Fosamax Use Linked To Broken Femurs and Dead Jaws

San Francisco, CAPatients with brittle bones might want to think twice before using bisphosphonates like Fosamax, as recent studies suggest that the bone density drugs may actually put patients at an increased risk of bone fracture and osteoporosis.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">Approved in 1995, Fosamax has become one of the most popular medications for patients with osteoporosis who want to increase their bone density. Foxamax and other bisphosphonates work by slowing down the degeneration of bone cells. In recent years, aspersions have been cast on the drug due to its connection to osteonecrosis, or bone death, in the jawbone.

A recent study from the University of California at San Francisco claims that the risks of bone fragility are rare. However, reports published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, the journal Injury, the Journal of Orthopedic Trauma and other medical journals have warned that the drug produces an "increased susceptibility to, and delayed healing of, nonspinal fractures."

A mere six months after Merck introduced Fosamax on the market, the pharmaceutical company was forced to issue a letter to physicians warning about significant esophageal side effects that had not been initially noticed, according to health columnist Martha Rosenburg.