I was recently diagnosed with Osteoporosis. My Dr. recommended Boniva IV because I cannot take the meds by mouth, due to Acid Reflux Disease. Had my first injection yesterday. Ten minutes later, as I was running errands, I suddenly experienced difficulty swallowing. I drank some water, managed to swallow with great effort, and it got better. I seemed to be alright again. As I was driving home, I suddenly developed numbness on the left side of the head, from the throat to the left nostril, and the top of the left side of the head. I also felt a slight swelling inside the left side of the throat. Wondering if this would spread over to the right side, enveloping my entire head with numbness, I decided to pull off the road and park in a nearby shopping center. I just sat in my car for about 10 minutes, then got out and walked for a bit, and got a cup of coffee. The numbness subsided and I felt more normal again. I was able to continue the drive to my home. Today, I am experiencing upper back pain and joint pain, which appears to move around different joints. I am feeling a bit "draggy" today and have been resting most of the day. After reading many of the comments on this site today I am reluctant to go for the 2nd injection in May. Has anyone experienced the side effects I described?
Hi Eva: I'm so sorry you are having these problems with the boniva infusion. The only mention that Novartis list's on swelling is of the joints. Read the following link to get a better idea on how this drug works. It's a very long read, but definitely worht the time it takes to get all the info you need.
Normally infusion don't cause gi tract problems which is why it was developed for those who took the oral dose that *does* cause intestinal problems, and the infusion isn't metabolized in your stomach/gi tract. However, swelling, and in particular the type you describe is something that should be reported to your Dr. in case you have an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients. Please don't hesitate to report this to your Dr. or also report it to Novartis.
Numbness and swelling *can* [not always] be red flags of some form of allergic reaction so it need to be dealt with asap.
Good luck finding out what's going on from your Dr. and if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask; were all here for you whenever you need someone to talk to. I'm not a Dr. but I can certainly tell if a side effect is one that is *not* normal.
Since it affected your driving you don't want to put yourself or others in a dangerous situation. Don't panic, because that does absolutely no good, but follow through on finding out what's going on.
HTH~~fondly PF