According to the websites I visited, alendronate works by "inhibiting osteoclasts (which are responsible for breaking down and reabsorbing bone). It strengthens bones by slowing down bone loss and allowing osteoblasts (bone-building cells) to work more effectively, improving bone mass."

So apparently it helps to slow down bone loss by inhibiting the cells that break down bone, thus allowing the cells that actually build bone to do their job better.

I look forward to finding out how well it works, which hopefully it does.

@jennifer28 this is a bit of an oversimplification but in essence the osteoclasts (the "killers) are working faster than your osteoblasts ("builder"), and alendronate and the other anti-resorptives are meant to slow down the chewing up of old bone to give the osteoclasts a chance to catch up.

@jennifer28 Alondronate prevents the reabsorption of your own bone by your body, it does not help grow new bone. At the age we are at we do not grow new bones.