Drugs to Build Bones May Weaken Them

 Should bisphosphonates be stopped in patients who have been taking them for many years?  Should they be used at all?

This should not deter the practicing physician to prescribe these agents osteoporosis will reach epidemic proportions and if we can reduce fractures by 50% the savings within the healthcare system will be enormous that's not to say that individuals albeit rare may have a propensity to develop fractures with these drugs a better understanding within the each individual's bone metabolism will be greatly...

Considering the effects of fosamax and other bisphosphonates on bone remodeling, it is not at all surprising to see problems arising with the long term use of these agents.  

Bisphosphonates, including medications like Fosamax, prevents normal bone turnover and metabolism.  Nephrologists had anticipated similar findings as these recent reports as over-suppression of normal bone turnover may be associated with adynamic bone disease and possibly fractures.  The process in kidney disease patients cannot be extrapolated to the normal, non-kidney disease patients...

As in so many other instances, some potential side effects will only show up once the number of patients has grown far beyond the number studied in pre-marketing studies.

1. This study may not have a big impact on the prescriptions of alendronate in the short term unless this problem is found to be more wide-spread. With the increased incidence of jaw necrosis reported earlier, physicians will carefully weigh the benefits before starting alendronate. 2. The fractures were found to be in patients who had taken alendronate for an average of 6.9 years. Physicians may...

Patients may ask about this.  Haven't heard anyone yet.

This report suggest that there is a point in therapy where we start seiing negative effects from the use of bisphosphanates. There needs to be guidelines on length of therapy. Too long may lead to adverse effects.