Consumerinjurylawyers : Fosamax : Fosamax

By Author: Susan Ardizzoni
Total Articles: 62
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Femure Fractures linked to Fosamax:

The prescription drug Fosamax is used to treat osteoporosis in women as well as men. It is also used to treat individuals who have an abnormal formation of bone known as Padget's disease. Fosamax (alendronate), manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Merck, was designed to bring bone remodeling back into balance by slowing down bone loss and allowing bone growth to continue. The FDA was forced to release a letter to healthcare providers warning doctors to use this drug with caution because of early reports of fosamax injuries due to a femur fracture complication with patients using Fosamax. Other fosamax injuries reported included muscle and bone pain, osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and esophageal damage. A study reported in the Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research, produced evidence about a women who had experienced a femur fracture after taking Fosamax for over five years. X-rays clearly demonstrated an unusual transverse femur fracture that occurred with low impact trauma. These low impact trauma femur fractures occurred from a standing or sitting position. After ...
... discontinuing use, one patient was able to heal without surgical treatment but the other three required surgical intervention and physical therapy to restore lost function.

Early in 2010, Dr Robert Bunning, of the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C. reported on this rare femur fracture occurrence. Bunning explained that these osteoporotic drugs were designed to slow down bone recycling by inhibiting osteoclasts. Osteoclasts are a particular bone cell that is responsible for the break down of bone during bone recycling. On the other hand, the bone cells responsible for building bone known as osteoblasts are allowed to continue making bone. Bunning had performed biopsies of patients who had experienced these rare femur fractures and believed that both systems (osteoclasts and osteoblasts) had shut down. Bunning referred to this phenomenon as frozen bone that appeared brittle and certainly susceptible to this kind of fracture. Nevertheless, in all of the femur fracture reports, the women had been on Fosamax or a generic form for more than five years. Bunning felt that these osteoporotic drugs do in fact make bone stronger within the first few years of administration. Again, all these patients experienced the same transverse femur fracture essentially with no real physical trauma. This doctor recommends that you consult with your healthcare provider right away if you are experiencing pain or if it just doesn't feel right.
More Studies link Fosamax With a Low Trauma Femur Fracture:
Over 100 female patients were studied at Columbia University who were using Fosamax and it generics. This clinical study clearly demonstrated that patients had improvement in their bone structure over the short term but after long-term therapy, bone structure began to weaken. Further studies, one in New York at the Hospital for Special Surgery, also reported diminished bone structure after eight years of therapy. All of this data suggests that Fosamax and its generics act more as bone hardeners and not bone builders, making bone more brittle and more easily broken.
If you have experienced a femur fracture or any other bone related illness while on Fosamax, you may be entitled to financial compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages and medical costs. Fosamax lawsuits are currently being filed across the country.

Author Bio.

Susan Ardizzoni, Ph.D. holds a Doctorate in Biology with a major in Neuroscience (medical) and minors in Biochemistry, Physics, and Mathematics with experience in basic and clinical research. Although the author is not an attorney, this article was sponsored by the law firm of Bernstein Liebhard LLP and constitutes Attorney Advertising. To learn more about Femur fracture or Fosamax injuries please visit www.ConsumerInjuryLawyers.com