Question:
I am going to look stuuuuupid, but what is GERD??? Tnks for the answer– Ron
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m a 70 year old male whose osteoporosis came from Prednisone. > I switched from Fosomax to Actonel a year ago as the former was giving > me severe GERD’s. Started taking 5 MG/DAY and had no side effects, > though it is a similar product. Recently switched to one 30 MG > tablet/WEEK. Also taking 1500 MG/DAY of calcium. Bone density has > improved over the past year, though it is a slow process. >Having had hip replacement surgery last month (March actually) and having >been taking my Magnesium, Rocaltrol and Caltrate on a daily basis for 4 or 5 >years, to reduce the effects of bone loss from Prednisone, can anyone tell >me if this course of drug therapy is the best way to go? >I keep hearing that Fosomax reduces the risk of Osteoporosis better than >anything else available, but being Australian I can’t help but wonder that >in this department they have Fosomax as a drug that is only subsidised for >women. >Rocaltrol was once only available (subsidised) to women in this country >because they didn’t think men got Osteoporosis. That’s changed now because >of 3 gutsy old guys that took the Government to court and proved they were >being discriminated against. So I can’t help wondering that Fosomax is going >down the same path. >John H(I)
Response:
You don’t look stupid. GERD stands for Gastro Esophogeal Reflux Disease. A lot of times it’s just referred to as acid reflux. ~~~~Pat CD Class of 98 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->"Ron Gould" wrote > I am going to look stuuuuupid, but what is GERD??? > Tnks for the answer– > Ron
Response:
Pat’s right on the button! It is a condition where the valve between the esophagus and the stomach leaks stomach acid back up into the esophagus. It can be a cause of many problems from ulcers to asthma. Boyd — "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."
Response:
My son has been on Fosamax for a year now aged 20 for osteosporosis from pred. To stop the acid reflux he has to take the fosamax at least one hour before breakfast and any other pills with a full large glass of water, and then stay vertical (in other words do not go back to bed) for that one hour. He has been doing this for a year now – improvement is slow but in about 10-11 months he had a 10% improvement in his bone scan – he is also on monthly injections of sustanon (testosterone) which is meant to help bone density improvement with the fosamax and calcium – he finds the sustanon also boosts his energy level. But is is important when taking fosamax to have it 1 hour before food with a large glass of water and stay vertical as mentioned above or acid reflux etc can occur. Margaret (in NZ)
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Pat’s right on the button! It is a condition where the valve between the > esophagus and the stomach leaks stomach acid back up into the esophagus. It > can be a cause of many problems from ulcers to asthma. > Boyd > — > "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."
Response:
As I’ve said in an earlier post, I switched to Actonel because it eliminated the GERD’s effects common to Fosamax. They do recommend the same dosing method for Actonel that they do for Fosamax, however for most people the side effects are reduced or eliminated. Another treatment without side effects is alendronate (Fosamax) infusion done on an out patient basis a couple times a year. Only problem here is a 4 – 6 hour stay in a hospital. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->My son has been on Fosamax for a year now aged 20 for osteosporosis from >pred. To stop the acid reflux he has to take the fosamax at least one >hour before breakfast and any other pills with a full large glass of water, >and then stay vertical (in other words do not go back to bed) for that one >hour. He has been doing this for a year now – improvement is slow but in >about 10-11 months he had a 10% improvement in his bone scan – he is also on >monthly injections of sustanon (testosterone) which is meant to help bone >density improvement with the fosamax and calcium – he finds the sustanon >also boosts his energy level. >But is is important when taking fosamax to have it 1 hour before food with a >large glass of water and stay vertical as mentioned above or acid reflux etc >can occur. >Margaret (in NZ) > Pat’s right on the button! It is a condition where the valve between the > esophagus and the stomach leaks stomach acid back up into the esophagus. >It > can be a cause of many problems from ulcers to asthma. > Boyd > — > "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."
Response:
Check out http://www.focusonmedications.com/Script/Main/Art.asp?li=MNI&ArticleK… or any of the other Med sites for further info on Actonel – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->I’m a 70 year old male whose osteoporosis came from Prednisone. >I switched from Fosomax to Actonel a year ago as the former was giving >me severe GERD’s. Started taking 5 MG/DAY and had no side effects, >though it is a similar product. Recently switched to one 30 MG >tablet/WEEK. Also taking 1500 MG/DAY of calcium. Bone density has >improved over the past year, though it is a slow process. >Having had hip replacement surgery last month (March actually) and having >been taking my Magnesium, Rocaltrol and Caltrate on a daily basis for 4 or 5 >years, to reduce the effects of bone loss from Prednisone, can anyone tell >me if this course of drug therapy is the best way to go? >I keep hearing that Fosomax reduces the risk of Osteoporosis better than >anything else available, but being Australian I can’t help but wonder that >in this department they have Fosomax as a drug that is only subsidised for >women. >Rocaltrol was once only available (subsidised) to women in this country >because they didn’t think men got Osteoporosis. That’s changed now because >of 3 gutsy old guys that took the Government to court and proved they were >being discriminated against. So I can’t help wondering that Fosomax is going >down the same path. >John H(I)
Response:
Having had hip replacement surgery last month (March actually) and having been taking my Magnesium, Rocaltrol and Caltrate on a daily basis for 4 or 5 years, to reduce the effects of bone loss from Prednisone, can anyone tell me if this course of drug therapy is the best way to go? I keep hearing that Fosomax reduces the risk of Osteoporosis better than anything else available, but being Australian I can’t help but wonder that in this department they have Fosomax as a drug that is only subsidised for women. Rocaltrol was once only available (subsidised) to women in this country because they didn’t think men got Osteoporosis. That’s changed now because of 3 gutsy old guys that took the Government to court and proved they were being discriminated against. So I can’t help wondering that Fosomax is going down the same path. John H(I)
Response:
Osteoporosis Sufferers: This Time, It May Be a Breakthrough A new class of drugs shows promise for rebuilding bone density. By JUDY FOREMAN, Special to The Times Scientists who normally shy away from words such as "cure" and "breakthrough" say researchers are on the verge of what could be a revolution in the treatment of osteoporosis, the dangerous bone-thinning condition that is responsible for 1.5 million fractures in the United States each year. Thanks to a vast improvement in scientific understanding of the process by which bone is created and destroyed, researchers have developed a new class of drugs that can actually trigger the formation of significant new bone to replace that lost to the disease. These drugs, based on human parathyroid hormone, reverse damage from osteoporosis far more effectively than any drugs currently on the market. "Something that actually increases the formation of bone is the holy grail of osteoporosis research," said Joan McGowan, a bone specialist at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. "This is the first approach to having that kind of agent." Ten million Americans–most of them women over 50–have osteoporosis, and 18 million more are at risk because they have low bone mass. Of greatest concern are the 300,000 broken hips that result each year. One in every five people with a broken hip dies within a year from complications, such as blood clots induced by immobility. Half never walk again without assistance; more than a quarter need long-term care. And though women are more likely than men to develop osteoporosis because they lose bone-building estrogen at menopause, 20% of those with osteoporosis are men. All together, hospitalization and nursing care for osteoporosis costs a staggering $13.8 billion a year, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Currently available medications such as estrogens and Evista (raloxifene) can help prevent the onset of osteoporosis, but they increase bone density only slightly. As a result, public health officials focus on preventing the disease through exercise and a diet rich in vitamin D and calcium. * * * The first of the new parathyroid drugs, called Forteo, could reach the market as soon as the fall, and a major study showing its effectiveness in building new bone is scheduled for publication soon in a leading medical journal. Dr. Robert Neer, the lead author and director of the osteoporosis center at Massachusetts General Hospital, declines to give specifics, but the researchers have already shared some of the impressive results with other scientists. Based on a study of 1,637 postmenopausal women, Forteo (also called PTH 1-34) reduces the risk of spine fractures by 65% and of other fractures (including broken hips) by 54% when taken for one to two years. This summer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to convene an expert panel to review the drug for approval. Another still-unpublished study–by Dr. Claude Arnaud, professor of medicine emeritus at UC San Francisco–showed that when taken in combination with estrogen, PTH increases bone density in the spine by 27% and in the hip by 9%. Two other studies, presented at scientific meetings last year, support these findings. "Most physicians don’t even want to breathe the word ‘cure’ because it makes them look like tonic salesmen," Arnaud said. "But this is about as close to a cure as you can possibly get. We don’t know for sure that [bone] returns to normal, but bone is made, and it acts like normal bone in the sense that it’s strong." Skeptics point out that Eli Lilly, the maker of Forteo, had to stop the Neer study early because research in rats showed that PTH could cause bone cancers, although the rats got higher doses of PTH than humans would and rats are highly susceptible to bone tumors in general. By the time the study was stopped in late 1998, though, Neer’s team had already collected much of its data. They also looked for signs of bone cancer in their human subjects and found none. Other researchers agree that one of the most attractive features of the new PTH drugs is that they appear to be safe as well as effective. "We are in a new era for osteoporosis treatment," said Dr. Meryl LeBoff, director of skeletal health and osteoporosis at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who is studying a different form of the drug called PTH 1-84. What has made this new era possible is a more detailed understanding of the intricate biochemical processes that shape bones. Though many people imagine bone to be like cement–an inert substance that is simply there for structural support–it is actually a dynamic tissue that is always being turned over, or remodeled. The tearing down of bone tissue, done by cells called osteoclasts takes about two weeks; the rebuilding, by cells called osteoblasts, takes three months. At any given point, different bones are in different stages of the process. If there were no tearing-down process, bones would get so big and heavy it would be impossible to walk. Scientists now know that osteoblasts, the bone builders, are the key to the entire process because they also tell the osteoclasts, through chemical signals, when to become activated and start destroying bone. * * * Estrogen, in turn, regulates the osteoblasts, slipping into the bone-building cells through special receptors. Because estrogen is so crucial, it has long been the mainstay of osteoporosis prevention for women at menopause, when natural estrogen levels decline sharply. Estrogen therapy prevents further bone loss but does not significantly increase new bone formation. Two other drugs–Fosamax (alendronate) and Actonel (risedronate)–work differently, said endocrinologist Dr. Michael F. Holick, director of the bone health care clinic at Boston University Medical Center. Rather than boosting osteoblasts, as the hormonal therapies do, these so-called bisphosphonate drugs kill the bone-destroying osteoclasts. Some people get upset stomachs on Fosamax, but a new once-a-week version, approved last year, seems to reduce that problem. Still, the problem with all the drugs currently on the market is that they basically block the destruction of bone. The bisphosphonates do yield a 2% to 3% increase in bone density per year, which over time produces as much as a 50% reduction in spinal and hip fractures. But parathyroid hormone increases bone density far more quickly–up to 5% a year. Here’s how it works: When secreted normally by the parathyroid gland in the neck, PTH has one job–to keep blood calcium levels normal. When blood calcium drops, PTH signals osteoblasts to signal osteoclasts to destroy bone, thus releasing calcium to where it’s needed most–in the blood. The new PTH drugs "trick the system," Holick said. By giving PTH in a single blast once a day, the osteoblasts become very active (thus building more bone) but don’t have time to stimulate the osteoclasts, which would tear bone down. The result is bone growth. Despite its promise as a drug, PTH has its drawbacks. That it must be given by injection "will limit its appeal," said Dr. Bess Dawson-Hughes, chief of the calcium and bone metabolism lab at the USDA Nutrition Center at Tufts University. Research is underway on variants of PTH that could be taken in pill form, as a nasal spray or as a cream. * * * Judy Foreman writes a syndicated column on health issues. She is a fellow in medical ethics at Harvard Medical School. She can be reached by e-mail at
Response:
I’m a 70 year old male whose osteoporosis came from Prednisone. I switched from Fosomax to Actonel a year ago as the former was giving me severe GERD’s. Started taking 5 MG/DAY and had no side effects, though it is a similar product. Recently switched to one 30 MG tablet/WEEK. Also taking 1500 MG/DAY of calcium. Bone density has improved over the past year, though it is a slow process. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Having had hip replacement surgery last month (March actually) and having >been taking my Magnesium, Rocaltrol and Caltrate on a daily basis for 4 or 5 >years, to reduce the effects of bone loss from Prednisone, can anyone tell >me if this course of drug therapy is the best way to go? >I keep hearing that Fosomax reduces the risk of Osteoporosis better than >anything else available, but being Australian I can’t help but wonder that >in this department they have Fosomax as a drug that is only subsidised for >women. >Rocaltrol was once only available (subsidised) to women in this country >because they didn’t think men got Osteoporosis. That’s changed now because >of 3 gutsy old guys that took the Government to court and proved they were >being discriminated against. So I can’t help wondering that Fosomax is going >down the same path. >John H(I)
Response:
Is there anyone out there who can give me some information on Fosomax? My mother has been taking it for one year for the treatment of osteoporosis. She is a relatively young woman in her sixties. Last week she experienced a closing of the esophagus, and upon biopsy of the esophageal tissue found out it had become cancerous. Her doctor claims that she is one of only 3 people who have ever experienced this. I am interested in finding out if indeed anyone else has experienced similar side-effects, especially with regard to a possible fosomax-cancer connection. Many thanks.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Is there anyone out there who can give me some information on Fosomax? My >mother has been taking it for one year for the treatment of osteoporosis. >She is a relatively young woman in her sixties. Last week she experienced a >closing of the esophagus, and upon biopsy of the esophageal tissue found >out it had become cancerous. Her doctor claims that she is one of only 3 >people who have ever experienced this. I am interested in finding out if >indeed anyone else has experienced similar side-effects, especially with >regard to a possible fosomax-cancer connection. Many thanks.
Cancer of the esophagus is fairly common, especially among smokers and those fond of pickled foods, so I have no idea what your doctor is talking about. IS your mom a smoker? Fosamax is quite irritating to the esophagus if the pills are not swallowed all the way. They could in theory cause really problems for someone with an esophageal stricture (and are contraindicated for these people). Whether or not such chronic irritation could become cancer, I cannot say. Chronic irritation CAN be carcinogenic, so it’s not a completely far-fetched notion. I’m sure the Fosamax people would not be happy to hear about your mom, but if she’s not a smoker or tobacco chewer or lover of smoked salmon, Merck should probably should be told about the case. Steve Harris, M.D.
Response:
Is there anyone out there who can give me some information on Fosomax? My mother has been taking it for one year for the treatment of osteoporosis. She is a relatively young woman in her sixties. Last week she experienced a closing of the esophagus, and upon biopsy of the esophageal tissue found out it had become cancerous. Her doctor claims that she is one of only 3 people who have ever experienced this. I am interested in finding out if indeed anyone else has experienced similar side-effects, especially with regard to a possible fosomax-cancer connection. Many thanks.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Is there anyone out there who can give me some information on Fosomax? My >mother has been taking it for one year for the treatment of osteoporosis. >She is a relatively young woman in her sixties. Last week she experienced a >closing of the esophagus, and upon biopsy of the esophageal tissue found >out it had become cancerous. Her doctor claims that she is one of only 3 >people who have ever experienced this. I am interested in finding out if >indeed anyone else has experienced similar side-effects, especially with >regard to a possible fosomax-cancer connection. Many thanks.
Cancer of the esophagus is fairly common, especially among smokers and those fond of pickled foods, so I have no idea what your doctor is talking about. IS your mom a smoker? Fosamax is quite irritating to the esophagus if the pills are not swallowed all the way. They could in theory cause really problems for someone with an esophageal stricture (and are contraindicated for these people). Whether or not such chronic irritation could become cancer, I cannot say. Chronic irritation CAN be carcinogenic, so it’s not a completely far-fetched notion. I’m sure the Fosamax people would not be happy to hear about your mom, but if she’s not a smoker or tobacco chewer or lover of smoked salmon, Merck should probably should be told about the case. Steve Harris, M.D.