Hi, I'm a newbie to this board and I wish I had found this before today.
My doctors have been watching my bone density for about 4 years and I have progressed from Osteopina to the beginnings of Osteoporosis. I had made the decisision not to go on any medication for this, but after taking calcium and exercising nothing seemed to be working so I told my doctor I would try Boniva because I only had to take it once a month and yesterday was the first day I took it. I read all the information that came with the medication and thought I'd be ok. I really don't have a bad digestion problem or stomach problem, at least I didn't before yesterday. I took my pill right after I got up and then went out for a short walk, when I returned I sat and watched TV until my hour was up that I was suspossed to wait before I ate anything. I then ate and went out to run some erands, still feeling pretty good but that was soon to end! By 3 PM I had the beginnings of a slight headache, and I hardly ever get headaches, I ate supper and then went out with some friends,... the headache getting worse. I took some advil and forgot about it for a little while. When I was driving home at 9PM I started getting pains in my stomach and then I started to upchuck right in my car. It was mostly sour mucus but it didn't stop after I arrived home and then all through the night I had terrible pains in my stomach, back and chest and had indigestion and diareha till early this morning. It is now noon time and I'm still not feeling too good yet. I didn't think that one little pill could cause a person to be so sick so fast. This brings me to this board. I decided to see if anyone else had experienced these symptoms after taking Boniva. Gee, I thought Sally Fields looks pretty happy in her TV ad, too bad we don't know if she really takes it or not. I would like to hear from anyone who has experienced any or all of the above symptoms that I have had. I belive I followed all the directions correctly. I didn't even take my vitamins yesterday for fear they may have an affect on the Boniva absorption. Needless to say, I won't be taking my June pill or any others, I just want to start feeling better. I read on this board about how some people have had bad effects from other Osteoporosis drugs, I wanted to let others know that they should really stop and think before they try Boniva. The fact that it only has to be taken once a month was a plus for me, but little did I realize, but I should have, was that once a month dose is a woosie! It is 150 miligrams. Please let others know if you have had a problem with any of these drugs, you could be saving them a lot of pain. Thanks for listening. Katt

Katt,

What are you going to do instead? May I ask how old you are and if you are in meno or peri? Have you had your hormones checked to see if estradiol and testosterone are low and may be contributing to your bone loss? When you say that you take calcium do you also take the other bone nutrients like magnesium as well? Do you take extra vit. D? Have you had your vit D. level tested to see if you have enough vit. D in your system to help with your bones?

One of my worst fears is osteoporosis. About a year ago my dentist said that I had bone loss in my mouth and that it is going to lead to me loosing my teeth. How is the bone in your mouth?

Kathy

Just got my first Boniva pill but haven't taken it yet. Now I don't know if I want to!!!LOL Call up your pharmasist (SP) and tell them what is going on. See if they recommend you contact your doctor.----Shelley

I've had bone scans since I entered menopause, and they were fine at first but two years after my last period the scan showed a significant loss of bone. I learned that women who don't take HRT (like me) will sometimes experience this, especially in the two years after entering meno. I always drank a lot of milk and have yogurt every day, and walk almost three miles every day, but this didn't keep me from losing bone. Or maybe it did by preventing further loss, I don't know. My doctor said the scan readings showed I officially had osteopenia (I'm 55). She recommended Boniva or Fosamax, and since Boniva only had to be taken once a month, I chose that. I've taken Boniva every month for almost a year, and have had no bad side effects at all. I take it very early in the morning with a cup of water, and I do it on a work day when I'm going to shower and brush my teeth, so I'm on my feet for over an hour anyhow before I eat breakfast. The first time I took Boniva, I was a little worried so I did it on a weekend, but found that waiting around on my feet for an hour could be avoided if I did it when I'm showering and getting ready for work anyway. Then I eat a full breakfast and my appetite is good and I have not had any kind of nausea or anything.

I'm always feeling hungry when I take the Boniva, and all it does is stop my stomach from growling for about 20 minutes. Then it starts growling again and I know the Boniva has probably been absorbed, but I still wait the full hour.

Katt, I'm sorry to hear about what has happened to you. I don't know what could be wrong, unless you just do not tolerate the Boniva for some reason. Are you certain that your stomach was empty when you took it? Or there is a possibility that what happened had nothing to do with the Boniva and you were sick from something else. Maybe you should talk to your doctor.

I'm really scared of full-blown osteopenia, so for me it is the lesser of two evils to take the Boniva. Once you get full blown osteopenia, you can break an arm or leg or your hip with just a minor fall. I fell off a tall stool in my kitchen a few months ago and hit the floor hard. I was fine, but couldn't help but think that had I not been taking Boniva, it might have not turned out so well. I'd rather take the medication and whatever risks that poses.

I'm glad for you that it hasn't bothered you, but I do know that I did everything I was supossed to do. It is 7PM now and I am still hurting all over. I have aches and pains just like the flu. My stomach is feeling better, I just want this to leave my body. I have been reading other boards on boniva and there are many people complaining of the same symptoms and some are even worse. I was really hoping I wouldn't have a problem, because once a month sounded good. I just heard on TV that there is a new IV drug that only has to be taken once a year and it should be ready in a year or so. I think I will investigate that when it comes out. First I will check out other peoples response, because if I had seen some of the post I read today, I know I wouldn't have taken it. I had a friend that was taking actanel (I'm not sure of the spelling] and she had to stop it because of bad pains in her joints, so I didn't want to take that and I have another friend taking fosamax and now she is having heart palpatations that could be a side effect of that drug. I think we are all just ginny pigs for the drug companies. Sorry but I'm hurting right now.
Someone asked me how old I am. I am 63 and in pretty good health. I do have alergies, but I take meds for that. I was on Prem-pro for about 8 years while I was going through the change and didn't experience menapause symptoms until I stopped taking it, but that has all passed now. I have an annual physical every year and my bone density test. This years showed I was just a the beginning of osteoporosis, that is why I was trying Boniva. I do eat a lot of calcium and take a womens multiple with extra D and boron and magnesium and take viactive. I live in Florida and love the sun so I get lots of D year round. I just want people to be aware that the symptoms can be a lot worse than the drug companies tell you in their pamphlets and they can make their choice after they have all the information they can collect from great boards like this one. Of course everyones body in different and that is why they should make their own choice but at least they are prepared when and if something does occur. Katt

Katt, I hope you feel better soon. I did not know that these symptoms could happen, and I'm sorry to hear it. I have not read the posts by the other woman about having the same symptoms. I know that you did everything correctly. I was just relating my own experience as part of an open discussion. What happened to you is really bad and I hope you feel better. You certainly cannot go through this again, no matter what the supposed "benefits."

I heard the same thing on TV as you did, about IV drug once a year. That sounds even better than once a month. I thought once a month would be easy, and it is, but it's still something to remember to do and it seems to come around faster than I thought it would.

Thank you, I am starting to feel better today. Last night was bad, the pains I had in my chest were rough,it felt like a truck had diven over my body, but I made it through the night and today things are better. I spoke to my doctors office and they said not to take any more pills, like I was going too! I am going to the health foodstore today to get some really good yogurt so I can get this out of my system. I read somewhere that it could take a few weeks for it all to go away. I'm surprised you haven't read of others problems, that is what brought me to this board, I googled Boniva problems, and they all started poping up. From what I have seen, you are one of the lucky ones who can tolerate Boniva, I'm really happy for you. Good luck. Thanks again, Katt

thanks 2all

thanks katt

I did not start another thread coz there is one on Boniva. My mother has just passed through her menopause phase. She is resting at home. I've heard that normally when a woman has just been through menopause, they have great risk to suffer from osteoporosis. Very often, she has back pain and need to stay in bed. She has been prescribed with boniva which is generically called Ibandronate by her doctor. I have heard a lot of side effects of this medication and I am afraid to give this medication. Has anyone ever experience serious side effects from boniva??

To see how others are doing on Boniva, or any other drug, go to askapatient.com. Write in the name of the drug and you will get one or several pages of people who have written in with their experiences - good or bad.

Did you know that Boniva, Fosamax, and Actonel stop the formation of new bone? They stop the normal process that occurs in the body and basically coat bone. So, what you get is fragile bone in a casing. There are many experts that now believe that this can lead to bones being more fragile and prone to breakage! When a break occurs your body needs to do what it is meant to do - rebuild bone. These drugs stop that process! There is also serious concern about jaw necrosis - bone not healing and becoming infected after dental work such as an extraction or implant. Many dentists are now refusing to treat patients who take these drugs. Does it not make sense that if these drugs stop the process of building bone that bone in the jaw would not heal after an extraction? And the latest findings show heart problems in patients - some serious - racing heart, skipped beats, etc.

Every woman must make her own decision, but they need to be made wisely. Do your research first - don't just believe the ads! Also research weight bearing exercise (the best thing you can do) and what supplements to take. Also, beware of calcium. Your calcium intake is your combined calcium - diet and supplements, not just 1500 mg in pill form. A severe bout of kidney stones taught me this lesson! Yes, even calcium, which is touted so strongly today, can cause problems. Take it in citrate form and don't over do it!

Osteoporosis is a scary thing, but it is important to handle it wisely. Read, read, and read some more before making decisions. An excellent book is "The Myth of Osteoporosis" - you can find it on Amazon. Many, many women have read this book and it certainly goes a long way in helping the fear. Yes, it is slanted a bit, but the information is excellent.

Sorry you had such a severe reaction, but you are not alone - not at all. Glad you are feeling better, and hope this helps.

Dor