Dr. Mercola May 20 2008 35,684 views
Women who have used Fosamax are nearly twice as likely to develop atrial fibrillation (quivering of your heart’s upper chambers), which is the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat.
Fosamax is the most widely used drug treatment for the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis. The FDA approved the first generic version (called alendronate) in February.
The drug was associated with an 86 percent higher risk of atrial fibrillation compared with never having used the drug. Atrial fibrillation can cause palpitations, fainting, fatigue, or congestive heart failure. They can also lead to embolic strokes.
Osteoporosis affects one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50, largely because many are clueless about what they can do to prevent this common problem.
All in all, it affects more than 25 million Americans. Additionally, close to 1.2 million bone fractures in the United States each year are related to osteoporosis.
Drugs like Fosamax, however, are not the solution.
What’s Wrong With Fosamax?
Fosamax is in the same chemical class (phosphonate) as the cleaners used to remove soap scum from your bath tub.
This is a metabolic poison that actually kills your osteoclasts. Osteoclasts are cells that break down your bone so your osteoblasts can rebuild them.
In normal healthy bone, this breakdown and rebuilding of bone are interconnected processes involved in the normal rejuvenation of bone. In osteoporosis, the net rate of bone resorption (breakdown) exceeds the rate of bone formation, which results in a decrease in bone mass.
It is quite clear that if you kill your osteoclasts your bone will get denser. However, what they don’t tell you is that eventually your bone actually becomes weaker even though it is denser.
Why?
Because bone is a dynamic structure that requires the removal of unhealthy bone and REPLACEMENT with new bone to stay strong. Fosamax does NOT build any new bone. It only kills the cells that break bone down, so your bone is not undergoing its natural regenerative process.
It’s tragic that drugs like Fosamax are allowed to continue being touted as the answer to osteoporosis, when it has so many detrimental side effects.
The fact that it can nearly double your risk of developing atrial fibrillation was, according to the researchers, a “completely unexpected and previously unrecognized adverse effect” of the drug. But many other adverse effects have already been discovered, including:
I warned about the dangers of Fosamax an entire decade ago, and it STILL makes no sense to take an osteoporosis drug that can literally rot out your jaw bone, give you ulcers, damage your liver, and cause heart failure or stroke. I’m sure Merck’s hope is that you WILL be blind enough not to see the folly.
How to Strengthen Your Bones Safely and Naturally
These simple guidelines can help you maintain, or increase your bone strength safely and naturally, without the use of drugs that might cause you even further harm:
not true - it is also good for those consumers who own stock in it!! LOL
Fosomax is hitting the headlines here in Australia big time - and for all the wrong reasons Dr Mercola points out. Here's an interesting article from Australia www.abc.net.au/.../s2115904.htm
of course the Osteoprosis Association here is totally dismissive.
A couple of points that need to be stated beyond the obvious diet, exercise and lifestyle modifications:
1. Calcium does little for improving bone density after menopause. It seems to have a more critical role during the menstruating years.
2. The focus after menopause should primarily be on balancing hormones, including Vitamin D, as well as reducing inflammation.
3. Cortisol is a potent at bone degradation. As such, insulin and stress should be managed.
4. Assessing estrogen and progesterone levels, and optimizing them nutritionally, should be the primary goal, with hormonal replacement (i.e. progesterone) being a secondary option.
5. If you have bone loss (osteoporosis or osteopenia), Synthroid is contraindicated, though most doctors won’t tell you this. You might want to consider a different form of thyroid replacement.
6. If you are concerned about bone loss, ask your doctor about a deoxypyridinium test, which tests for bone resorption activity, not just bone density.
I am living proof of Celiac causing Osteopenia and taking Fosamax for 12 years causing brittle bones. I had a bicycle accident where I ran into my daughter, didn't even knock her off her bike, but I sustained a tibia plateau fracture which is rated a Sachatzer VI, worse one. I am athletic and have played sports all of my life. Plenty of outdoor excercise but still low in Vit. D. While I recover from this fracture I am discovering the perials of Fosamax. Hope people will start listening up and not have to go through this pain.
Carolsuej
Did you know that gluten intolerance can be a symptom of mercury poisoning? Very interesting articles and studies on the internet by just googling signs and symptoms of mercury poisoning. I believe that metal toxicities may be causing more problems than people are aware of. Mercury toxicity can also have an impact on magnesium, copper and zinc levels in our bodies.
Did you know that gluten intolerance can be a symptom of mercury poisoning? Very interesting articles and studies on the internet by just googling signs and symptoms of mercury poisoning. I believe that metal toxicities may be causing more problems than people are aware of. Mercury toxicity can also have an impact on magnesium, copper and zinc levels in our bodies. Our silver amalgram fillings add mercury in our bodies.
Osteoporosis is NOT a disease! it is dietary mismanagement!
It has been said but I want to repeat.... When a can or drink of diet coke for example is drunk the body has to pull calcium from the bones and teeth, right the blood PH as fast as possible or face death! Soft drink being the worst but many also drink coffee, alcohol, eat red meat, white sugar, white flour and smoke cigarettes ALL are acid forming!
The eastern approach to medicine is to keep the body temple hydrated, oxygenated and alkaline..... this way there is no rubbish for the flies and maggots to feed on. The west allows, no encourages the rubbish piles to accumulate then blames the flies and maggots for the mess.... there is money to be made killing the flies and maggots but not in keeping the temple clean. Remember Pasture recanted all he taught on his death bed!
Arthritis is just flies and maggots living happily in acid joints that are devoid of oxygen and eating the living bone. Its not rocket science to stay healthy but nor are the 'medical' treatments! In fact Fosamax takes the cake for shonky science (if you can call it that) how many other drugs are base of such short term stupidity?
Not so simple.
I had a bone density scan done last year. My left hip had significant bone loss, but spine and right hip were normal. At least my doctor agreed that there may be biomechanical issues here. After years of back and hip pain, I have found a good clinic (egoscue.com) that has good treatments for biomechanical issues. Years of kayaking and skate skiing have torqued my hips outward. I have noticed a lot of improvement in the last year that I have been working with this clinic, and I fully expect that the bone density in the left hip will improve as my gait returns to normal. My physician does not think so, but biomechanics are an area conventional medicine is very weak in. Orthopods do great work puting together shattered hips (rollerblading), but know nothing about rehab, as are PTs, in my experience. Chiropractors are better, but only treat the causes, not the symptoms.
Yes, osteoporosis runs in my family. My cousin has it in his spine, and he skis, hikes and climbs. I suspect the kayaking is a good thing in my case.
My mom started Farce-A-Max at age 82. I begged her not to, but after suffering some compression fractures she was convinced by her Dr. ( a wonderful (tongue in check here folks!) guy who originally prescribed her muscle relaxers OVER THE PHONE!!!) and my sister (who has been on for about 5 years) to start the drug.
I kept sending her articles about the dangers, talked to her about doing more supplement therapy.
Up until this happened she was very active. Had done square dancing, walking and other exercise. She rode a stationary bike almost 4 miles every other day. She took up tap dancing at age 76 or so.
After being on Farce-A-Max for almost a year, she developed weird pressure issues in her eye and had to start drops for that.
Up to this point she was on no other meds EVER! And only needed reading glasses. After starting the Farce-A-Max she felt stiff, achy, and needed a cane to help balance. Of course the wonder Dr. and my sister blamed the fractures/healing. Possibly for a time I could buy that, but not after 9 months!!
After the eye scare she finally called me and asked me to help her with supplements, etc.
She stopped the Farce-A-Max and within a very short time she actually felt better.
I took her to lunch and she felt great!! Was proud that she was walking less hunched and really didn't need the cane. She had less pain!
About a week later she suffered an Aortic Dissection. She actually made it through the 8+ hour surgery. Sadly she developed CHF and was kept on the vent for over a month, part of the time in drug-induced coma-like state. She finally got off that and was given a trach tube. This whole situation was compounded with MRSA and eventually C-Diff. After 4 long months of suffering she suddenly passed away (somewhat unexpectedly...drs. kept saying she was stable...) I think the C-Diff finally did her in.
But I have to wonder....still...did the wonderful Farce-A-Max contribute to her death?
I truly believe it did!! Thanks MERCK!
I'm sorry to hear of your experience with our infamous "disease-care system". My mother doesn't listen to me either sometimes and she's stubborn. Makes me nervous what I may have to deal with when she gets to that medically vulnerable time.
I'm gonna have to talk with her.
Fosamax does more damage than just this. My mother took Fosamax and suffered from massive bleeding ulcers throughout her entire digestive system (esophagus, stomach, intestines). A rough rough couple of years followed until we found the cause, took her off and began her healing. She will probably always have scar tissue in her esophagus and difficulty swallowing food. But that wasn't all! She tried to get new dentures recently and no dentist would touch her for putting in necessary posts to anchor them. Seems her jaw had dissolved to paper thin and would break at the slightest provocation - another fine side effect of this drug. THANK YOU DR MERCOLA for making us all aware of what the pharmaceutical industry is really all about -- making money at any cost to the patient.