Does the pain go away?

huessysignoret
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A number of people have written to say they experienced joint, muscle and/or bone pain as a side effect of various bisphosphanates. I had this problem with Fosamax, with the pain coming on slowly, and receding just as slowly when I finally diagnosed the problem. For others who've had pain, with drugs such as Boniva and Reclast, did the pain go away when you stopped taking the drug? If so, how long did it take? Did it reduce gradually. Or is there anyone out there still stuck with the pain long after the drug has been discontinued? And finally, are there any members who had pain with one type of bisphosphanate, but were brave enough to try another type which did NOT cause them any pain?

10 replies

really

I tried the once a month actenol and had bad pain the first month and the second month it was totally untolerable....so I stopped. It took about 5 weeks to get it out of my system. The pain has gotten better since the poison is out of my system.
Doc said all the rx would have same reaction, so no more rxs for me!

sdivas

Hello, I've been taking Actonel since 8/01. I haven't experienced any pain or discomfort. I started with daily Actonel .... after a few years, decided on weekly Actonel. I wonder if a lower dosage was given at the start if that would eliminate some of the problems. I rarely take aspirin, so I knew that I would have to start with the lowest dosage of meds in order for my body to accept. I don't believe that all rx have the same reaction. It seems that meds don't work the same on everyone; and not everyone can take the same med dosage. When I started Actonel, I felt a little nausea. I stopped taking the daily Actonel for a few days, and tried again ... no nausea. I think my system needed to adjust ... and in my case with dexa scores in the middle -3 range, I wanted to do all that I could to prevent fracture. But med decisions are not easy and should be personal decisions; not based on any other person's decision ... as with any suggestions given for bone loss. Sandi

huessysignoret

Thank you. No more poison for me, either.

huessysignoret

Sandi, of course you're right -- we are all different. But that's one of the reasons this site is so useful. I've never had any nausea, but pain has been a real problem. So far, I've heard only that with those women who do experience pain, it does go away, but it takes time. If anyone's had a different experience, I'm all ears!

CONCERNEDLADY

Hello all,

I am tootzie pop from way back. I had to delete my account as I was getting large amounts of spam mail. I had to rejoin to let you know what happened to me I started taking actenol about 5 months ago. I was fine the first few months, but after 4 months developed severe pain in my feet. I was unable to walk. I stopped the meds and a few weeks I was back to normal. Then I started again, and so did the pain. knees, front of legs and feet mostly. I was very scared about taking these meds and did it anyway. The point is that the pain did go away and so I am done. I jog, bike, rollerblade and never had a problem till I started these drugs. never again.

huessysignoret

Thank you! The feedback appears to be: if you develop pain with bisphosphanates, the pain stays as long as you take the drug. Stop the drug, and the pain will go away. That's the answer I was seeking, and I'm grateful to you for re-upping!

Pam, to the former Tootsie Pop from way back

CONCERNEDLADY

Your welcome Pam. I had another friend that is 83. She was taking Actenol for about 5 yrs. She developed pain in her feet that became unbearable. Her teeth also started to move. She had no idea it was coming from the Actenol. I told her to stop and see what happened. The pain went away after about 4 months. She is now able to walk. I guess we are all different, and for some it works with no side effects. We are just not in that group. I am just grateful that I followed my gut instinct not to take the reclast as they wanted me too. I cannot imagine what I woudl have felt like after that.

Nice to meet you Pam!

huessysignoret

Ditto!

BoneLady

Hi! huessysignoret and respondents,

I had muscle pain from Fosamax once weekly, but it was mild. My buttocks would hurt, especially when I walked, but this pain gradually stopped while I was still on the drug.

More disconcerting was the mild pain in the area of my sternum. This would come and go at various times. It went away after I stopped taking the drug.

The worst pain I had while on the drug was in my nasal sinuses. I had never had sinus problems before, but, suddenly, my nose hurt something awful! You could see the swelling on both sides of my nose. It went away after a few days. I had gotten a flu shot a couple of weeks before this episode. I cannot say for sure what caused it, just that it was a first for me.

My worst problems on Fosamax were vertigo and dizziness. I would also feel very ill on the day I took the pill, with extreme coldness and general malaise.

No more bisphosphonates for me! I now take strontium citrate and feel well again. I began a blog to tell others about it. You can visit at http://strontiumforbones.blogspot.com/.

huessysignoret

Thank you so much. I'll look into that for sure.

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