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Fosamax tied to fractures Prolonged use of Fosamax, also referred to by the generic name bisphosphonate alendronate, may increase the risk of fractures of the femur, the large thigh bone that connects the leg to the hip, according to physicians at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. There has been a build-up of evidence suggesting that long-term alendronate use may overly suppress bone metabolism, limiting the repair of microdamage and increasing the risk of fractures, Dr. Joseph M. Lane and colleagues report in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma. To investigate this risk, the New York-based research team reviewed all 70 patients femoral fractures admitted to their Level 1 trauma center between 2002 and 2007. The average patient age was 75 years and the group included 59 women. Records showed that 25 patients (36 percent) were being treated with alendronate. Nineteen of the 20 patients who had the same fracture pattern were also taking alendronate, the authors report. The other patient was later diagnosed with cancer. The average duration of alendronate use was significantly longer in patients with femoral stress fractures than in the six treated patients without this type of fracture, 6.9 years versus 2.5 years, respectively. Otherwise, there were no significant differences in age, race, weight or history of osteoporosis among patients with and those without this fracture pattern, the report indicates. Lane and his associates call for further research to determine if this effect is associated with all bisphosphonate drugs and if it became apparent first with alendronate because this drug has been available for the longest time and is the most widely used. In the meantime, "physicians prescribing bisphosphonates for longer durations should monitor patients for indications of bone regeneration," Lane advises in a university press release. If a blood test shows a low level of bone turnover, he recommends that bisphosphonates be discontinued until levels return to normal. SOURCE: The Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma May/June Dr. Cinque's comments: I know of a woman who not long ago had a severe reaction to another biophosphonate drug called Reclast. It was administered to her by injection. She swelled up like a balloon. She had severe flu-like symptoms. And she was profoundly weak and in pain to the extent of having to be hospitalized. It took her many weeks to recover from her adverse reaction to the one shot. Regarding this news about Fosamax boosting fractures, remember that these drugs work by poisoning certain bone cells called osteoclasts. And obviously, you are going down a dangerous road when poisoning a part of yourself is what you are trying to do. My advice to women who are contemplating biophosphate therapy is: DON'T DO IT. There are plenty of wholesome, positive, and constructive things you can do to foster bone health without resorting to poisons. And of course I am speaking of diet, exercise, sun exposure, sleep adequacy, and all the elements of a healthy lifestyle. And regarding supplements, you can take calcium and other minerals, high-dose Vitamin K2, Vitamin D, the mineral strontium, and soy protein. It's a darn shame that the FDA banned the bio-identical Estriol just to protect Wyeth's profits with their horse estrogen. But there is a campaign going on right now to get that evil edict reversed, and hopefully, it will succeed. My Goodness, if a woman is going to take estrogen at all, why wouldn't she want to take the bio-identical one? Why should she be forced by government decree to resort to horse estrogen just to safeguard a corporation's profits? Evil is the right word. I'm not taking it back. E-mail to a friend Previous Article Next Article |
