Comments on: Fosamax femur fracture risk outlined in new study

By: Clara

Clara — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:33:39 +0000

I had a right hip replacement in 1995. In 1998, my rt femur broke in half right below the rod. It was replaced with a longer rod. There was a space between the 2 halves. It never filled in so a dr. did a strut graft on each side. They would not attach & fill in that space. The grafts died. The dr. said that at least I had an internal crutch – 8 rows of wires, 4 from the 2nd replacement, & 4 from the graft. In 2007, I was just walking and my left femur broke in half. The dr questioned my husband to inquire if he had been abusing me. He couldn’t believe that the biggest bone in my body
had broken in half just from walking. I learned about a year later that Fosamax users were having femur fractures with no pertinent accident associated with it. I had been on Fosamax @ 10 years. I immediately stopped taking it. I have had some metatarsel fractures in my feet also since then. I still have pain in my hips and cannot walk very far. I have to use a motorized scooter when I go to an outside event. The Fosomax drug company should be held responsible for at least any future problems with both legs & feet fractures.

By: Deb K.

Deb K. — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:09:12 +0000

My mother, age 89, had her femur break doing absolutely nothing….got up from a chair and next thing, she was on the floor w/broken femur. She had been on Fosamax for years. This drug is bad news! She then spent over a month in nursing care, lying in a bed. I have osteoporosis but refuse to take these poison drugs.

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 05:49:40 +0000

My 80 year old mother has been in severe pain for 4 months and cannot walk at all any longer. She did not fall the pain just came and worsend on it’s own. After xrays, bone scans, mri’s and cat scans we found out that she has lesions in her femur bone and impending fractures that require her to have a rod placed in her femur to save it from potentially shattering. Were doing the surgery next week in hopes that she will someday be able to walk again. The docs have told us that the impending femur fractures are a result of the Fosomax she was taking for 3 year. We were told that it is lucky we found this impending fracture before it actually just shattered. The FDA and the makers of Fosomax need to take this medicine off the market. It is too dangerous. Then they need to make right by the people who are already suffering and probably will be for the rest of their lives to some degree.

By: Kim

Kim — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:21:44 +0000

Several years ago my mom had some knee pain. She loved to walk for miles but the pain began to bother her and she had to stop, she even began to limp some so she had surgery on the knee. The pain never really went away. Then she was on a step ladder, as she was coming down she missed a step falling which caused her femur to snap. Fortunately she was able to reach a phone and call for help. After many months of rehabilitation and recovery time it seemed she was walkng a little better, but she was always in pain around her hip joints and the limp continued causing her to have to use a cane. Then on Jan 13 2010 as she was walking up her stairs her other femur snapped right out from under her. Again she was alone and able to drag hersefl to a phone. My Mom was always vibrate and a very active women who over the past few years has declined as far as activity. It now seems all this could have been caused by the drug Fosamax. She took Foxamax for many years until a year or so ago when she was placed on Boniva. I just took her for her 8 week check-up and she has just been given permission to put 50% of her weight on the leg since it has not fully healed. After seeing all she has been through I pray immediate action will be taken by the drug company and the FDA to make sure others don’t have to suffer such pain.

By: Gina

Gina — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:41:35 +0000

I was taking Fosamax for 9+ years when in mid-December 2009 my left femur just broke in half while walking. No tumor, no cancer, not even an osteoporotic break. Have osteoporosis which is why Fosamax was prescribed 10 years ago. My nice doctor concluded break was due to years of Fosamax use. Took me off immediately and will NEVER take it again!!!
Also, have broken several metatarsals on right foot and left kneecap after started taking Fosamax.
Now disabled using wheelchair/walker and suffer depression a lot.
Only go to PT 2x a week. Am always home. Terrified as to what will break next.
Now I take heavy duty calcium/Vit D pills. I just know somewhere down the line will suffer another fracture of some kind…..
My sympathy to all of you.

By: Marcia

Marcia — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:59:35 +0000

My mother suffered a non-stress fracture of her right femur one year ago on Dec 23, after 10 yrs. of treatment with Fosamax. One year later ( 2 weeks ago) she suffered a second fracture to her other femur. She had been going to the GP for two years complaining of pain and he just kept giving her cortisone shots for the pain. She has always been healthy and very active for her 80 yrs – walking, skiing etc. This has totally changed her life. I have been taking Actenol for 8 hrs. I have stopped it.

By: Molly

Molly — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:21:40 +0000

I broke the right femur in 06 for no apparant reason and the left femur in June of 07. Two weeks later, I read an article in New York Times that described everything that had happened to me — soreness for months before the first fall – had taken Fosamax almost 10 years – continuing soreness in the other year during the next year and before breaking that femur. Now, 2 years after the first fall, the right femur has not healed. The rod is in okay but you see the gap where healing did not occur. My leg is beginning to give me much more pain.

By: Marg

Marg — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:09:09 +0000

I have been on Fosamax for approximately 4 years and have recently been diagnosed as having femur stress fractures in both legs. I am currently off work and am told that the only way the bones will heal is to stay off my feet as much as possible. This could take as much time as 6 to 12 months. It has already taken 15 months to diagnos the problem having been to several specialist to determine what was wrong. My specialist and G.P. agree that this is due to having taken the drug Fosamax.

By: Tammy

Tammy — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:03:00 +0000

worked every day been on fosamax for 2 years suffering from a severe microtrabular fracture on central femur out of work till i dont know when with no funds and very depressed

By: Sonia

Sonia — Wed, 27 May 2009 03:39:21 +0000

May 26, 2009
My mother recently fractured her both femurs 3 months apart…She has been on Fasomax for 11 years…3 years ago she started complaing of severe bone, muscle and joint pain.Doctors pinned it on arthritis. She also experience severe rashes on her lower front legs with severe burning sensation that kept her up for months.Doctors pinned that on poor circulation…She also experienced healing problems after knee replacement even though she is not a diabetic…I believe all these symptoms are manifesting due to her years of taking Fasomax…I refuse to have her take it now…She is till in the hospital recovering from her broken bones….I wish someone would stop these doctors from perscribing this horrible medication.