A National Women’s Health Network article Bone-Breaking Drugs? reports on the sudden increased incidence of unusual and serious fractures of the femur (thigh bone) in women taking Fosamax (alendronate) for more than four years. A Medline search revealing more than 50 reported cases suggests an epidemic of such fractures say the authors Adriane Fugh-Berman and Charlea T. Massion, as reported cases usually tend to be the tip of the iceberg.
Reports of serious adverse reactions to bisphosphonate drugs continue to accumulate, indicating they may be doing far more harm than previously thought. Jaw necrosis and other bone necrosis (bone death) is associated with bisphosphonate use and many dentists now won’t work on orthodontic problems in people on bisphosphonates as even without osteonecrosis of the jaw, there is an overall impairment of bone repair mechanisms. Earlier this year the FDA issued an alert regarding chronic and debilitating joint bone and muscle pain. And recently, after examining the evidence the FDA has not been able to confirm that the drugs cause irregular heart rhythms (atrial fibrilliation), but can’t rule it out, either. The FDA says it will do further studies of this issue, but in the meantime it has alerted women about the possible problem.
A 2006 literature review published in Drug Safety concluded that the underreporting by US physicians of adverse drug reactions including serious and fatal adverse drug reactions is in excess of 90 percent. Astonishing! If you or someone in your family has experienced a serious reaction to a bisphosphonate drug or any medical product, you can now report directly to the US Food and Drug Administration MedWatch program by going to the MedWatch homepage clicking on “How to Report”, then “Reporting by Health Professionals” or “Reporting by Consumers”. Or you can report your adverse experience directly to the MedWatch Program by calling call 1-800-FDA-1088.
There are also consumer websites like http://www.askapatient.com or http://www.topix.com/forum/drug/ where you can read others experiences, ask questions and discuss your concerns.
