Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC - "Ouch! Osteoporosis Drug Linked to Rare Leg Fractures!"

This news story definitely falls into the "Ouch!" category and is yet again a cautionary message to those who take prescription medication. Especially for conditions that can respond well to good old fashion sensible dieting, exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

This story revolves around a popular class of drugs called Bisphosphonates, often prescribed to fight the effects of Osteoporosis and fractures! The common names of these prescribed medications are Boniva and Fosamax. 

Osteoporosis is a progressive 'thinning' of the bones and depletion of bone density due to loss of calcium and bone proteins. Osteoporosis is generally thought of as an elderly problem that more likely targets women. In both instances, this may not always be the case. Especially with society's demographic leaning more towards an 'older' population, Osteoporosis will obviously become a bigger problem as time goes on.

The details of this report involve an unusual and rare form of fracture of the femur (the long leg bone in your thigh). The problem called, "Atypical Femur Fracture" seems to be unreasonably high in patients who are taking Bisphosphonate drugs, especially for longer than five years.
"FDA is warning again about the possible risk of an uncommon form of fracture in patients who take bisphosphonates to treat or prevent osteoporosis," Rear Admiral Sandra Kweder, M.D., deputy director of CDC's Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said during an afternoon press conference Wednesday.

"Patients taking bisphosphonates who have experienced an atypical fracture are younger than patients experiencing typical osteoporotic fractures," she said. "In some cases people have fractures of both femurs." 

Such fractures occur in the bone just below the hip joint or in the long part of the thigh bone. Over half of the patients who have had these fractures said they had dull aching thigh or groin pain that started weeks or months before there was a complete fracture, Kweder said.

The optimal length of time to take bisphosphonates isn't known, but FDA officials think these fractures may be related to using these drugs for more than five years, Kweder said.

So as I have stated many time in these blog posts, please, please, please! be informed and educated about the potential side effects of the medications that you are taking! Unfortunately, your prescribing doctor may not be informed about all the potential side effects, especially with new research/news coming out daily.

As mentioned earlier in this post, Osteoporosis is a weakening of the bones that can lead to serious health issues. However, as countless studies have proven now, proper exercise, diet and a healthy lifestyle can make a significant difference in maintaining bone density. If you are concerned about Osteoporosis because of what you see on TV or from friends, ask your doctor about lifestyle changes first before resorting to medications like Boniva or Fosamax.

Better yet, if you'd like more information and are in the Commercial Drive area of East Vancouver, come by to see me or visit my website here;  COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC