Fosamax is prescribed for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease, in postmenopausal women. It is also used to increase bone mass in men with osteoporosis, and is prescribed for both men and women who have developed a form of osteoporosis sometimes caused by steroid medications such as prednisone. This drug can also be used to relieve Paget's disease of bone, a painful condition that weakens and deforms the bones.
Fosamax tablets contain the active ingredient Fosamax acid, which is a type of drug called a bisphosphonate. Fosamax acid tablets are also available without a brand name, ie as the generic drug. Bisphosphonates are drugs that prevent the breakdown of bone.
Bone is not a static structure. It is continually shaped, reformed and rebuilt by cells called osteoblasts and osteoclasts. These cells continously deposit and remove calcium and phophorous, stored in a protein network that makes up the structure of the bone. Old bone is broken down by the osteoclasts and new bone is formed by the osteoblasts.
In women at the menopause, blood levels of the female hormone oestrogen start to decrease. This results in an increase in bone breakdown by the osteoclasts, which can lead to a loss of bone density. Bone loss is particularly rapid for the first ten years after the menopause and it may lead to the development of osteoporosis - a condition in which the bones become weak and brittle and break more easily.
Osteoporosis can also occur in men and as a result of long-term treatment with corticosteroid drugs such as prednisolone. Other risk factors include smoking, a family history of osteoporosis, early menopause and thin body build.
Fosamax acid is used both to prevent bone loss in people who are at risk of developing osteoporosis, and to prevent fractures in people who already have osteoporosis. The drug works by binding very tightly to the bone and preventing the calcium being removed by the osteoclasts. This stops the osteoclasts from breaking down the bone, which helps to keep the bones strong and less likely to break.
As this drug slows bone turnover and so prevents calcium being rebsorbed from the bones into the blood, it can cause the amount of calcium in your blood to fall too low. If your dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D is low, your doctor may ask you to take supplements to prevent this.
Why is this drug prescribed?
- treatment of osteoporosis in men;
- prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in women who have passed the menopause;
- prevention and treatment of osteoporosis caused by long-term treatment with corticosteroids such as prednisolone.;
- nausea;
- muscle pain;
- indi-gestion;
- gas;
- diarrhea;
- constipation;
- bone and joint pain;
- acid regurgitation;
- ulceration bleeding or perforation of the stomach or intestines;
- ulceration of the food pipe;
- skin reactions such as rash or itching;
- pain in joints muscles or bones;
- low blood calcium level;
- inflammation of the stomach;
- inflammation of the front parts of the eye;
- inflammation of the food pipe;
- indigestion;
- headache;
- flushing of the skin due to widening of the small blood vessels;
- excess gas in the stomach and intestines;
- disturbances of the gut such as diarrhoea constipation nausea vomiting or abdominal pain;
- difficulty or pain when swallowing;
- dark colored tarry stools due to the presence of blood altered by the intestinal juices;
- bloating;
- acid regurgitation;
- abdominal pain;
TREATMENT OF POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROSIS
The usual dose is one 10-mg tablet once a day, or one 70-mg tablet or bottle of oral solution once a week. Treatment continues for years.
PREVENTION OF POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROSIS
The usual dose is one 5-mg tablet once a day or one 35-mg tablet once a week.
OSTEOPOROSIS IN MEN
The usual dose is one 10-mg tablet once a day, or one 70-mg tablet or bottle of oral solution once a week.
STEROID-INDUCED OSTEOPOROSIS
The usual dose is one 5-mg tablet once a day, except for postmenopausal women not taking estrogen, who should take one 10-mg tablet once daily.
PAGET'S DISEASE
The usual dose is 40 mg once a day for 6 months.
