Osteoporosis--Drug Warnings Scare me more than the Disease

As a post-menopausal woman with an age over fifty, I am scared of osteoporosis. I’m not afraid of the disease as much as I’m afraid of the drug advertisements and the side effects associated with the drugs used to treat this disease.

Prolia can lower the calcium levels in your blood. I thought the purpose was to increase calcium to make stronger bones. It can cause serious infections to your skin, stomach, bladder, ears or lining around your heart.

Reclast can cause pain in your bones, joints and muscles. It also has been known to cause fever, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and pains in your arms and legs.

Fosamax, Boniva and Actonel all come with a serious warning before even taking the drugs. They all may cause injury to your esophagus. You must take them with at least 8oz of water. You can not chew or suck on the tablets. And you must be able to stay standing, sitting or walking for at least 30 minutes after taking the drug. Additional side effects similar to the ones reported with Prolia and Reclast have also been noted.

Osteoporosis is a condition that affects over 10 million Americans. By age fifty, the risk factor is 50% in women and 25% in men. Women will lose 10% of bone density in the 5 to 7 years after menopause. Your body might be losing bone mass too fast, it might not be making enough new bone fast enough to keep up with the loss, or it could be a combination of both facts. You usually don’t know you have a problem until you fracture or break a bone.

To protect yourself, first find out where you stand in the bone density area. Your doctor will request a bone mineral density scan (BMD). A machine that uses radiation or sound eaves will measure your bone density. This record is then used as a base and your doctor will monitor your loss or gain. You can help yourself by eating more calcium and vitamin D rich foods, exercising, and taking supplements.

Your bones are living, growing tissues. Bones lose and grow new tissues constantly. Special cells called, osteoclasts, helps break down and remove old bones. Other cells called, osteoblasts help build new bone to replace what is lost. Osteoporosis happens when your bones become weak and can break. Your job is to keep these two cells in perfect working order.

Age is the greatest risk factor in osteoporosis. Other factors include: gender, family history, being petite, certain prescription drugs including steroids, certain diseases like, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The facts I write are from magazine advertisements printed by the drug distributors. I do not attempt to single out any one drug. I am just gathering facts for my own knowledge and choose to share them with you. I welcome your comments and your fact findings details.