I have been on Arimidex for over 2 years now, and my osteopenia has turned into osteoporosis, despite my weekly regimin of Fosamax. My endocrinologist is recommending an infusion--Either Boniva, 4x per year, or Reclast once yearly. I am worried about side effects. Does anyone have any advice on the pros and cons of switching to an infusion? Is there a benefit to one drug over the other?
Hi chocoholic, welcome to the community. Boniva iv and Reclast iv have basically the same side effects. I can't say that one is better than the other, since I haven't tried either. The yearly infusion is generally used for convenience and if a person has stomach problems with the oral doses of these meds, and Boniva is generally used for the same reasons.
Some people have on-going problems with these meds and some don't and it's difficult or impossible to tell ahead of time how either of these will work for you. Some do very well and some have side effects they can't tolerate.
I wish there was a simple answer but there really isn't. If you try one of the infused doses and have a hard time the side effects could last sometime, or you may have no side effects. Have you considered the oral dose of Boniva? You could try this and see how you do and then re-evaluate what you'll do next depending on how you tolerate it.
Hopefully someone who has used this will chime in and give you some ideas. If you want to read more about Reclast here's an article on it that may be of some help to you.
Good luck with your decision.
Hi chocoholic, sorry about mixing up your name. Here's a link from the FDA on those two topics that you can read. Unfortunately this isn't as comprehensive as the originals from the FDA, but it does mention these problems. Zometa and Reclast are both (zolendronic acid) that may be given at differing doses.
Good luck with your decision.
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Hi Jenna, I just realized that two of the links in the article above in Blue Font, have been moved by the FDA. I'll try to find the new links and repost them for you. You can also search the FDA site for Reclast and see if they list new links on Atrial Fibrillation and the FDA alert on joint pain.
Check back here for the new links which I'll provide as soon as I find them. I wish they wouldn't move these links so much because it makes the article frustrating, but I'll rectify it as soon as I can on those two medical issues, and the FDA's explanation.
Take Care...