What are the worst side effects of Fosamax?

What are the worst side effects of Fosamax? This is for osteoporotics.

This page was last updated by Dr Bernard Preston on 8th January, 2026. Fosamax reviews of the standard drug for osteoporosis prevention and treatment are weighed.

Once considered a wonder drug, Fosamax simply doesn't work, even makes the bones weaker and has many awful side effects.

For all women, but particularly for the diabetic who is more prone to brittle bone disease, there are some simple things that can be done to prevent this nasty, disabling condition. With a few changes in lifestyle ten years earlier this lady above could instead have been out hiking every weekend.

Brittle bone disease

Brittle bone disease is a silent condition and then, with great suddenness it becomes very painful and disabling; by that I mean you do not know you have the problem until it is too late to do anything about it.

And when it hits, many women in particularly lose their independence. No longer can they get about easily; shopping becomes difficult, walking is painful and consultations with doctors of all ilks becomes a weekly affair.

If the fracture happens in the spine then movements such as turning in bed, getting out of a chair and dressing become very painful; if it is in the lower leg then it is not only also very sore but also limits perambulation. And, because the speed at which you can walk is directly related to how long you will live, the broken bone also cuts short your life.

The disability of brittle bone disease

With frightening suddenness an independent and busy woman becomes a disabled person in great pain. A hip can be pinned and the lower leg plated but you are never quite the same. Pain medication becomes a feature of your life. It happens to nearly a half of women over 50 years of age.

Count the cost

It's also a very expensive business. Often there are spinal operations and hip replacements lurking in the wings; and as we all know after a long anesthetic some older folk lose their marbles. 

Enter fosamax, the wonder drug that prevents bone loss; or does it?

What's actually happening in the bone?

A little physiology at this stage is important; the concepts are not difficult.

Tissue is constantly being manufactured. Cells called osteoclasts are destroying your bone and others are busy rebuilding it. This remodeling is happening all the time and it's quite normal.

However for one or more of six not uncommon reasons, that new bone isn't being built properly. The actual mechanism is not actually important; just accept that the osteoblasts are not doing their job normally.

• You are post menopausal.
• Steroid use for inflammatory conditions like arthritis and asthma is not uncommon.
• Chronic inflammatory bowel disease causing diarrhea which inhibits the absorption of calcium.
• A parathyroid hormone deficiency due to an autoimmune condition is increasingly common. 
• A complete hysterectomy robs you of important bone-building hormones.
• You have a poor lifestyle.

Five of these reasons you can do little about but the sixth, lifestyle is the single most important factor that you have control over; but unfortunately, because most women assume wrongly that osteoporotic fracture will never happen to them, nothing is done until it's too late.

Again, enter fosamax; if I do get the dreaded lurgy, then I'll just take the medication. There is unfortunately a very big disclaimer.

How does Fosamax work?

Fosamax reviews reveal serious side effects that should invite questions from the chiropractor, dentist and the heart specialist.

When building sites like this, webmasters look for so called keywords; those that the public use when searching for information about this or that. It's interesting that of the six most profitable phrases that I could use in regard to Fosamax, five of them have to do with litigation and the dangers of the drug.

But first let's look at how Fosamax works. I recommend you go to a medical site called Drugs.com for more detail but here is a summary. The medication inhibits the work of the osteoclasts; remember they are the cells that break down bone. So, in theory, provided the osteoblasts go on building new bone, that should sort out the problem.

Unfortunately it doesn't; whilst Fosamax reviews do suggest increased bone mass which may prevent breaks but there's no certainty about it. In fact in the hip and the jaw, there is definitely an increased risk of fracture; and hence all the litigation that Merck is facing.

Here's an interesting and very relevant aside. I once attended a lecture by a renowned researcher who was given the task of finding out why sheep taken from their normal habitat and placed in a pen with a high protein diet were breaking their front legs.

It was very interesting. On the corn and soya bean diet, the sheep had increased calcium in their bones; they were heavier. But when he tested their strength, he found they were much more brittle.

Barrett's disease and Fosamax

The drug must be taken with a full glass of water whilst you are sitting or standing upright; on an empty stomach. This is to prevent any reflux. Fosamax reviews in the New England Journal of Medicine have linked the medication with Barrett's disease; cancer of the oesophagus.

For the chiropractor, pain in the upper leg and fractures of the femur are a concern. Hardly a day passes when an older patient is not consulting us for pain in and around the hip and groin; a question concerning fosamax use is always pertinent.

Whilst building heavier and more calcium dense bones, fosamax actually increases the incidence of stress fractures in the hip. It is thought to inhibit not only osteoclast activity but also the laying down of new collagen; that is the matrix in which the cells are being built.

For the dentist, fosamax and extraction becomes a great concern as necrosis or death of the jawbone may occur. After surgery, inflammation and infection of the gums and teeth is more common. Extraction, especially if a root breaks off becomes a nightmare.

Debilitating bone, muscle and joint pain

In short fosamax dangers are a big worry; debilitating bone, muscle and joint pain lie unseen just over the horizon.

Irregular heartbeat, painful eye disorders and hip fracture are serious concerns; and osteonecrosis of the mandible. We face it daily when doing manipulation of the pelvic joints.

Fosamax femur fracture lawsuits are on the increase. Is a life without medication really on the cards?

As with all chronic medication you have to weigh these Fosamax reviews to decide for yourself whether the treatment is worse than the disease. It is our considered opinion that looking for short cuts instead of a change of lifestyle is extremely short sighted. We need to walk daily and look to eat more calcium-rich foods.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis not a popular subject but, as one wit said, if you're not going to look after your body, where are you planning to go and live? What young woman is interested in facing the causes of osteoporosis when she is in her twenties, young and beautiful, with her whole life lies ahead of her? She certainly will not be googling Fosamax reviews unless her gran is asking about her crumbling jawbone; and likely to ignore that impertinent chiropractor.

These are the critical steps to take when facing the modifiable causes of osteoporosis.

1. Make sure your children exercise regularly. Teenagers who won't walk and run will never achieve peak bone strength. They are already preprogrammed for osteoporosis.
   
2. Women in particularly must continue to exercise all their lives. Couch potatoes will suffer these hard choices when they get older.
3. Smoking is strongly associated with osteoporosis, as is excessive alcohol use.
   
4. A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D is essential. Fatty fish like mackerel, salmon and pilchards at least twice a week is strongly recommended. However, vegetarians who walk regularly will be fine.
   
5. Increased use of diary products is controversial with scientists in disagreement. I would recommend enjoying some yoghurts and cheeses but not increasing them unduly. 
6. A diet rich in fruits, salads and vegetables is part of the overall schema; and legumes and true whole grains which alas are hard to get.
   
7. A regular walk in the sun has all round benefits; with a hat.
   
8. Best calcium for osteoporosis also recommends a whole citrus fruit, hummus and tofu. Eggs from free range hens are especially rich in vitamin D, B12 and omega-3 fatty acids; overall it is recommended you reduce your overall animal protein intake in favour of chickpeas, lentils and whatever pulses you enjoy. Broad beans will help with Parkinson's too.
   
9. Reduce your dietary salt, avoiding canned foods and salty snacks; keeping your sodium intake below two grams per day substantially lowers your calcium requirements.

Dangers associated with HRT and Fosamax

None of us likes to be told what we should be doing and what is going to cause misery later in life. Doctors do their best but mollifying the angry woman is not simple; many take the easy route, prescribing post menopausal hormones and osteoporosis medication despite the medical Fosamax reviews and the associated dangers. Some will be honest enough to warn of the risk of cancer, brittle jaw and hip bones; and glaucoma. In chiropractic we are faced with the same dilemma.

Make your own decision and live by it; if you choose to ignore these well researched guidelines, don't complain when things go awry. Those who will not hear, must feel. 

Are you thinking this just is a crazy, fanatical chiropractor's opinion? Read more at Harvard Health Publications; what is the story with Fosamax? They report convincing new research that long term use of the drug leads to hip fracture, disability and premature death.

And some scary new research; scientists were surprised to find that women taking calcium supplements have a higher rate of heart disease. The mineral isn't just being deposited in the bones but in the coronary arteries too. Look to your food for your minerals; that best calcium for osteoporosis link will give you the guidelines.

Glaucoma and Fosamax

Scientists have now found that the bisphosphonate in Fosamax doubles the risk of glaucoma; that means a high likelihood of blindness^[1].

The simple things

It's the simple things in life mostly that lead to better health, says your chiropractor. Like taking proper holidays, enjoying an apple several times a week and drinking more water; and of course getting off the couch. No where is this more true than in the search for strong bones that will not be making you feverishly reading ablut the worst side effects of Fosamax one day.

Walking benefits

Walking benefits are sublime, and a vital part of the chiropractic management of lower back pain, and osteoporosis, especially when compared with the side effects these fosamax reviews reveal. Apple or low GI bread sandwich in hand, it's also part of the solution to that bulge that may be developing in the wrong place.

Try and take a regular short walk in the middle of the day in the cooler months when you get maximum benefit from the sunshine on your skin; you'll find you actually get to enjoy it. Can't manage half an hour? What about ten minutes and an extended walk over the weekend?

This is especially true for those suffering from diabetes osteoporosis.

It's exercise that drives the bones to take up that calcium; it increases osteoblast activity. 

Dietary benefits

A can of pilchards or other fatty fish twice a week is surely manageable; in chiropractic we advocate it, if only for the vitamin D. Consider these dietary benefits now so one day you too will not have to be worrying about Fosamax reviews; the drug doesn't work anyway. 

Making your own hummus regularly is really not difficult once you're in the routine of pressure cooking and then freezing garbanzo beans.

If you want to make your own quick healthy hummus recipe, it's so easy; it takes five minutes to make a large tub, once or twice a week.

Eat only wholewheat bread, and consider baking your own low GI loaf. That takes only five minutes too.

An apple a day, a regular salad and healthy flour are foods that will increase our calcium intake and improve bowel health. There are some concerns about the phytates in 100% whole wheat but it's mainly when phytic acid is added chemically.

• Are phytates bad?

Do it. Let the earth nourish your body; return to the healthy foods your great-grandmother once served.

Free range chickens are particularly beneficial provided you are not on a high red meat diet; in England my aunt tells me they're called "proper eggs."

I like the term. Most eggs consumed are improper; raised in a cage or barn, never having seen a cricket, grasshopper or worm.

We call them "happy eggs." They are part of the avoidance plan of having to read about the worst side effects of Fosamax. 

Potassium for strong bones

Potassium is an essential mineral along with calcium to form strong bones. Since less than 2% of those consuming only typical grocery store food get the required 4,000 grams per day, it comes as little surprise that osteoporosis is so prevalent; and Fosamax in such demand.

Leafy greens like spinach, legumes such as chickpeas and squash are rich sources of potassium.

Interestingly yellow corn has 60 times as much as potassium as white; look for polenta to make grits. It's so cheap if you can get it direct from a farmers' market.

• The best way to cook wholegrain maizemeal
  

This chiropractic site is for those who want to help themselves. Nowhere is that more important than for women who don't want to have painful crumbling spines; then in ten years time you won't be feverishly searching for the pros and cons of Fosamax.

Help yourself because no one else can enable you to prevent this nasty and by and large, preventable disease.

Starting walking regularly and start looking for calcium and potassium rich foods, particularly outside of dairy which brings with it its own problems.

Foods like freshly-squeezed orange juice may take a little more time to prepare. OJ in a carton has one twentieth of the calcium and is highly glycemic, read fattening and stressing your pancreas; plus its taste doesn't come close to the real McCoy.

Take a moment to read this orange juice facts page, and consider a indulgence in this lemon drop drink recipe.

Personally I prefer my lemon in the hummus that I make twice a week and eat daily with our green salads, but enjoy citrus anyway you like; the calcium in the sesame seeds used to make tahini certainly will contribute to the prevention of osteoporosis. 

Take these Fosamax reviews seriously. The drug is a nasty short-cut solution to a problem that in the vast majority can be prevented with proper diet and plenty of exercise; starting when you are a teenager.

What are the worst side effects of Fosamax?

What are the worst side effects of Fosamax? The merits of the standard drug for osteoporosis prevention and treatment are weighed.

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