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?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Osteoporosis & Bone Health Support Group.

JK | @contentandwell | Feb 26, 2020

In reply to @thornwood "I had an injection last week , now having bad pain in shoulder ( had reverse..." + (show)

@thornwood. I hope the pain is temporary and will improve very soon. Do you feel the pain is definitely from Reclast?
JK

thornwood | @thornwood | Feb 27, 2020

In reply to @contentandwell "@thornwood. I hope the pain is temporary and will improve very soon. Do you feel the..." + (show)

I do. My doctor has given me a prescription for Motrin that has helped ease the pain. I still have dizziness and stomach issues. Did not have these problems before I took Reclast.

giovi | @giovi | Mar 5, 2020

In reply to @parrotqueen "You HAVE to do some research before you sign up for these "bone-building" drugs. My DEXA..." + (show)

@parrotqueen

You HAVE to do some research before you sign up for these "bone-building" drugs. My DEXA scan came back -5.7 and I was fracturing. My doctor told me I had to get Prolia or Reclast. I did a bunch of research, and learned that these drugs don't really work and the possible side effects are horrendous (osteonecrosis anyone?). I talked to women who had taken these injections and had problems and decided not to take them. They "work" by not allowing your body to get rid of the old, dead bone. It just allows the old bone to hang out, making your bones looks bigger and stronger. But the minute you go off the drug, your body eliminates the old bone in urine and you are worse off than when you started. I decided I would address this nutritionally. I'm taking calcium to supplement what I cannot eat each day, magnesium, boron, vitamin D3 (at least 4,000 IU daily), and vitamin K2 (mk4 mk7). I also take a good vitamin C (NOT ascorbic acid but from berries and rose hips), a good food-based multivitamin, Omega 3, DHA, vitamin B complex, and probiotics. To be fair, I also went off sugar completely. Sugar is death to bones. Sugar causes inflammation and inflammation causes disease - but this is a topic for another day. ALSO, because I was fracturing and there is no family history of breast or ovarian cancer in my family, I started using a very low dose of estrogen and progesterone. I've done the hormones only for one year; whereas I have done the no sugar and better nutrition for more than two years (I've been off sugar five years). I'm going to have a new DEXA scan in a couple months - April or May. I did stop fracturing. I am in a support group on Facebook called Osteoporosis Natural Remedies - it's a very active group and people really know what they are talking about on that group. We have at least one nutritionist that posts all the time. The people in that group have posted fantastic results. I also walk uphill a lot (I live on a hill and I'm an avid gardener). I want to say one more thing before I go - boron is a great trace mineral if you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia. I take 3 mg two or three times a day with calcium. I have NO more pain in my body caused by arthritis or fibromyalgia. I have told a lot of people about this, and they have also gotten great results. The upper limit dose for boron is 20 mg, so even if you take three a day, you are well below the upper limit. Also, a note on taking magnesium and calcium. Your body can only absorb 500-600 mg TOTAL of magnesium and calcium every four hours. Check your supplement, and take it morning, noon and night if you have to. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. I have made this my primary focus of study for the past three years - and nutrition in general for the past five years. I am reading MD and Ph.D. level books on nutrition. But of course, you need to check with your doctor before you make any changes. Also, I belong to ConsumerLab, which is a consumer watchdog group for supplements. They test supplements to be sure they are what they say they are, they are pure, and they are strength they say they are and will open in the body (some vitamins do not open in the body - they pass right through the body). Another site on Mayo let me post the website: It is http://www.ConsumerLab.com. You can find MANY medical journal articles there on many topics. That's how I found out there was some lead in the calcium I was going to buy - a VERY popular brand of calcium that most people would think would be super clean. BTW: Nutritionists say the best calcium is from shells (oyster, etc.) and sterilized egg shells. Some forms of calcium cannot be absorbed by the body, There is so much to learn. For what it's worth, I saw six endocrinologists and countless other doctors, and with the exception of my OB/GYN who prescribed the estrogen/progesterone, none of these doctors knew one thing to do except to take the bisphosphonate drugs and similar (Reclast, Prolia, etc.). I'm just saying, please do some serious research before you take these drugs - I believe there is a better way. There is not much out there about Vitamin K2 (mk4 mk7), but check out a document called The Ultimate Resource Guide to Vitamin K2 by Chris Masterjohn. You can do a search to it and it will come up. K2 makes sure the calcium goes to your bones, not to your arteries or kidneys. It's almost impossible to get enough vitamin K2 (mk4 mk7) from food unless you are willing to eat Natto. I wish all of us good luck on this journey.

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Thank you for posting. My endocrinologist recommended Reclast because my T score at spine is -4. I am very leery to have injection because I have nightly heartburn (while on medication) and read that heartburn is a side effect for this drug. I’m very apprehensive and would rather go the natural remedy route.

Chris Trout, Volunteer Mentor | @artscaping | Mar 5, 2020

In reply to @giovi "Thank you for posting. My endocrinologist recommended Reclast because my T score at spine is -4...." + (show)

Good morning @giovi, welcome to Connect. Thank you for joining this discussion about choices for fighting and controlling osteoporosis. There are multiple directions to go. However, as you note, you have a special medical condition that needs to be considered before committing to an option.

We are all different and the newer daily injectable options appear to have one major opportunity......we can stop immediately if we run into a side effect problem. For those of us who are unable to tolerate bisphosphonates, we are just beginning to be able to measure results for the alternatives.

I am so encouraged to see responses and inquiries from Connect members. Our shared experiences are contributing to a helpful body of knowledge.

May you be safe and protected.
Chris

parrotqueen | @parrotqueen | Mar 5, 2020

I will be posting my results of DEXA scan there in 4 weeks. I can't wait to see if I have improvement.

parrotqueen | @parrotqueen | Mar 5, 2020

In reply to @giovi "Thank you for posting. My endocrinologist recommended Reclast because my T score at spine is -4...." + (show)

I was also troubled with nightly acid reflux. My doctor told me I was going to be in horrible trouble if I didn't get a handle on it. I found I was having problems with pepper and I needed to eat earlier and take digestive enzymes. The reflux seems to be under control now. But I do not use any drugs like Reclast. I am going the natural route. My DEXA scan score was -5.7. I'll be getting tested again in a month (April). I can barely wait to see if there is improvement. The fracturing stopped, so I think something is better.

lioness | @lioness | Mar 5, 2020

@parrotqueen Cant wait to hear what you find out as my T score is 1.5 and am on the natural route . last August I did have another fracture so not lifting anymore . Have you researched the peanut oil ?

parrotqueen | @parrotqueen | Mar 6, 2020

In reply to @lioness "@parrotqueen Cant wait to hear what you find out as my T score is 1.5 and..." + (show)

I have not done anything because I've had meningitis (it is a side effect of getting IVIG - supposed to be rare, but I've had it four times now). Also, I am preparing to hunker down for Corvid 19 as I don't have an immune system and I'm 69. There are a lot of cases of it in my county. Thank goodness I started preparing early - you can't buy Purell, a mask or anything. I have a box of masks because we live in a wildfire area, but I can only find one. I got some inexpensive disposable surgical masks to wear to remind me not to touch my mouth or nose when I am out and about; seriously, we are all so used to doing it, we aren't even aware we are doing it. If you have a mask on, you are protected from yourself.

You know things are bad when at the end of the hour your therapist says "I'll see you next week if we are so lucky to still be here."

giovi | @giovi | Mar 6, 2020

Thank you. I joined the group.

giovi | @giovi | Mar 6, 2020

In reply to @artscaping "Good morning @giovi, welcome to Connect. Thank you for joining this discussion about choices for fighting..." + (show)

Thank you, Chris. I am going to ask my PCP about natural remedies at my next visit instead of Prolia, Forteo, Tymlos etc. The list of possible side effects is frightening. Many of my friends who have taken Fosamax or Prolia no longer take it because they developed heartburn. I feel like I am in a Catch22. The acid reflux drugs are bone thinning but I haven't been able to discontinue them.