Osteoporosis Medications
Osteoporosis Medications
www.allaboutarthritis.com
Written by DynoMed.com, Indianapolis, IN
The National Osteoporosis Foundation defines osteoporosis as a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist.
If you have an inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis and take a glucocorticoid medication to manage it, you are at increased risk for osteoporosis. Glucocorticoids are widely used in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Although the beneficial anti-inflammatory and immune system effects of glucocorticoids make them an important tool in arthritis treatment, adverse side effects are frequent. Osteoporosis and related fractures are one of the most serious adverse effects; indeed, glucocorticoids can be a major contributor to osteoporosis.
Estrogen replacement therapy was once the only option for osteoporosis treatment among post-menopausal women. Women using estrogen should talk with their physician about reports of potential risk for breast or uterine cancer related to estrogen therapy. In addition to estrogen therapy, a growing number of options are available. A few years ago, the FDA approved alendronate, the first non-hormonal treatment for osteoporosis. The FDA’s approval of raloxifene hydrochloride was the first in a new class of drugs called selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs). SERMs work much like estrogen therapy to slow bone loss; however, they lack some of estrogen's potential side effects, mainly related to breast and uterine tissue, according to the journal Arthritis Today.
Side effects of SERMs can include abdominal pain, arthritis, breast pain, chest pain, depression, fever, flu symptoms, gas, gynecological problems, hot flashes, increased cough, indigestion, infection, inflammation of the throat and sinus passages, insomnia, joint pain, leg cramps, muscle ache, nausea, rash, stomach and intestinal problems, sweating, swelling, urinary tract infection, vomiting, weight gain, laryngitis, migraine, and pneumonia.
Osteoporosis medications include:
alendronate
calcitonin
conjugated estrogens
raloxifene hydrochloride
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