Alendronate for Osteoporosis User Reviews (Page 5)

• Hor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 30, 2021

"Just took my 3rd dose... second time it has caused diarrhea. Also, went to my chiropractor for an unusual return of below the waist hip pain (left back) that I had about 4 years ago (that was caused by an injury). But there was no reinjury! Also, I'm experiencing a recurrence of bursitis in my right hip that's been gone for several years! I'm stopping this drug immediately! Seriously, after reading a lot of the other comments along with my own experience, I am totally, completely shocked that this drug has not been removed from the marketplace!"

• Kay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 13, 2021

"Do NOT take this drug!!! Alendronate 70 mg once a week. I didn't have any side effects until today. Yesterday, I took my 3rd dose. Today, I can hardly hold this phone. Both my forearms ache, I have a terrible headache, my back and hips hurt so bad I can barely get up, and I am having muscle cramps in both shins and feet. And the tendons behind my knee are so tight I can see them bulging out. Both my shoulders hurt, and I'm having muscle cramps in my sides and abdomen. I'm scared after reading all these reviews and going straight to my doctor in the morning."

• jan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 30, 2021

"I took this drug for about 6 months by tablet weekly. It created a lot of acid in my stomach that only slowly declined over several months after going off the medication. Prior to going on the drug, I had no problems with acid. None of the listed side effects covers this problem. I highly recommend patients NOT take this drug or go off of it at the FIRST indication of acid."

• Dee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 9, 2022

"This won't help anyone, but I had to thank everyone for reviewing! After seeing my latest Dexa scan, my doctor had this sent to me, as is the VA's custom. It's been in a drawer for over a month, and thanks to all the reviews, that's where it'll stay. I'll stick with coral calcium, boron, and strontium."

• Jwj...
• January 7, 2024

"Had diagnosis of severe osteoporosis in back and hips. Been on alendronate for 1 year with no side effects. Have acid reflux from before, and it doesn’t seem to aggravate. Going for another DEXA scan to see if it’s helping."

• Jla...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 25, 2021

"I took 2 doses of generic Fosamax a week apart, August 2nd and 9th. I have been in pain ever since. Now I’m having injections in my back, hip, and next will be my sacrum in an effort to try and stop the pain and find the origin. Prior to taking this stuff, I had NO pain, and now I feel like I’m becoming disabled. Sitting here in pain now, waiting for my appointment in 8 days to discuss the next step. I’m so tired of this."

• Gar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 11, 2023

"I was diagnosed with osteoporosis nearly two years ago after a compression fracture was found in my spine. Before starting alendronate, the doctor ran blood tests to make sure I had adequate levels of calcium and vitamin D. I am over 70, take a statin and ACE inhibitor for the prevention of heart disease and stroke. I also have arthritis in my neck, hips, and knees. I cycle about 100+ miles a week, weight train twice a week, and do daily stretching exercises recommended by a physical therapist. I am allowed to take NSAIDs for arthritis pain, but I rarely have need for them. My weekly 70 mg dose of alendronate with a full glass of water causes me no trouble whatsoever. Though required to wait 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking my other meds, I usually wait for an hour or more. I have not had another bone scan since diagnosis, so I don't know how effective it's been."

• Pri...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 24, 2020

"I have taken alendronate for three years. Zero side effects. Sad news, no improvement. Great news, didn’t get worse. Doctor wants to switch me to a twice-a-year shot. Thankful it didn’t get worse. Sad it didn’t improve."

• BEE...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 27, 2021

"After only two doses (1 per week, 70 mg), I had very bad side effects. When taking a sip of any liquid, it felt like I was swallowing a really lumpy baseball. Pain was intense and felt like a serious heart attack. I did not take any more of this medication. Three weeks later, I am still having pain in my chest. Please don't take without serious research."

• Pat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 21, 2023

"No side effects that I am aware of. Downside is that I can’t even have black coffee for half an hour. My morning routine is to get up early, eat a light breakfast, and go for a walk. If there’s something I need to do early, like an appointment, then the med really messes with my routine. I can’t rate the medicine itself till my next bone density scan. I suppose I will have to put up with the inconvenience at least a year before I know if it has any effect at all. Even then, unless bone density has significantly improved, I won’t really know. I would like to see blinded, long-term, randomized controlled studies vs. placebo, looking at measurable outcomes."

• Dal...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 9, 2022

"I am a male in my late 50s. Some years back, I experienced a broken hip while in my early 40s. After a diagnosis of osteoporosis, I took Fosamax for eight years (first daily, later weekly) in concert with daily over-the-counter calcium supplements. DEXAs revealed an increase in bone mass. Eventually, the diagnosis shifted from osteoporosis to osteopenia. The last DEXA showed normal bone mass. I experienced no side effects of any kind."

• Sni...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 21, 2021

"I have been on alendronate for almost 5 years. I have had back pain, and I’ve had undiagnosed stomach issues for three years. After reading some of these reviews, I wonder if it’s related to the alendronate. I have just sent my doctor a message about getting off of it. My mother does take a Prolia shot twice a year, and her bone density actually increased, and she has no side effects from that."

• Al6...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 29, 2022

"I was diagnosed with osteoporosis and told that I had to take medication. I took a weekly dose of alendronate for 8 weeks. After the first month, I had some back and leg pain, but did not connect it to the medication. By the 6th week, I was noticeably limping and stopped walking my dog. I hurt everywhere, especially in my hips, and concluded that it must be due to the medication. I left a message for my doctor and stopped taking the medication. Within 2 weeks, I was noticeably better."

• Zim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2022

"Took one alendronate in April 2021, which was strongly recommended by my spine doctor since I have osteoporosis in my spine and suffered with stenosis and compression fractures. After taking the first pill, the next day I had severe heartburn. So bad, I thought I was having a heart attack. Was given OTC Nexium, which did nothing. After a month, the heartburn continued. Went to a gastroenterologist who performed an upper endoscopy - found a little irritation in the esophagus and gave me more medication (which still did nothing). It is now 8 months later, and I am just starting to feel better. No more osteoporosis pills for me - on Vitamin D3, K2, and Calcium."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 24, 2021

"I have been taking this medication for 4 weeks now. About the 3rd week, I noticed that I was having different pain in my foot/ankle and knee. My right foot pain is shocking sometimes (goose bump). Right foot heel/ankle hurts when walking. Went for a nice walk at the beach last weekend and felt slight pain in my hip area. Just not sure if this is due to the medication? This is the response I got from my MD: Hi. I haven't heard of this medication causing this kind of pain; I think this is likely a coincidence. If the pain continues for another month, then it may be worthwhile to go off of the medicine for a month and see if it makes a difference. I stopped taking the medication and the pain started to go away a few weeks later. The pain has now come back. I have intense pain in both feet and ankles. It hurts to walk, and when I try to stretch my foot, the pain goes through the top of my foot to my ankle."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 13, 2021

"Started to take this in August 2021 - October 2021. I’d take a tablet every Sunday, only to find I’d wake up with terrible morning sickness, but it would last all day and night for 7 days. Just thought it was my body adjusting. I couldn’t sleep and would wake up every 2 hours due to dehydration and the need to drink water. I had cramps in the back of my lower legs, heart racing, called the doctor again saying I really feel unwell. Told to stop taking them. But my hair is thinning, and I still feel so poorly. Not taken them for 4 weeks and will never take again. I’m tired and just feel so flat."

• Geo...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 4, 2022

"I have finished nearly a year of taking liquid Fosamax (alendronate) for osteoporosis. Previous to this, I took Prolia. I stopped Prolia due to the inconvenience of going to the hospital for the injection. I had my DEXA scan this week, and I am thrilled! I have gone from osteoporosis to mild osteopenia, a big improvement as I am in my 80s and my osteoporosis is longstanding. I did find that the liquid is much easier to take and I'm convinced it absorbs 100%. I'm beyond thrilled with my results. Another year on the liquid and I will have normal bones again! My suggestion to sufferers of osteoporosis who don't like the tablets is to try the liquid. For me, it works. My medical team is happy because it is a new product for them, and the numbers don't lie. It's a good outcome."

• Anonymous
• April 19, 2011

Alendronate "I have been taking Fosamax (once-a-week form) for 10 years now without problems. My last scan showed an improvement of 97 percent after ten years by checking my 'T' scores."

• jds...
• July 11, 2009

Alendronate "I took Fosamax in 2003. I had severe leg cramps. I switched to Boniva because I liked the once-a-month dose versus weekly."

• Joa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 18, 2020

Alendronate "Used Fosamax for two years, and my bone density declined and was worse than when I started the drug."

• Too...
• March 3, 2021

Alendronate "I was put on this med, and within one month, my teeth started to fall out in a slow, sad way. My pain became worse, as well as my body muscles deteriorated, but I kept taking this medication, why?"

• wor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 28, 2021

Alendronate "My doctor put me on Fosamax and reported to her my bones were hurting taking it. She wants me to continue, but I stopped. I'm tired of the hurting from it."

• HHB...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 28, 2022

Alendronate "In the months I’ve been taking it, I’ve had no discomfort and experienced no side effects."

• men...
• April 11, 2011

"After one year on alendronate, Posture-D, and 4000 IU of vitamin D, I had another bone scan and am growing new bone."

• AHA...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 20, 2023

"Have been taking the tablets once a week for several months - no problems whatsoever."