive action there seems to be a negative counter. I have started taking Calcitrate for calcium and more vitamin D. I am also taking old fashioned Cod Liver Oil (in gel caps)....can't hurt and has some good benefits. Will increase wt. bearing exercise and walk more. Hopefully, that will help to prevent fractures. My great grandmother was in her 80s when she began using a cane. (I have no idea for what) ...now along came a delivery boy with a soiled carton of something and put it down on her freshly cleaned kitchen counter. The old gal was so angry that she chased him out of the house with her cane held high in the air. She lived to be in her 90s (as do most of my maternal ancestors) ...without a cane.
|
|
Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 6/17/2008
Posts: 0
Points: 309
Location: Colorado
|
Anne, if you click on Articles - Fitness/Health, then scroll down to January 2009, read the "Bless My Bones" article. The author of the book has an interesting take on this subject. I found the book very worthwhile.
|
|
Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/12/2008
Posts: 0
Points: 291
Location: Minneapolis
|
I've never liked the idea of these drugs (Fosomax, Boniva, Actonel, etc.), and given recent history of drug companies rushing products to market while suppressing adverse results, I will not take a chance.
|
|
Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/16/2009
Posts: -1
Points: -64
Location: NH
|
Thanks Terry,
Do you know anyone who is taking the drugs? I'd love to hear from them. Seems no one I know has been happy and they have tried and quit.
|
|
Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/12/2008
Posts: 0
Points: 291
Location: Minneapolis
|
I've been asking around, and as Y said, the women I know who've tried it have stopped taking it.
|
|
Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 6/17/2008
Posts: 0
Points: 309
Location: Colorado
|
Anne, here's a link to an article I just saw today: http://www.physorg.com/news205512092.html - the article mentions other options such as a twice-yearly injection versus taking the drug every day on an empty stomach, then remaining sitting or standing for a half-hour with no other food or drink. Much better, though I still feel hesitant about possible side effcts, given the drug companies' history in recent years. I wonder if we'll find out later that reports of problems were swept under the rug.
|
|
Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/16/2009
Posts: -1
Points: -64
Location: NH
|
Yenth, I do not understand your message. Please translate to English. If you have something I could use for health problems, I would appreciate your wisdom and education. Hoang Yen....does this mean welcome to us, or is this a greeting to someone specific.
|
|
Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 6/17/2008
Posts: 0
Points: 309
Location: Colorado
|
Here is another article I just picked up today - they mention esophageal cancer as another risk. Since I have a hiatal hernia, I suspect that would tend to increase my risk that the drugs would stay in my esophagus for a longer time before reaching the stomach. The idea of standing or sitting up for 1/2 hour after taking the bone meds is an attempt to prevent that, but who knows if it works? Anyway, here's the article, good coverage of the issues... http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/10/11/sorting_through_advice_on_osteoporosis/?page=1
|
|
Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/16/2009
Posts: -1
Points: -64
Location: NH
|
Thank you Rita. I have also been reading a lot and will go to the link you sent. Spoke with my Dr. and have decided not to take the medications. I am taking more calcium and vitamins, in particular Vitamin D. Am exercising and will shortly begin a program with weights as directed by a therapist.
|
|
|
Guest |