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Q. Two weeks after I suffered a thigh bone fracture that had started as a hairline stress fracture, a friend alerted me to your column citing an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Feb. 18, 2009).I showed it to my doctors, and we all agreed that my fracture was caused by long-term use (12 years) of Fosamax. My surgeon said that this was the strangest fracture he had ever seen; that the femur looked normal but that it had broken in a location and at an angle that was extremely odd.
There is no warning on the Fosamax label of such a possible side effect. I think it is important for women taking osteoporosis drugs to get more information about side effects. My surgeon is seriously considering doing a hip replacement at the first sign of another hairline fracture.
A. When an article was published in The New England Journal of Medicine (March 20, 2008) suggesting that drugs intended to strengthen bones might cause fractures instead, it created quite a stir. The controversy rages on and experts are still arguing about the risk.
Some scientists speculate that long-term use of drugs like Actonel, Boniva, Fosamax and Reclast may suppress bone turnover and could lead to brittle bones and stress fractures. Anyone on such medications who experiences thigh pain should be evaluated. We discuss this issue in greater detail in our new Guide to Osteoporosis, which also covers other options for treatment.
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I am taking celebrex 200mg., one a day. My bones are beginning to hurt. Do you think Celebrex has anything to do with it?
I have been taking Fosomax for approx 3 years and have experienced symptoms similar to someone pulling down on the muscles in my hips, to extreme pain in my hip joints, pain in my femurs when I laid on my side in bed, and climbing stairs was excruciating. I'm 67 years old and didn't want to experience this type of pain daily. Being suspicious of Fosomax, I discontinued taking it last week. Lo and behold, this week I can sleep on both sides again! Hip joint pain has diminished but not disappeared, but I'm looking for improvements!! Will never, ever take Fosomax again or any of its cousins.
I would suggest you ask your doctor this question!
I have taken Actonel since 2004. On October 3, 2008 I was just walking down the hall and my right femur broke without warning. I heard it snap, and down I went. I have a long rod in my femur. In April of 2009 I was injected with Reclast. On March 1st 2010 I started feeling pain in my left femur every time I took a step. I called my doctor. He ordered an x-ray and sure enough my left femur has a hairline fracture.
Trying not to have to go through surgery again my doctor has ordered me to stay off of my left leg. Of course this is no easy task. He x-rayed again on March 26. He wants me to stay off of it another month and then he'll order a CT-scan. I have also experienced kidney problems from the Reclast. My doctor ordered me not to take Reclast this month. Of course Reclast lasts for a year from a single injection. (I wasn't intending to keep my appointment for Reclast anyway.)
I am involved in the class action suit against these manufacturers.
I began taking Actonel in December of 2004. In October of 2008 I was walking down the hall in my home and I heard a loud pop in my right femur, and down I went. I was rushed to the hospital and went into surgery the next day. A long rod was inserted.
In February of 2010 I began to have pain in my left femur every step I took. The doctor had it x-rayed and I have a hairline fracture in my left femur. I've had to stay off my leg or use a walker until the fracture heals.
On March 6, 2010 my ct-scan showed it is healing, but has not completely healed yet. On April 1, 2009 my doctor changed me to using Reclast. Since that is taken intravenously once a year, my doctor told me not to take anymore Reclast or Actonel.
I have had 2 infusion's of Reclast. I had 2 SEVERE bouts with inner thigh
pain. Lasted about 1/2 hour and both time woke me up at night. Pain was
debilitating; couldn't move; VERY DEEP BONE PAIN!! VERY scary.... I did think
of the Reclast drug. When I went the second year for my 2nd infusion of Reclast, I asked the lady if she had heard of anyone experiencing severe
thigh pain. She told me no.
Well, after this 2nd infusion I have had 3 bouts with horrible thigh pain. Two of those were of the inner thigh and the last one was on the outer thigh on the left leg!!!! I will never take this drug again. Please be careful, as I think these drugs need MUCH MORE TESTING!!!
Best of luck to anyone having these symptoms!! Monica
My Dr. had me stop taking Boniva in July, 2010. I'm 79 years old, had been taking it for over 6 years, and was having severe pain in my right thigh. I had been walking 4 to 5 miles a day for the last 18 years, but by the end of Aug., I could no longer walk without using a walker or cane. An MRI showed a stress fracture in my right femur. This has turned my life upside down, as I need to stay off my leg as much as possible... it's been 2 months, and maybe 2 more before I can be active again, if I'm lucky... I will never take Boniva or any of the other ones, and have been warning all my family and friends of what can happen using this type of medication. I've got at least 20 years to go and I want to enjoy every one of them!!