Alendronic acid query

[Lyndaki]

Hi,

I was diagnosed with GCA & PMR in November 2018. I was put on 60mg prednisolone along with AA, lanzoprazole,& Adcal . I am now down to 2.5mg prednisolone & doing ok apart from tiredness occasionally . I recently went for a dental check up & need a tooth stump removing which might entail cutting the gum. The dentist made the comment that as I’m on AA, the healing process may take longer. My question is a) can I just stop taking AA, & b) if I do, how long before it is out of my system? (When I said I’d stop taking it before the extraction, the dentist said it would still be in my system)

Thanks all in advance.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

See this FAQ post - healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

Yes you can stop it, and there seems to be some dispute on how long it stays in body...the benefits should last 2-3 years, how long the negative effects last, not sure.

[Lyndaki in reply to DorsetLady]

Thanks

[PMRpro Ambassador]

AA is unlikely to ever be out of your system - it is firmly bound in the bones. The last figures to be quoted said 15 years, up from 10 years previously. They are maybe slightly shorter than the time since it was first widely used. That is why they say to get any potentially invasive dental work done before starting taking it.

[Lyndaki in reply to PMRpro]

Hmmm thanks for the info!

[Janstr]

I was in the same boat as you Lyndaki, & by dentist aren’t me to a specialist because of the AA

[Lyndaki in reply to Janstr]

Yes, I’ve been referred too!

[AmberAliona]

Hi there, I was prescribed Alendronic Acid by my then GP despite having severe reflux. I lasted 5 days before the pain from the reflux became too much. I stopped it at that point. My new GP says I should never have even tried it. Good luck to you, I believe it does work for many. Take care.

[Lyndaki in reply to AmberAliona]

Thanks. I have no problem with it, just querying how long it stays in system....sounds like a long time!

[ritter]

Well I am sorry but I do not know how long it stays.what I do know that AA does not work as well after 3 years it clogs arterys and just a build of calcium .

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to ritter]

Have you got a reference to back that up? I'd be interested to see it.

In fact, this

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

concluded

"Bisphosphonates seem to have an inhibitory effect on the atherosclerotic process; however, larger placebo-controlled studies are needed to better clarify this issue."

[ritter in reply to ritter]

I havnt sorry I Googled a web site to get that info..

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to ritter]

Sounds like a dodgy site to me ...

[ritter in reply to PMRpro]

Right I shall not repeat that again do sorry

[HeronNS in reply to ritter]

It's true you shouldn't take it much longer than that but for a different reason. AA inhibits the "remodelling" of bone. In other words, old bone is no longer removed, so new bone is deposited on what is an increasingly aging matrix. This is what can lead to atypical fractures and why people should only take the med for a couple or three years, to get the most benefit and avoid the shortcomings - which can be dire.

[Lyndaki in reply to HeronNS]

Thank you! I’m learning new stuff every day on this site!

[JudithWarrior]

Yes I believe HeronNS is correct - many doctors are now advising no more than 3 - 4 years. I won't take it because of how it's affected my mum with severe damage to oesophagus and horrid symptoms - apparently it affects up to 25% of people in this respect. I'm trying alternative ways to keep my bones strong and will test these out on the next Dexa scan. If I can avoid taking it - I will. Have read a lot about it in book " My Bones." My rheumy said the info wasn't probably trustworthy - but I'm not convinced and he hasn't read the book!!!!

[bakingD in reply to JudithWarrior]

I feel the same the book made a lot of sense- have asked for 1 year to improve my bone density on my own!weighted vest , a bit of skipping, high calcium diet, vit d and k2 !!

[Lyndaki in reply to JudithWarrior]

Thankfully I’ve never had any side effects & been on it 2 years & 9 months so….🤞