I am new to Fosamax and looking for Eperiences & Comments

Following,

I was on it for over 5 years. I had no noticeable side effects but I was very careful to follow the instructions and drink a lot of water with the pill and sit upright and not eat for 30 minutes after taking it. I also do not have a history of gastric reflux. My understanding is that if you do, you may not be able to tolerate the medication.

I had excellent gains in my lumbar spine bone density as measured by DEXA in the first two years and they stayed relatively stable for the following three. It didn't do much for my hips and they declined.

Unfortunately, I suffered a thoracic vertebral compression fracture just after my fifth year on it. I was getting ready to come off for a drug "holiday" at the time.

I later learned that alendronate (Fosamax) can suppress bone remodeling when taken for extended periods. I often wonder if my bones were compromised by this and if it contributed to my fracture.

If I were doing this over, I'd have bone markers measured before starting on it and throughout treatment to ensure bone remodeling wasn't overly suppressed. I would also take it only for two years.

The medication has a half-life of 10 years so it remains in your bones for decades. If you stop taking it and bone remodeling restarts, it will become active and suppress the new osteoclasts as it did during the first round of treatment.

It's for this reason that if you have severe osteoporosis it's recommended you start on an anabolic treatment first (abaloparatide or teriparatide) as the alendronate remaining in your bones can minimize the effect of the anabolic.

I think alendronate has its place but I would advise carefully considering your options. I think it did me some good during my early years of menopause when I was rapidly losing bone but because I still fractured, it didn't help long term.

67 year female old here; on Fosamax for one year. Dexa score improved slightly (L-spine from -2.9 to -2.6, L-hip -2.8 to -2.6, L-femoral neck -3.5 no change. Right scores absent because of right hip replacement 10 years ago. I have also been on prescription D and I am more conscious about taking plain calcium along with it. I personally have handled it fairly well, no Gerd, even when I forgot and took the drug and ate breakfast immediately after! Only side effect so far is bone pain (fairly severe; in feet, ankle) and maybe stomach issues (hard to judge that as I have IBS). Endo said he hadn't heard of bone pain (?) yet it is a side effect according to literature out there. I have heard (not through the Doctor) that another class of drugs are started often first; then follow with Fosamax but every medical professional has a plan for each individual patient. Fosamax has been around for a long time and I was more comfortable starting there as the other drugs out there seem to have more dangerous side effects which really concern me. Seeing the doc today; we will see what the appointment brings!

I would have started with Tymlos or Forteo, not Fosamax. That is the more effective approach from everything I've read.

I'm finishing my 4 th year with one more to go. I continue to be active (walking 4 miles/day). I follow my Endo's instructions when taking meds and have had no digestive issues. My Dexa scores improved some. I'm happy they haven't gotten worse!

I've been taking Alendronate (generic of Fosamax) for almost one year. I've had none of the possible major side effects listed. I especially make sure I follow the directions completely when taking the med (weekly). I do infrequently have some minor bone pain, as I guess it would be described. More like a bruised feeling. At times I have leg cramps in one or both calves at night/early morning, as well as muscle soreness, which I feel like blaming on the med but can't decide if it's the culprit. I make sure I exercise on a daily basis and also work outside in the garden and yard in order to keep active. Don't know about bone density scores, hope to have a scan after one year of use.

Hi, if you don’t mind, can you tell me what the improvement rate wise or percentage?

Thanks for the insights so far. Seems like Fosamax/Alendronate is the initial choice of most doctors regardless of whether the patient is male or female.

My scores reflect stability and improvements in my age group (70+). I may always be considered having "osteoporosis" s my bones are much older than a 30 year old. My worse score was my left wrist @-2.9 but improved from the year before (-3.3). In 2019 I was diagnosed with parathyroid disease that robbed my bones of calcium. Then in 2021 I got breast cancer so all in all I'm happy to have my bone density stabilized. I wish my results were more remarkable

Thank you so much that was so helpful to me. I also have thyroid disease and on top of that and another autoimmune disease that prevents me from taking statins also .