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Reclast Infusions: Side-effects & Recovery time

Posted by cindydee @cindydee, Mar 20, 2018

I just had a reclast infusion last week and have had serious side effects. I had the worst flue like aching for 5 days then my lefty arm became full of inflammation in the wrist, elbow and shoulder which caused extreme pain and I lost the ability to straighten my elbow. Ultrasound showed huge amounts of fluid throughout the arm. The right arm is now starting to have the same symptoms. The pain is excruciating. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Neither the ER doctor nor the Dr. who prescribed the procedure knew what to do to ease the symptoms. Both arms from fingertips to shoulder are swollen and neither elbow will straighten. Anyone else have adverse reactions to the reclast infusion? If yes, how long did it last?

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jcl75 | @jcl75 | 2 days ago

I had very serious reactions to the infusion. 3 days later I developed flulike symptoms which lasted a long while, not sure when it ended as I had multiple symptoms from the neck up. Severe right sided jaw pain with limited ability to open my mouth. That resolved followed by swelling around the eyes, Left face, eye pain, headache, scalp pain swollen temporal veins. I woke up one morning with partial vision loss which brought me to the ER. From there I was admitted to the hospital to rule out stroke. I had multiple imaging exams which were all normal. I saw an opthalmolagist who stated there was much selling compression on the optic nerve interfering with the blood flow to the eye. Vision deficit is likely permanent. I now have difficulty chewing on my back teeth without pain radiating up both sides of my face to the temples, and sluggish tongue when eating.

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daisy17 | @daisy17 | 1 day ago
In reply to @jcl75 "I had very serious reactions to the infusion. 3 days later I developed flulike symptoms which..." + (show)
Profile picture for jcl75 @jcl75

I had very serious reactions to the infusion. 3 days later I developed flulike symptoms which lasted a long while, not sure when it ended as I had multiple symptoms from the neck up. Severe right sided jaw pain with limited ability to open my mouth. That resolved followed by swelling around the eyes, Left face, eye pain, headache, scalp pain swollen temporal veins. I woke up one morning with partial vision loss which brought me to the ER. From there I was admitted to the hospital to rule out stroke. I had multiple imaging exams which were all normal. I saw an opthalmolagist who stated there was much selling compression on the optic nerve interfering with the blood flow to the eye. Vision deficit is likely permanent. I now have difficulty chewing on my back teeth without pain radiating up both sides of my face to the temples, and sluggish tongue when eating.

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@jcl75 I am so sorry to hear about the suffering you endured. I am curious of your doctors reaction or opinion on these serious side effects? I hope you or your doctor reported these side effects to the FDA.

Have you considered any legal action regarding your permanent vision loss? This is from AI Assist: "There have been numerous lawsuits against Novartis, the manufacturer of Reclast, primarily due to claims of severe side effects such as kidney failure and atypical femur fractures associated with the drug. These lawsuits often seek compensation for injuries allegedly caused by the medication's risks that were not adequately communicated to patients and healthcare providers."

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deborahla | @deborahla | 1 day ago
In reply to @jcl75 "I had very serious reactions to the infusion. 3 days later I developed flulike symptoms which..." + (show)
Profile picture for jcl75 @jcl75

I had very serious reactions to the infusion. 3 days later I developed flulike symptoms which lasted a long while, not sure when it ended as I had multiple symptoms from the neck up. Severe right sided jaw pain with limited ability to open my mouth. That resolved followed by swelling around the eyes, Left face, eye pain, headache, scalp pain swollen temporal veins. I woke up one morning with partial vision loss which brought me to the ER. From there I was admitted to the hospital to rule out stroke. I had multiple imaging exams which were all normal. I saw an opthalmolagist who stated there was much selling compression on the optic nerve interfering with the blood flow to the eye. Vision deficit is likely permanent. I now have difficulty chewing on my back teeth without pain radiating up both sides of my face to the temples, and sluggish tongue when eating.

Jump to this post

@jcl75 I am so sorry to hear about your experience. May I ask what the protocol was for the infusion (time given, any saline or Tylenol). Please update us on your progression and how you are doing. Also, as someone else suggested, this should be reported to the FDA.

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