How long does Reclast remain in your system?

I can’t help with the weight gain weight gain but I do know the pharmokinetics of reclast. Joint pain typically lasts 3 weeks or less but varies a lot from person to person. Have you considered that the pain is affecting your activity levels which is effecting your weight? Just a thought.

Within 24 hours of the infusion, the drug's concentration in the blood drops to less than 1% of its peak level. About 40% of the dose is excreted in the urine.
The terminal elimination phase has a half-life (the amount of time it takes for 1/2 of the drug to be eliminated) of 146 hours, so low concentrations of the drug remain in the plasma between day 2 and day 28.

The rest of the drug binds to bone, where it can stay for years. This is why reclast works for one or two yesrs without redosing. As I’m sure you know, bone is not static. It is constantly breaking down and being regrown. As the normal process of bone breakdown occurs, reclast is slowly put back into the bloodstream. I don’t know if these very low blood levels of reclast can cause symptoms. Perhaps someone here can help with that.

@laura1970 so, I meet with an endocrinologist pharmacist and he shared that a dose of Reclast remains active for about 18 months and hopefully he is correct. It has been 16 months since my first and last infusion. I have had constant shoulder, arms and left foot pain since the day after the infusion. They are saying my issue is arthritis. Well, if that is the case it is my feeling that the Reclast caused it. I know some people have zero symptoms after receiving the infusion; I unfortunately was not one of them. I guess if one is considering taking the Reclast infusion, know the worst and hope for the best. I myself will not be getting another infusion.

@dannyandebbie

With the long time ReClast remains in the body, I feel that anyone taking it for the first time has the right to receive a test dosage of 1 mg.

Is a 1mg test dose something patients have actually done? How long would you wait to see if there are negative effects? I have heard people say they did not experience negative symptoms until after 4 or more months.

WindyShores' doctor prescribed a 1 mg test dose because of her kidney issues.

There is another thread regarding Reclast and adverse side effects where I responded. I have not heard of weight gain being a direct result of Reclast, but with it being harder to move I would imagine that is more your answer. I had my first (and only!) Reclast infusion in February. Like others I have had severe joint pain. On X-ray it is diagnosed as arthritis which flared post infusion. I have braces to wear on my knees, weekly physical therapy appointments, use ice or heat and more rest than I’d like.
Prior to my infusion I was very active so this has been a huge lifestyle change. My rheumatologist who ordered the infusion says I am one of the unlucky ones with major long lasting side effects. More recently the joint pain has moved into my hip so now I am seeing an orthopedist for that. I was told it’d take about 12 months to see a lessening of the side effects.
Best of luck to you.

Can someone point me in the direction of percentage of folks who have joint pain after receiving Reclast? Any clinical documentation would be helpful, of peoples experiences. Thank you.

Are these effects just for the infusion? What about the oral fosmax reclast drug that been around forever?

@vixstermove, https://www.ccjm.org/content/85/9/675s Percentages in the studies vary. The numbers from the clinical trials are very low. 4% or so. Studies prior to this one are listed cited in the references. From reading patient experiences, it seems to me, that individuals with autoimmune diseases are more likely to have additional pain.
The range of intensity and duration of adverse reactions with the medication is from the few hospitalizations and IV steroids through temporary inconvenient pain, to years long misery.
I haven't taken Reclast. We do know that 4mg is as effective as 5mg, and that a long infusion of up to an hour with dilution instead of the 15 minute infusion is safer for the kidneys and less likely to cause some of the reactions.

@gently
Thank you for this invaluable information. The link is dead. Would you please try to repost a working one. Thank you!