What are the negative effects of bisphosphonates?
Side effects for all the bisphosphonates (alendronate, ibandronate, risedronate and zoledronic acid) may include bone, joint or muscle pain. Side effects of the oral tablets may include nausea, difficulty swallowing, heartburn, irritation of the esophagus (tube connecting the throat to the stomach) and gastric ulcer.
Why do you stop bisphosphonates after 5 years?
Thighbone fractures. To reduce the risk of these rare complications, your doctor may recommend that you temporarily stop taking bisphosphonates after 3 to 5 years. This is sometimes called a bisphosphonate holiday. People who have severe osteoporosis may need to wait for 10 years before they stop taking these drugs.
Which are the most common side effects of the bisphosphonates drug category?
The most common side effects of bisphosphonates are stomach irritation and heartburn, but these problems are often avoided by taking the medication correctly. Other common side effects include: Bone or joint pain, or generalized pain. Muscle cramps or aches.
Are bisphosphonates worth the risk?
Yet many experts say the benefits of the drugs, known as bisphosphonates, far outweigh the risks for many users. An analysis in the New England Journal of Medicine last month estimated that for every 1,000 women with osteoporosis treated up to five years, bisphosphonates prevented 100 fractures and caused at most 1.
Do all bisphosphonates cause hair loss?
No, hair loss hasn’t been reported as a side effect of Actonel. But some people who’ve taken bisphosphonates other than Actonel have reported hair loss. (Bisphosphonates are a group of drugs that includes Actonel.) For instance, some people taking the bisphosphonate drug called Fosamax reported hair loss.
Why do you need a drug holiday from bisphosphonates?
Because bisphosphonates are incorporated into the skeleton and continue to exert an anti-resorptive effect for a period of time after the discontinuation of drugs, the concept of a “drug holiday” has emerged, whereby the risk of adverse effects might be decreased while the patient still benefits from anti-fracture …
Do bisphosphonates build bone?
Standard treatments, drugs called bisphosphonates, stop the loss of bone but do not build it. The alternatives, parathyroid hormone and a derivative, build bone but also break it down, limiting the therapeutic effect.
Who should avoid bisphosphonates?
Clinicians should avoid oral bisphosphonates in patients who are at a higher risk of these gastrointestinal adverse effects, including those who are not able to sit upright for at least 30 minutes after taking the bisphosphonate, and patients with esophageal disorders such as achalasia, esophageal stricture, Barrett’s …
Do bisphosphonates lower immune system?
This work suggests that bisphosphonates have the potential to depress the innate immune system for a prolonged time, possibly contributing to the pathogenesis of BRONJ.