Side effects of Alendronate
The worst side effect of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), which is rare. ONJ is a side effect of bisphosphonates in general, not just alendronate. There were many lawsuits against Merck alledging ONJ injuries from people who took alendronate when Merck had the patent on it.
A 2008 paper in the Journal of the American Dental Association cast doubts on the alendronate-ONJ connection. The author found that people who took bisphosphonates intravenously had a higher risk of ONJ, but people who took them orally, as most do, had a lower risk. This was based on review of 700,000 medical cases.
Osteonecrosis of the jaw has been recognized for over a century. Indeed, there was an epidemic of Phossy Jaw in the second half of the Nineteenth Century. Even at the time public health practitioners recognized the connection between yellow phosphorus (P4O10) workplace exposure phossy jaw. Hence the name Phossy Jaw.
That epidemic of Phossy Jaw notably affected people who worked in match factories. Matches of the day used yellow phosphorus. It is believed that when the phosphorus oxide gets in the body, it reacts with amino acids and water and carbon dioxide to produce alendronate and other bisphosphonates.
(Contrary to urban legend, no connection has been found between consumption of cola drinks - which contain phosphoric acid - and phossy jaw.)
Some people get stomach cramps or other gastrointestinal problems with on alendronate. This is one reason you shouldn't eat or drink anything for at least 30 minutes after taking the medicine.
© 2008 Alendronate.org | About Us