Up until recently I used to take 5mg Fosamax daily as when I was started on it I had just had two lots of major bowel surgery which made me unsuitable for once a week at that time.
Recently was told that 5mg are no longer being produced and won't be produced again.
My GP has now deemed it worth trying the 70mg once a week but to watch for any adverse stomach issues.
I know a few people here take it but bar being upright for 1hr is there anything else I should know? or be aware of?
Is there any situation that it should be stopped immediately?
Sorry dumb questions but the leaflet in the box is in ""spanish""!
Ask your pharmacist to provide one in English first. Second the longer you can be upright and avoid eating the better chance you have of avoiding indigestion, the blurb says 1/2 an hour. I take gaviscon to supliment my usual omeprozol on fosimax days.
Download the patient information leaflet from there.
Sorry Steve can't get link to work.
Cathbear - I took it with 1/2 litre of mineral water - is that enough?
Yep Bex - got darn indigestion within 30mins of the stupid thing - thank goodness for Rennie tablets is all I can say. Even the Nexium hasn't stopped it hurting! Please tell me the indigestion goes off after a while please!
I reckon to be chucking gavison down my throat for 24 hours after taking my fosimax. The longer I can hold off eating the better although how diabetics manage I don't know.
I often have a few gulps of water before I take it so it has something to swim in when it hits my stomach then down a pint of water ( Beer glasses have their use) then sit doing a Sudoku for half an hour. I then take my Lazoprazole as I assume that taking it more than half an hour after is 'not at the same time' as the fosamax.
I assume taking it like this means that it is all more or less absorbed in the stomach and hence needs the stomach acid to help it.
If you get severe indegestion, ask your GP.
Also If I feel a little yuck on that day I take it the next day instead. or if I forget and get my mug of tea!
Also, not stomach related but Fosamax has recently been shown to affect teeth! So ask your dentist to keep an eye on them and advise them that you are taking fosamax - apparently it can damage them! (Builds your bones but knackers your teeth!) BUT pls don't worry about this - bones are important.
there has been something in the news about a new drug, some similar one, a biophosphonate (sp?) that only needs to be given IV once a year! Would be good as no more tea deprivation first thing in the morning once a week.
Hope this helps
Kate
I have the iv one but mines every 3mths? i cant tollerats any of the oral ones so have the iv some peeps still have side effects but i dont have any? think its fab!! Havent had a bone scan since started so dont know if its actually improved bones, but ribs dont seem to be popping as easily? so fingers crossed?
Andrea xxx
Its eased off with a big dollup of dihydrocodeine - but my sternum felt like someone was ripping it out at one point - it hurt that much !!
I guess I need to gvie it a month to tell for sure but saing an hr sleep a day has to be worth the pain I guess !!
Andrea there is a BRAND NEW one all over the news yesterday for 12mths - but all I know is it for osteoporisi suffereds so far !!
Wheezer, can you drink filtered water? Also may be cheaper in the long run than mineral water. Though filtering water does take out some of the usefull minerals & calcium etc. Just a thought.
Wheezer, can you drink filtered water? Also may be cheaper in the long run than mineral water. Though filtering water does take out some of the usefull minerals & calcium etc. Just a thought.
Kate - dont know why but the only water I tolerate is mineral water or flavoured sparkling water - daft I know but just hate tap water even after being filtered lol
Ok any tips to prevent the tummy/heartburn today ??
Oh and does anyone else get bad bone type pain when they take it??
HELPPPPP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seems I dont tolerate 70mg once a week (was on 5mg a day before) !!
I took 2nd dose yesterday - had really severe tummy issues and woke up today swollen from head to toe !!
Seems it irratating a tummy issue (had bleeding ulcers/ulcers/surgery before) !!
The swelling is so typical of how I was when an ulcer played up before - I already take the treatments for it anyway !!
Pharmacist I spoke to today said DISCONTINUE IMMEDIATELY and call my own gp tomorrow !!
But help if I cant take the one a week and they dont make the 5mg anymore what am I meant to do ??
Have you looked at the Osteoporosis web site nos.org.uk
There are some good details about all the treatments availabe for osteoporosis.
How severe is yours? Mine isn't that bad now (Osteopenia) ( thanks to fosamax!!) but it was sugested that If no improvement that they were going to try something called strontium (sp?) There are alternatives but most I think are based on biphosphonates etc. Did you ever try Didronel?
Anyway, carry on crunching the calcium!
Take care
Kate
I take calichew D3 forte too KAte as it is the ONLY one I tolerate calcium wise but again it causes minor issues due to flavourings and colourings in some of them !!
Will have a look at the website THANKS !!
To be honest Kate today has been horrendous and I am so naffed off with it all I just want to cry but am trying my darndest not too (pathetic hey) !!
I have only eve had Fosamax 5mg once a day since I had the major bowel surgery 2 yrs back and gp thought it was safely past me to try the 70mg one now !!
Boy oh boy was she wrong !!
Ontop of the tummy issues apparently it can cause severe bone pain too - which I got badly after the first dose according to the chemist woman on phone today !!
Whata Didronel ???
Sorry for dumb questions but I need some idea to throw at the gp - it took her a week to change it to once a week as it was !!
My last bone scan was over 8yrs ago KAte and showed degeneration in knees and elbows and wrists but cant remember what they called it SORRY !!
I was basically told my joints were messed up but that we could prevent them collapsing in a few yrs by protecting them NOW !!
Does it make sense ??
Sorry I am just so swollen and in pain right now I gonna go hide and cry !!
JUST SPOKE TO GP !!!
Am going to try a once a month version but cant start it for at least 4 weeks - but will be sorted for next repeat script !!
It will be ""Ibandronic Acid Tablets 150 mg one tablet monthly"" !!
Apparently it is likely the Fosamax has irratated an old ulcer and caused the swelling but have an alternative now to try at least !!
THANKS Kate for you help yesterday - it was rather scary !!
Glad to be of help. I hope the new one works OK or it it does have any side effects at least it will only be one day a month ( if that is any consolation).
Didronel was one of the first (??) osteo treatments - I had it for 2-3 years from 1998.
It was a 3 month cycle 14 days of the dironel then for the rest of the 3 months, some hiddeous fizzy calcium tablets. They( the didronel) had to be taken 2 hrs after and 2 hrs before food eg mid afternoon with just water. (htough I sneeked the odd cup of hot water!)
Bone density scans should be done every 3 years I think. Perhaps it may be worth asking for one to see the state of your bones though the bone scanners specifically for osteopor. scan your hips and spine because that is where it usually starts. You may find that if there has been some improvement and the other drug isn't 'nice' that you could just take calcium?? Ask GP though! !!!
(though anyone on long term steroids needs to protect their bones!) Or ask to be refered to a rheumatologist for their exptert advice - als NOS may be able to advise too!
Anyway, try not to worry about it until a months time when you try the new tablet.
Take care
KAte
Hi there Donna, there are likely going to be a few different injectable ones coming on the market soon for infrequent infusions, so sounds like you would be an ideal candidate for them! We use them in palliative care for bone problems, but they are now being introduced for osteoporosis - so great news if you have stomach ulcers etc. I think they are talking about annual infusions so that would be do-able.
s
I've heard about the once yearly injectable one on the news Owl but didnt pay alot of attention (how dumb am I lol) but GP said if I get on with this ""Ibandronic acid"" that they will swap me to the injection to prevent stomach issues but because of cost they want to try the tablets first just incase I react !!
It seems my swelling is going to take days or weeks to go down (thankyou leaking ulcer) but gp aint to worried as it happened before and rights itself with extra Nexium !!
But the one thing bothering me is how it says dont use mineral water to take it ?? As I dont tolerate tap water (ours is gross even brita filtered) but would Spring water be ok ?? (It doesnt have the minerals in that affect it apparently but I dont know !!
One thing I cant find out is if the injections are IM of this new one ??
If it is they will train me do them myself but if it IV its a no-no full stop (no veins) !!
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