Bisphosphonate Drugs

Bisphosphonate drugs have been linked to an increased risk of potentially serious medical conditions. These bisphosphonates side effects could be life-threatening in some patients and extremely traumatic. Some bisphosphonates have been linked to femur fractures and "jaw death" (osteonecrosis). Bisphosphonates lawsuits have been filed against the makers of some osteoporotic medication, alleging patients were not adequately warned about the risks associated with the drugs.

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Bisphosphonates Side Effects

Bisphosphonate drugs are medicines designed to prevent or slow the development of osteoporosis. They are given to patients to prevent bones from losing calcium and other minerals that help keep bones strong. Bisphosphonates are also given to some cancer patients and patients with Paget's disease. Among the drugs in the bisphosphonate class are:

Aclasta
Actonel
Aredia
Atelvia
Bondronat
Boniva
Didronel
Fosamax
Fosamax+D
Reclast
Skelid
Zometa

Some of the bisphosphonates are taken orally while others are given intravenously.

Unfortunately, some women were given bisphosphonates even though they had osteopenia—which is often just a normal loss of bone mineral density—rather than osteoporosis. This may have exposed some women to a greater risk of side effects than was necessary and may have resulted in women being on bisphosphonate medications longer than they should have been.

Side effects of some bisphosphonate medications reportedly include an increased risk atypical femur fracture in women who took bisphosphonate medications for longer than five years. Bisphosphonate medications have also been linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw, esophageal cancer and arrhythmia.

Osteoporotic Bisphosphonates Side Effects

Among the side effects reportedly linked to use of bisphosphonate medications are:

Atypical subtrochanteric fractures—fractures that occur in the femur and often occur when the patient does something simple such as stepping off a curb or walking down stairs.

Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ)—This often occurs after minor dental trauma and involves death of a portion of the patient's jawbone. Symptoms of ONJ include swelling in the face, pain and inflammation of oral tissue, tooth lose, serious infection, exposed bone and numbness in the jaw. In some cases, portions of the jaw must be cut out surgically.

Esophageal Cancer—The FDA reportedly has documented 68 cases of patients developing esophageal cancer after using bisphosphonate medications. Some studies suggest patients taking osteoporosis medications are at twice the risk of esophageal cancer as those in the general population.

Arrhythmia—A 2007 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that certain bisphosphonates were linked to an increased risk of arrhythmia.

Bisphosphonates Lawsuits

Lawsuits have been filed against the makers of certain bisphosphonate medications, alleging patients were not adequately warned about the risks associated with use of bisphosphonate drugs.

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Last updated on Nov-1-11

BISPHOSPHONATES ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS

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