Osteoporosis and the drug Alendronate

Hi. Im in my 50s and recently been advised to take alendronate. I was uming and erring about trying herbal route first until i broke my left wrist. I broke the right in January, both a nothing fall but both requiring pins and plates both times. So, i have the pescription and the meds available but i dont know if i can start taking the treatment. Ive sent an email to consultant to say look, had to have an operation can i start but dont expect to hear back for a while. The medication instruction says consult after dental surgery. Its specific to dental so im pretty sure post operative is okay, but i want to make sure. 15 days post op no complications. Any advice? Thanks

Mallin

I refused to take that drug as I was unable to manage the upright part. Only to find that the same drug is available as an injection which lasts for 3,6 or 12 months. Only problem is that it can only be given in a hospital not gp’s surgery. So I’m waiting for my hospital appointment!

The infusion is zoledronic acid, not alendronic acid. It's a step up and the risks are higher.

theros.org.uk/information-and-support/osteoporosis/treatment/

All bisphosphonates stay in your system for five years.

I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2021 - I'm 65 and have RA which is a risk factor, plus history of steroids and a big family history of osteoporosis. My maternal grandmother ended up in a wheelchair because of it.

I saw my dentist before taking Alendronic acid and he was very reassuring. He does check ups every six months now. The risk is with toothe extraction and they won't know if you are affected until you have a tooth out.
I take it exactly as described and had no side effects. However I have had gastritis caused by something else and had to stop it for a while. The alternative is an infusion but the risks increase with that so I want to avoid it.

I highly recommend the Royal Osteoporosis society. They have some excellent videos on their website and a telephone helpline run by a nurse. I have used it and was impressed.

None of my doctors seem interested in giving advice or information about osteo, my other conditions mean I see a lot of doctors.

Calcium alone is never enough. In fact the nurse at the ROS told me that alendronic acid uses extra calcium to rebuid bones so if you are on it you need even more.

Calcium tablets are another subject. I will start a thread on them.

I was told that I would be transferred to six monthly injections if the pills did not suit me - and that these would need to be administered in the hospital.

I am into my third week and so so good.

I refused to take that drug as I was unable to manage the upright part. Only to find that the same drug is available as an injection which lasts for 3,6 or 12 months. Only problem is that it can only be given in a hospital not gp’s surgery. So I’m waiting for my hospital appointment!

Just been reading the Royal Osteoporois site. It tells me that now I have been prescribed Alendronic Acid, I will have a check up after 1 month and again after six, possibly involving another scan.

I am laughing so hard I nearly broke a rib. I have been told that I have been put on the drug for 10 years, as I am 80 they are assuming I will be dead by then, and signed off. Follow -ups,? Check ups? who do they think they are kidding.

Blebelle You are fortunate. I am on medication for life and the hospital have signed me off their books. Done and dusted and my records archived, I assume.

I ve had good treatment via NHS for osteoperosis which I also didn’t know I had, I ve had a number of falls without breaking anything (I ll say that quietly) but I have lost height the sun clue

I get an annual infusion and a three yearly dexa scan and an annual phone call

M0nica

Marydoll remembering your posts on other threads, I think you have very complex medical problems that require constant checks and, rightly so, you get them.

Mine is a bog standard diagnosis, found by chance , with no symptoms and a simple remedy, but I would like to have seen a real live doctor just once.

Monica I was diagnosed nearly forty years ago, only because my respiratory consultant thought I might have osteoporosis due to the high doses of steroids I was on. I had absolutely no symptoms at all. Neither did I have the complex issues that I have now, so I reckon I have been very fortunate in the excellent care, I have received over the years.

Much to my shock, not only was I diagnosed with osteoporosis, I also had R.A.

I am sorry to hear that some posters have been abandoned by the NHS.

Monica, I had a diagnosis of osteopenia (precursor to osteoporosis) ten years ago. I had the scan and the result went to my surgery. I discussed it with a doctor and he prescribed the alendronate acid, which I took for six years.

I was called for another DEXA scan, whereupon I learnt that for most people the treatment is given only for about five years because it is ineffective beyond that. My condition had improved so I no longer had to take the drug but they would probably have stopped it anyway at that point.

HTH.

Marydoll remembering your posts on other threads, I think you have very complex medical problems that require constant checks and, rightly so, you get them.

Mine is a bog standard diagnosis, found by chance , with no symptoms and a simple remedy, but I would like to have seen a real live doctor just once.

My experience is different.

I had two yearly appointments with an endocrinologist for the last thirty years, then was transferred to a specialised bone mineral unit, where it was discovered I wasn't retaining vitamin D, which is necessary to absorb calcium.
I am still having Dexa scans, every two years, the latest one in the summer.

I am not sure where you are, Luckygirl , but there isn't much follow up where I live either.

My osteoporosis was found when i had a DEXA scan for a research project I am part of. My GP referred me to the local hospital. I waited 8 months for another DEXA scan by the hospital, carried out by 2 technicians. Three months later I received a letter confirming I had osteoporosis and I had a brief phone call with a hospital doctor who told me that I was being put on medication.

Four months later, neither I nor my GP had been given any information about the medication, so I contacted the hospital again. I then had to wait another 3 months for another brief telephone consultation. They said again I was being put on medication for the rest of my life, referred me to the Royal Osteoporosis Society site, then thank you and goodbye.

Everything dealt with, prescribed and dismissed without me ever once seeing a doctor. They did follow through this time and the next time I renewed my prescription it included Alendronic Acid.

Now I know my case was quite simple, I have never broken a bone in my life and, for other reason I am prone to falls. My osteoporosis would not have been discovered without the research scan, but I do think I should have been seen by a doctor just once.

I will not say it is ageism. My 13 year old DGS suffers from anaemia, and his parents have been told that the hospital do not intend to do anything more to find the cause, as it is not severe enough. He has been signed off by the hospital and will just stay on his current medication indefinitely.

It is just what the NHS has descended to. If your illness does not have a quick fix, they do not want to know.

Very interesting. So much more information here than I could get a doctor to tell me. Thank you

I was unable to take this due to reflux and heartburn. I am not able to exercise in any significant way - just walking - but eat a calcium rich diet. I am now on denosumab injections 6 monthly. I have no idea whether these are working as apparently you need to take it for 5 years before significant progress takes place. And getting a dexa here is impossible - and there is no proper follow up. It is hopeless here. I hate being on this strong drug with no idea whether it is doing anything useful.

I took it for five years after my breast cancer diagnosis. A weekly tablet first thing and standing up for 30 minutes. When I needed a tooth extracted I had to have it done at the hospital rather than by my own dentist. No side effects that I know of.

I was prescribed it after fracturing a vertebra but found it made me so sick I couldn’t persevere. No alternative was offered and, cross fingers, nothing else has broken in the seventeen years since.

I took Alandronate and vitamin D/calcium for 2 years for PRA. I’ve never had a scan (or even seen a doctor) so just have to hope they counteracted the steroids which weaken bones.
I don’t consume any dairy products and have never broken a bone.

I’ve taken mine this morning but was only prescribed it a couple of months ago after sustaining several vertebral fractures for no apparent reason.

The only side effect has been occasional very slight reflux.

I have taken the weekly tablet since 2019 when a small fall resulted in a spinal stress fracture. Neve had a Dexa scan, two different GP surgeries told me no point, as someone of my age who sustgains a stress fracture MUST have Osteoporosis!!!

Read and was told about that long list of possible side-effects, but have never had any. Only side effect since taking these has been that my nails, which I had never been able to grow to anything like decent size, are now lovely and strong, and look good. Also take twice dails Adcal pill.

Been told my medical notes say I will come off Alendronic Acid in 2024.

I can’t take the tablet so I have annual infusions 3 years then a years rest Fell twice lately and no broken bones 🤞🏼

Your bones do not take up calcium from your diet. You have to trick mature bones into thinking they are still growing. Alendronic acid does this. It is a very safe drug. The dose is usually one tablet per week. My aunt used to take it and had no trouble at all.

I have found the Royal Osteoporosis Society website very useful

I have just started taking it. I have no idea why I have osteoporosis. I do not tick any of the 'at risk' boxes and although my dyspraxia and a dodgy ankle make me prone to falls, I have never knowingly broken anything. However it showed up in a scan.

As far as I am concerned I intend to take the medication. If I can develop osteoporosis without ticking any at risk boxes and being physically active, then I will take any medication that will help me.

I have osteopenia but chose not to have alendronate. I exercise at home with weights, take my dog for 2 x 1hr walks daily, have calcium and Vit D tabs and a diet rich in calcium.