Osteoporosis Drugs May Increase Fractures
New research agrees with earlier FDA warnings about potential side-effects from bisphosphonate based osteoporosis drugs.
Osteoporosis is a crippling disease that has been dubbed ‘the silent killer’ because of its lack of symptoms.
Conventional treatment has been with Bisphosphonate drugs which are also known for unpleasant side effects. These range from minor ones such as constipation, diarrhoea, tiredness and feeling sick to the more serious problems of gastroesophageal irritation and potential complications, including osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), severe suppression of bone turnover and potential kidney damage.
Optimal use of bisphosphonates for osteoporosis also requires adequate calcium and vitamin D intake before and during therapy, so an acknowledgement of non-drug elements are needed.
However no research study has so far mentioned the key role of progesterone in bone renewal.
Not a new problem
The new research was published in January 2017 by Nature Publishing Group and co-led by Professor Justin Cobb, chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at Imperial College London and is summarised in this BBC News article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39122541
It confirms that bisphosphonates, particularly when used for long periods may lead to tiny cracks in bones and to a potential weakening of their structure.
However Bio Hormone Health/Wellsprings first reported this over six years ago in 2011 when it was flagged up the FDA – the Federal Drug Administration in America.
They took it so seriously that they ordered a new warning label for all drugs in the bisphosphonate family at that time and required that consumer-friendly guides be issued alerting users to the risks.
Not content with those measures, the FDA also directed doctors to reassess whether patients should continue taking the drugs after five or more years.
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, the drugs appear to offer little or no benefit after this time, while the rate of fractures seems to increase.
The natural bone builder
Bioidentical experts such as the late Dr John Lee and Dame Dr Shirley Bond have long advocated for the use of supplementary bioidentical progesterone for osteoporosis and osteopenia.
It is never too late to build bone and the following articles amply illustrate how important hormone balance is to both build, and retain, strong bones throughout life.