How Long Is Too Long on Fosamax?

Trail, British ColumbiaElsie's doctor prescribed her Fosamax for osteoporosis, but after taking the drug for almost four years, she stopped after learning of Fosamax side effects, including Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ)—also known as "dead jaw"—and femur fractures.

"At first I was on another bone density drug but suffered such bad heartburn that I quit taking it," says Elsie. "Besides, I hadn't suffered any injuries so why was I taking it? I also think my doctor was jumping the gun with the osteoporosis diagnosis: I am 71 and so far I haven't had any injuries, but since I started taking Fosamax, I'm getting increasing pain in my back and legs. As well, I have scoliosis, and this pain has increased a lot since I have taken Fosamax. I can't stand, let alone do any shopping, for any length of time because of this back pain. I was also having a lot of pain between my hip and my knee in the bone, especially at night. It took a long time before the pain would settle down and I would be comfortable enough to sleep. I couldn't figure out what was going on—did I actually have osteoporosis?

"Then I saw the Fosamax side effects on a news broadcast. I found out that when you first take Fosamax it helps build bone, but after a period of time, it starts to destroy the bone! I quit Fosamax right after I saw this news broadcast and then I went online—knowing that I was taking a drug that had the potential to harm someone shocked me very much.

"When I told my doctor I quit taking Fosamax, I also asked him if he had seen the news broadcast. 'No, I haven't seen Fosamax on the news, but the only thing we are concerned about is "dead jaw,"' he said. So I told him that wasn't all—side effects were also femur fractures."

(Studies have shown that femur fractures typically occur after taking Fosamax or another type of bisphosphonate for more than five years. Merck, the manufacturer of Fosamax, conducted clinical trials in postmenopausal women that were of two or three years' duration. Other clinical studies were three and four years in duration, at the most.)

Elsie says she stopped taking Fosamax a few months ago, and so far the pain hasn't gotten any worse. Instead she takes Vitamin C, Vitamin D, calcium and magnesium for her bones—partly on her daughter's advice.

"I guess I should have listened to my daughter, but there are also times when she should have listened to me," Elsie says, laughing. "You've got to hang onto your sense of humor for as long as you can breathe.

"By the way, my daughter is a registered Product Nutritional Advisor and she told me before I quit taking Fosamax that it was bad. But my doctor told me to take it—I trusted him...

"Now I am concerned that Fosamax will cause damage down the road because I took it for a long time—probably too long. I haven't had a bone density test done since my doctor put me on Fosamax. My daughter was told that she had extreme osteoporosis, and then they discovered her body wasn't absorbing calcium and it had to do with her kidneys. It seems to me that osteoporosis is a catch-all, but that's just my opinion. Anyway, I'm not going to get any more tests done unless my doctor advises it.

"Sometimes people are better off not seeing a doctor! There is such a big money grab with pharmaceuticals and doctors get money from writing prescriptions, so I think that dishing out all these drugs, including Fosamex, has gotten out of hand. I believe there are a lot of vitamin supplements and foods people can take instead of drugs—especially when drugs like Fosamax actually cause the problem!"