Fosamax Effects

There is no knowing when a femur fracture will happen. There can be many reasons why this bone condition happens but even mundane activities can be enough of a reason like athletic jumping on a rope with your neighborhood children. This condition has started many researches and the use of biphosphonate drugs like Fosamax were found out to result in femur fractures. Fosamax and another biphosphonate are now being tested on space stations.

Fosamax belongs to a class of drugs called biphosphonates, which are used in preventing the loss of bone mass and is usually prescribed as treatment for osteoporosis. Unexpectedly, the number of reports from Fosamax users claiming that they sustained spontaneous fracture as a result of the long-term use of the drug continues to rise.

A spontaneous fracture happens when the continuity of the bone breaks even without any force or trauma occurring. Patients report that they were merely walking down the steps and standing for a certain duration or playing jumping rope with kids when the break in the bone manifests.

Long-terms users of this drug reported that it is not only femoral fractures they are experiencing as a side effect of this particular biphosphonate. Medical conditions like osteonecrosis of the jaw, also known to many as ONJ, Dead Jay or Bis-Phossy Jaw, as well as severe musculoskeletal pain are linked to the use of Fosamax. Its manufacturer Merck may already have known about the risks for ONJ but chose to do without properly informing the patients.

Altering the bone cycle formation and reducing bone density is the primary role of Fosamax. This mechanism of action also prevents bone resorption, exposing its patients to certain types of bone break. Postmenopausal women have been prescribed with biphosphonates but there is no indication regarding the length of use. This dilemma are answered by doctors through the five-year limit to the course of treatment.

Biphosphonates have been very popular that around 37 million prescriptions were written for it around 2008. The number of women suffering from brittle bones and the possibility of them experiencing a spontaneous fracture due to the use of this drug seems pretty depressing. These kind of situations have actually led to many people filing a Fosamax class action lawsuit.