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Osteoporosis Drugs Raise Risk of Broken Thighs

Some osteoporosis drugs may actually cause fractures rather than preventing them. Bisphosphonates like Actonel, Boniva and Fosamax have become very popular. Commercials on television urge older women to ask their doctors for a prescription to keep their bones strong. New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that while such drugs do appear to prevent many fractures from osteoporosis, long-term treatment is associated with an increased risk of thigh bone fractures.

The investigators identified 716 elderly women with one of these relatively rare fractures and compared them to 3,580 women of the same age. Women who used bisphosphonates for five years or more had nearly triple the risk of such a fracture compared to women with only short-term use of these drugs. That said, the absolute risk is small, approximately 1 to 2 per thousand. Nevertheless, there is growing recognition that the type of bone built under the influence of bisphosphonates may not be as strong as researchers once assumed.

[Journal of the American Medical Association, Feb. 23, 2011]

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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