Taking a combination of two common drugs could dramatically increase your risk of developing a stomach ulcer.
The two drugs -- an osteoporosis drug called Fosamax and the anti-inflammatory drug Naprosyn both cause stomach ulcers by themselves. But when they are taken together, the rate of stomach ulcers is far greater than would be expected from adding the effects of the two drugs taken by themselves.
Anti-inflammatory drugs like naproxen are often taken by people with arthritis. Because the elderly -- particularly women -- are most likely to suffer both arthritis and osteoporosis, it would not be surprising for people to be taking both drugs.
Stomach ulcers developed in 8% of the study participants receiving Fosamax alone, in 12% of those receiving Naprosyn alone, and in 38% of the participants taking both.
Even in volunteers who did not develop ulcers, the damage to the lining of the stomach was significantly worse in those who received the combination of drugs than in those who took either drug alone.
Archives of Internal Medicine January 8, 2001;161:107-110
I don't believe Fosamax should be used by anyone. It is a metabolic poison and does absolutely nothing to address the cause of osteoporosis. You can read my explanation of what I wrote on this subject two years ago.
So just what can you do to address osteoporosis. You can review my recommendations in an article wrote last summer. The article also details how Fosamax can damage your liver.
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