1. < Osteoporosis & Bone Health

Zolendronate infusion side effects

Posted by thewife63 @thewife63, May 2 10:32am

I have osteo in my lower back at -3. My Dr. gave me Zolendronate Sodium infusion (Reclast) and I had the side effects stated, flu-like, for almost 7 days. It's been a month and those are gone, but as the day progresses, I have horrible fatigue, weakness and stiffness. If I work out, I am MORE stiff. If I am tired, I am MORE tired, etc. Does this wane? Because this stinks! Plus I have mild heartburn and have never ever had that either.

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sue417 | @sue417 | May 2 3:13pm

Hi
I have osteopenia with compression fracture in my t7 my first infusion I felt flu like for a couple weeks my second infusion last year I only felt crappy for one day and I believe that was because my pharmacist told me to do an electrolyte drink the day before do two of them and start Tylenol in the morning do another electrolyte drink and take Tylenol and then they had my drip going for 45 minutes the slower you get it the less side effects you have is what I was told and it actually works I have my third IV in June this year hopefully it goes well my bone density has come up a lot since having the two IVs. I hope you get relief

REPLY
1 reply
kittiecat | @kittiecat | May 3 4:57am

i finished a really difficult side effects year of Evenity and started Reclast. i asked for slow infusion of a half dose, with the intent of doing it twice yearly instead of yearly. i had saline hydration during, used tylenol and zyrtec that day. i am at a little over 2 months since the infusion, and definitely still feel like garbage. major extra fatigue, extra pain, even a bit atypically grouchy, strange pain spikes. so damned depleted energy-wise, more than my usual. odd increases in my typical pain areas. nausea, so i am eating a lot of ginger. for the first 2 weeks, i barely ate. so, i hate it but have no choice. my bones are unbelievably fragile. i have lost 7 inches in my spine. Evenity improved my lumbar region some and made no difference in my hip area which is really super fragile. i am looking at almost 3 more years of Reclast and am sad about it. i feel i have no choice if i want to avoid catastrophic fracture. so, i hibernate more, listen to lots of NPR for intellectual engagement, and i get out into nature when i can catapult myself out. and i eat small meals. i had an increase in my already severe migraines on Evenity, but overall i feel worse on Reclast. i am trying to balance the acid of it by drinking water with baking soda. and aloe juice, each for alkalizing my chemistry. maybe it wont help but i definitely am a “light a candle instead of cursing the darkness” type of being. i developed osteoporosis in my 40’s after thyroid removal and a bad choice of replacement hormone that my dr insisted was good for me, which i took for 6 horrid suicidally anxious months. a Harvard trained female endocrinologist in Cambridge MA. could i have hoped for a better doctor ? i didnt think so, but here i am. defiant. exhausted, with my bonsai stunted spine with scoliosis and severe kyphosis. extremely fragile. and always looking for beauty in the skies, trees, and critters.

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3 replies
janflute | @janflute | May 3 5:21am

I feel so deeply for you and have been through somany of your experiences.

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thewife63 | @thewife63 | May 3 9:14am
In reply to @sue417 "Hi I have osteopenia with compression fracture in my t7 my first infusion I felt flu..." + (show)
@sue417

Hi
I have osteopenia with compression fracture in my t7 my first infusion I felt flu like for a couple weeks my second infusion last year I only felt crappy for one day and I believe that was because my pharmacist told me to do an electrolyte drink the day before do two of them and start Tylenol in the morning do another electrolyte drink and take Tylenol and then they had my drip going for 45 minutes the slower you get it the less side effects you have is what I was told and it actually works I have my third IV in June this year hopefully it goes well my bone density has come up a lot since having the two IVs. I hope you get relief

Jump to this post

Interesting on the drip rate. When I got out of the car after my infusion I already was stiff - I could tell something was in my system. I feel like it was overkill based on my numbers, plus no one told me about the long term side effects past feeling bad for 3 days.

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sue417 | @sue417 | May 3 9:47am

Hi
The length of time it takes to administer it definitely makes a huge difference on how you feel after. Hope you're feeling better soon

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thewife63 | @thewife63 | May 3 11:05am
In reply to @kittiecat "i finished a really difficult side effects year of Evenity and started Reclast. i asked for..." + (show)
@kittiecat

i finished a really difficult side effects year of Evenity and started Reclast. i asked for slow infusion of a half dose, with the intent of doing it twice yearly instead of yearly. i had saline hydration during, used tylenol and zyrtec that day. i am at a little over 2 months since the infusion, and definitely still feel like garbage. major extra fatigue, extra pain, even a bit atypically grouchy, strange pain spikes. so damned depleted energy-wise, more than my usual. odd increases in my typical pain areas. nausea, so i am eating a lot of ginger. for the first 2 weeks, i barely ate. so, i hate it but have no choice. my bones are unbelievably fragile. i have lost 7 inches in my spine. Evenity improved my lumbar region some and made no difference in my hip area which is really super fragile. i am looking at almost 3 more years of Reclast and am sad about it. i feel i have no choice if i want to avoid catastrophic fracture. so, i hibernate more, listen to lots of NPR for intellectual engagement, and i get out into nature when i can catapult myself out. and i eat small meals. i had an increase in my already severe migraines on Evenity, but overall i feel worse on Reclast. i am trying to balance the acid of it by drinking water with baking soda. and aloe juice, each for alkalizing my chemistry. maybe it wont help but i definitely am a “light a candle instead of cursing the darkness” type of being. i developed osteoporosis in my 40’s after thyroid removal and a bad choice of replacement hormone that my dr insisted was good for me, which i took for 6 horrid suicidally anxious months. a Harvard trained female endocrinologist in Cambridge MA. could i have hoped for a better doctor ? i didnt think so, but here i am. defiant. exhausted, with my bonsai stunted spine with scoliosis and severe kyphosis. extremely fragile. and always looking for beauty in the skies, trees, and critters.

Jump to this post

This is terrible. I'm so sorry. I wish my dr. would have gone over the side effects other than the 1st 3 days, but yes, I have all your "feel like garbage" effects. I was hoping they'd dissipate over time.

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awfultruth | @awfultruth | May 3 2:16pm
In reply to @kittiecat "i finished a really difficult side effects year of Evenity and started Reclast. i asked for..." + (show)
@kittiecat

i finished a really difficult side effects year of Evenity and started Reclast. i asked for slow infusion of a half dose, with the intent of doing it twice yearly instead of yearly. i had saline hydration during, used tylenol and zyrtec that day. i am at a little over 2 months since the infusion, and definitely still feel like garbage. major extra fatigue, extra pain, even a bit atypically grouchy, strange pain spikes. so damned depleted energy-wise, more than my usual. odd increases in my typical pain areas. nausea, so i am eating a lot of ginger. for the first 2 weeks, i barely ate. so, i hate it but have no choice. my bones are unbelievably fragile. i have lost 7 inches in my spine. Evenity improved my lumbar region some and made no difference in my hip area which is really super fragile. i am looking at almost 3 more years of Reclast and am sad about it. i feel i have no choice if i want to avoid catastrophic fracture. so, i hibernate more, listen to lots of NPR for intellectual engagement, and i get out into nature when i can catapult myself out. and i eat small meals. i had an increase in my already severe migraines on Evenity, but overall i feel worse on Reclast. i am trying to balance the acid of it by drinking water with baking soda. and aloe juice, each for alkalizing my chemistry. maybe it wont help but i definitely am a “light a candle instead of cursing the darkness” type of being. i developed osteoporosis in my 40’s after thyroid removal and a bad choice of replacement hormone that my dr insisted was good for me, which i took for 6 horrid suicidally anxious months. a Harvard trained female endocrinologist in Cambridge MA. could i have hoped for a better doctor ? i didnt think so, but here i am. defiant. exhausted, with my bonsai stunted spine with scoliosis and severe kyphosis. extremely fragile. and always looking for beauty in the skies, trees, and critters.

Jump to this post

@kittiecat So sorry to hear how badly Reclast effected you even on a slow half dose infusion. That's just plain scary. All the osteo drugs have possible bad side effects but Reclast seems to take the cake. And yet some people have no problem at all. I really don't get it. I understand why there is some variation on peoples responses to different drugs but the variation with Reclast is just huge. I hope you feel better soon!

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sandrac | @sandrac | May 4 8:26am

I was told Prolia is also an option after Evenity. I am on Evenity now with relatively few side effects (take Allegra and Tylenol day of shots). My endo said either Prolia or Reclast following Evenity. I had no real side effects when on Prolia for years and none from Reclast (for first year after Prolia) after first week, of which I am aware. Wish you luck for improvement.

REPLY
takady | @takady | May 4 2:54pm
In reply to @kittiecat "i finished a really difficult side effects year of Evenity and started Reclast. i asked for..." + (show)
@kittiecat

i finished a really difficult side effects year of Evenity and started Reclast. i asked for slow infusion of a half dose, with the intent of doing it twice yearly instead of yearly. i had saline hydration during, used tylenol and zyrtec that day. i am at a little over 2 months since the infusion, and definitely still feel like garbage. major extra fatigue, extra pain, even a bit atypically grouchy, strange pain spikes. so damned depleted energy-wise, more than my usual. odd increases in my typical pain areas. nausea, so i am eating a lot of ginger. for the first 2 weeks, i barely ate. so, i hate it but have no choice. my bones are unbelievably fragile. i have lost 7 inches in my spine. Evenity improved my lumbar region some and made no difference in my hip area which is really super fragile. i am looking at almost 3 more years of Reclast and am sad about it. i feel i have no choice if i want to avoid catastrophic fracture. so, i hibernate more, listen to lots of NPR for intellectual engagement, and i get out into nature when i can catapult myself out. and i eat small meals. i had an increase in my already severe migraines on Evenity, but overall i feel worse on Reclast. i am trying to balance the acid of it by drinking water with baking soda. and aloe juice, each for alkalizing my chemistry. maybe it wont help but i definitely am a “light a candle instead of cursing the darkness” type of being. i developed osteoporosis in my 40’s after thyroid removal and a bad choice of replacement hormone that my dr insisted was good for me, which i took for 6 horrid suicidally anxious months. a Harvard trained female endocrinologist in Cambridge MA. could i have hoped for a better doctor ? i didnt think so, but here i am. defiant. exhausted, with my bonsai stunted spine with scoliosis and severe kyphosis. extremely fragile. and always looking for beauty in the skies, trees, and critters.

Jump to this post

I'm sorry you are still suffering. I do understand. I just passed 1 year after Reclast infusion, still pretty darn disgusted and dealing with the side effects. Hoping you feel better.

REPLY
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