Hi Bob, welcome and thanks for the question.   I checked and there won't be a generic from of Boniva available until March of 2012.  There are generic forms of Actenol (risedronate)  and Fosamax (alendronate) on the market, but i'm not sure if  once a month Actenol is available in generic since it just came out recently.  Your dr. or a pharmacist may be able to give you this information.  take care..phyllis

I am looking for the same answer--I know Fosamax and Actonel are once a week substitutes that are cheaper.  I am looking for a daily substitute which is supposedly very cheap.  I don't want to alarm you, but I could not help noticing your symptom and your age.  My husband 52 years old was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer in which white blood cells mutate and attack the bones.  More men get it than women, although it is not a common cancer.  Some people with this cancer shrink radically through tiny cracks in their vertebrae.  The only way to get this diagnosed is through x-rays of the long bones in your body.  They will show lesions if you have it.  Nobody finds out they have it except by accident--i.e. they are having an x-ray of a long bone for something else and some smart radiologist (hopefully they are all smart) recognizes this as an immediate problem requiring immediate treatment.  My husband took 4 months of outpatient chemotherapy and then had a stem cell transplant.  The good news is he has recovered and is feeling a lot better than he did before he was diagnosed.  I'd never heard of this disease so I wanted to share our experience.

Pam Flores, Health Guide

9/21/09 5:21pm

Hi Baiba, sorry I missed your question, but thought I'd let you know that Boniva, Actonel and Fosamax all come in "daily" doses.  The only one of these 3 that comes in generic is Fosamax.  This information may be different in other countries, but in the US they do have daily doses of these meds, and Fosamax is the only one available in generic so far.

 

Sorry to hear about your husband, but glad to hear he is doing better and has had success with his treatment, that's fantastic news and I hope he continues to improve.  Do you know why this disorder only shows up in x-rays of the long bones?  Just curious about this disorder and wondered about the testing used to diagnose it.

 

Good luck...