Osteoporosis. A new drug available: but is it safe? Romosozumab (Everity)

There is some controversy about a new pharmaceutical drug to treat osteoporosis in post-menopausal women at high risk of fracture. It is called Romosozumab or Everity.

According to this MIMS article, some doctors in England the Wales are calling on NICE to reverse the decision not to approve this new drug, which is already approved in Northern Ireland and Scotland. It is, apparently, the first new osteoporosis drug  to come to the market in over ten years.

So what is wrong with the drug? Why has NICE not approved the drug for use?

This is what the Drugs.com website tells us about the adverse drug reactions it is known to cause.

"Warning:

* Potential Risk of Myocardial Infarction, Stroke and Cardiovascular Death. 

* Romosozumab-aqqg may increase the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death.

* Romosozumab-aqqg should not be initiated in patients who have had a myocardial infarction or stroke within the preceding year.

* Consider whether the benefits outweigh the risks in patients with other cardiovascular risk factors.

If a patient experiences a myocardial infarction or stroke during therapy, romosozumab-aqqg should be discontinued."

So why do these doctors disagree with the NICE decision, and want to use the new drug with their patients?

It can only be assumed that these doctors do not mind giving their patients drugs that cause heart disease, and death. Perhaps they have nothing better to offer, and that anything is better than nothing.

Whatever, it certainly demonstrates that the precautionary principle, and the Hippocratic oath, "first do no harm", is something that these conventional medical doctors do not understand.

And I expect you thought that doctors have your best interests at heart?

So for those post-menopausal women, suffering with osteoporosis, and in danger of broken bones, it might be a good time to compare homeopathic treatment with the pharmaceutical drugs on offer from their doctors.

Protelos. Another Big Pharma drug bites the dust! Osteoporosis sufferers beware!

The doctor's E-Magazine, Pulse, announced yesterday (5th June 2017) that GP's will have to review any osteoporisis patients treated with the drug Protelos, or Strontium Ranelate, as it "ceases to be available in the UK from August".

     Why is this?

The pharmaceutical company, Servier, said it was due to "decreasing numbers of prescriptions".

     Why the decrease in prescriptions?

Pulse says that this is due to evidence of a "heightened risk of cardiovascular events in 2014" so that it is now "only prescribed to patients who cannot use other approved treatments for the condition, and under careful monitoring."

In other words, Protelos is yet another drug that medical science, and drug regulators has passed as effective and safe has proven to be neither - certainly not safe!

The Pulse article says that Strontium ranelate has been used to treat severe osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, and adult men, who were unable to tolerate other osteoporosis drugs. Yet the history of the drug is more interesting than this!

First, reviewing the clinical trials that led to the drug's use, the evidence appears to show the most marginal improvement in bone fracture. Read about the two main trials on this Drug.com website.

               "When looking at results of the two studies taken together, fewer women in the Protelos group developed breaks at any site outside the spine (including the hip) than in the placebo group (331 out of 3,295 with Protelos compared with 389 out of 3,256 for placebo). This showed that the risk of breaking a bone is reduced."

For this marginal benefit, the Drug.com article goes on to outline the side effects - ischaemic heart disease (such as angina or a heart attack), peripheral arterial disease (obstruction of the blood flow in the arteries, usually in the legs), cerebrovascular disease (diseases affecting the blood vessels in the brain, such as stroke). Actually, there are many more serious side effects, see this NetDoctor website. But despite the (at best) marginal benefits, and the serious potential side effects, this conclusion was reached.

               "The CHMP (Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use) decided that Protelos’s benefits are greater than its risks and recommended that it be given marketing authorisation."

Clearly they were wrong! Yet this is not unusual in the history of pharmaceutical drugs. Risks are measured in grams, benefits in kilograms! It is more profitable for the drug companies that way!

Second, whilst the drug has been approved in Europe, it was not approved by the FDA in the USA! Clearly, conventional medicine concluded, as it often does, that the was 'safe' for Europeans, but not safe for Americans! I have no explanation for why this should be - but it happens quite frequently, one way or another!

So now patients on this unsafe drug have to be called in, and the Pulse article makes it clear that doctors do not have too many alternative treatments for them. So perhaps osteoporosis patients need to look seriously to alternative therapies for a solution to their condition!

Yet the most serious feature of this news is the conventional medicine has used an unsafe drug for osteoporosis patients for over a decade, on the basis that it was safe. Again, this is not unusual for the pharmaceutical industry, and the supine drug regulatory agencies.

• Protelos was approved in Europe in 2004 for the treatment of osteoporosis.
• In 2012, this approval was extended to men with an increased fracture risk.
• In April 2013 there was a recommendation to restrict the use of Protelos because of the risk of serious heart problems (including heart attacks), blood clots, and a range of other conditions such as serious skin reactions, disturbances in consciousness, seizures, liver inflammation and reduced number of blood cells.
• In January 2014 the EDA, the European drug regulator, 'following an in-depth review' decided that that Protelos should no longer be used to treat osteoporosis. The European Medicines Agency's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee should not be available anymore as "the drug's risks outweigh its benefits".

So over three years have elapsed before Pulse has given this information to the doctor's who have been prescribing it.

• How many osteoporosis patients have been taking this dangerous pharmaceutical drug since 2004 on the basis of wrong information?
• How many osteoporosis patients have been taking this dangerous pharmaceutical drug since the EMA decided that the drug should be withdrawn?
• How many patients of conventional medicine are taking other dangerous pharmaceutical drugs that have not been banned AT THIS VERY MOMENT?

These appear to be unanswered questions. Indeed, they are questions that are never asked! The pharmaceutical industry cannot be trusted. The conventional medical establishment cannot be trusted to regulate the powerful drugs industry. 

What needs to be learnt from this situation is that patients who accept conventional medical treatment are just not safe. And remember, patients on Protelos still do not know about the risks they face, and have been facing, courtesy of this drug, for many years.

Bisphosphonates and Osteoporosis. The drug actually assists bone fractures!

1. Bisphosphonate drugs are used to treat Osteoporosis.
2. Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to break, even given a minor fall.
3. Bisphosphonate drugs cause tiny cracks within the bone that can make bone fractures more likely.

Three simple but amazing facts. A patient has Osteoporosis, so conventional medicine gives him/her a drug that increases the risk of bone fracture!

What kind of medicine is this? Yet the seriousness of the issue does not stop here, it is actually far, far worse than this.

History

Bisphosphonates were developed in the 19th century. They have been investigated for disorders in bone metabolism since the 1960's. They have become widely prescribed. In Britain alone it is estimated that 3 million people, mainly women, are taking them.

Yet only today (1st March 2017) do we here about the 'tiny cracks' that these drugs cause, only today does BBC News (and other mainstream news media) deign to inform patients that the drugs they have been taking for over 50 years to avoid fracturing bones actually makes the situation worse.

Medical Science

What have medical scientists been doing for the last 50 years? They are supposed to be protecting patients from dangerous drugs. There was no mention of this possible side effect when the drug was introduced. Even Wikipedia say this today.

               "They are the most commonly prescribed drugs used to treat osteoporosis. Evidence shows that they reduce the risk of fracture in post-menopausal women with osteoporosis." (my emphasis).

No warning there, then! Lots of people take these drug; and the evidence shows they reduce the risk of fracture. The drugs are widely used, so plenty of evidence of use; and they are effective. They have been effective for over 50 years - until today?

What are these drugs?

Perhaps not many people have heard of Bisphosphonates. When there is a problem with a drug the pharmaceutical industry is adept at covering up. They change the name by which the drug is referred to - generic name, brand names, any names to confuse the patient! 

So mention Fosamax (alendronate/cholecalciferol), Didronel (etidronate), Zometa (zoledronic acid), 

Reclast (zoledronic acid), Boniva (ibandronate), Aclasta (zoledronic acid), Atelvia (risedronate), Actonel (risedronate, Actonel with Calcium (calcium carbonate/risedronate), Aredia (pamidronate), Binosto (alendronate), Skelid (tiludronate), and no doubt many more different names in different countries, and some people may have heard about them before. But more likely patients are confused by the profusion of names, and of course we are supposed to be. Drug companies don't want to be asked too many awkward questions.

Fosamax

Fosamax is not a name to be mentioned now in conventional medical circles! It has a long list of very serious side effects. These include the following, taken from the Drugs.com website (but read only if you wish to be scared!)

          Abdominal or stomach pain, cramps, difficulty swallowing, heartburn, oesophagus pain, skin rash, blistering, peeling, or loosening of skin, bloating or swelling of the face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet, bone, joint, or muscle pain, severe, occasionally incapacitating, chest pain, confusion, convulsions, cough, diarrhoea, difficulty breathing, difficulty moving, heavy jaw feeling, hives or welts, irregular heartbeat, loosening of teeth, numbness and tingling around the mouth, fingertips, or feet, pain or burning in the throat, rapid weight gain, red skin lesions, often with a purple centre, red, irritated eyes, redness of the skin, shortness of breath, sore throat, sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or tongue or inside the mouth, swollen joints, tremor, unusual tiredness or weakness, vomiting, constipation, blurred vision or other change in vision, dizziness or lightheadedness, eye pain, feeling of constant movement of self or surroundings, general feeling of discomfort or illness, hair loss or thinning of the hair, sensitivity of the eye to light.....

Indeed, the dangers of Fosamax have been known for a long time. I have references to articles going back to 2003! Merck, the manufacturer faced a large number of lawsuits in and around 2005-2006 because it was known to cause severe jaw decay, known as 'Fosi-Jaw'. This is a Mail Online headline from September 2015.

Bone-boosting drug that could wreck your jaw: Women taking osteoporosis drug at risk of painful and disfiguring condition

Better, then, to call these drugs 'biphosphonates', in case patients remember that this is not a new problem, it is a very old problem!

The Precautionary Principle

This principle is used in most industries. I have written about it before, "The Precautionary Principle in Medicine, and Pharmaceutical Drug Regulation". So if there is a problem, even a potential problem with a product, be cautious, take the safest option available. Withdraw the product, don't use the product, replace the product. The only industry that does not use it, and is not expected to use it, is the pharmaceutical industry, supported by the entire conventional medical establishment, and the mainstream media!

The 'experts' BBC News spoke to this morning said that whilst the 'new' evidence was a matter for concern, patients should not stop taking their bisphoshonate drugs. Perhaps they might like to speak to their doctors, sometime soon, but there was nothing to worry about!

This 'expert' used by the BBC is, of course, someone who has been responsible for prescribing these drugs, probably for much of the 50 plus years they are been available. 

Well, then, he would say that, wouldn't he! What doctor wants to admit that he has treated a bone condition that worsens the bone condition!

Just a one-off problem

Actually, the situation with bisphosphonate drugs is not unusual. Whilst the BBC presented it quite casually (not a serious issue for patients), and a one-off blip, it is, of course, no such thing. Most drug reach the market, make the drug company £ billions, and only then are found to be dangerous. It has happened with antibiotics, statins, painkillers, antidepressants, and most other type of pharmaceutical drugs.

A failing medical system

This is a small news item, yet it is a huge news item. It is a tiny part of a huge failure. Conventional doctors are bemoaning the fact that there is growing resistance to antibiotics, that all painkillers are now really too dangerous to prescribe, that statins are not the 'entirely safe' drug they have told us about for decades. Now, doctors have another problem. They have no drug they can safely use to treat Osteoporosis.

Yet doctors will continue prescribing biphosphonate drugs because they have nothing else to offer. As I have said in another recent blog, "Doctors and dangerous drugs. Is their medicine cupboard bare?", they have nothing else to offer us.

Which is why we should all be declining conventional medical treatment! It is just too ineffective, just too dangerous. In fact, it is making us sicker.

Osteoporosis? Why Homeopathy is more effective than conventional drug treatment

This blog first published on "Why Homeopathy?" website

Osteoporosis is a disease of the skeletal system when the bones lose density, become brittle and become more prone to fracture. It is the major cause of bone fractures in older people, particularly post-menopausal women. Women are affected by the disease 4 times more than men. The risk of osteoporosis can be reduced by adequate nutrition, especially with calcium and vitamin D, regular weight bearing exercise, and by stopping smoking and avoiding alcohol.

Conventional Medical Treatment

Drugs used to treat Osteoporosis have been found to cause more problems for the bones! So paradoxically, instead of the drugs improving the condition, they can actually make it worse!

This is perhaps the reason why NHS Choices is extremely coy when it outlines the treatment for Osteoporosis!

          “You may not need or want to take medication to treat osteoporosis. However, you should ensure that you're maintaining sufficient levels of calcium and vitamin D. To achieve this, your healthcare team will ask you about your current diet and may recommend making changes or taking supplements”.

Bisphosphonate drugs are the most commonly used medications used to treat osteoporosis. The DIEs of this treatment have been outlined above, yet they were approved, and continue to be approved by Drug Regulators throughout the world. They are used both for the prevention and treatment of the disease. They include the following:

• Actonel (risedronate)
• Boniva (ibandronate)
• Fosamax (alendronate)
• Reclast (zoledronic acid)

Side effects admitted by NHS Choices for bisphosphonates, taken orally, include gastrointestinal problems such as difficulty swallowing, inflammation of the esophagus, and stomach ulcers.

Side effects admitted by NHS Choices for bisphosphonates, taken intravenously, include flu-like symptoms, fever, pain in muscles or joints, and headache.

Other drugs used by the Conventional Medical Establishment to treat osteoporosis include:

• Evista (raloxifene), which belongs to a class of drugs called selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs).
• Miacalcin and Fortical (Calcitonin), a hormonal drug.
• Forteo (teriparatide), another hormonal treatment which has a ‘black box’ warning from the FDA as it can increase the risk of developing osteosarcoma, a rare but serious cancer. 
• Estrogen/Hormone Therapy (ET/HT). This treatment is is often known as estrogen therapy. It can increase a woman’s risk of developing cancer of the uterine lining (endometrial cancer), breast cancer, blood clots and heart attacks. Other side effects include vaginal bleeding, breast tenderness, mood disturbances, blood clots in the veins, and gallbladder disease.

So what other evidence is there about the risks of conventional medical treatment for Osteoporosis? The website Physorg published an article (15 January 2008)  "Popular osteoporosis drugs triple risk of bone necrosis" .The article outlined a study undertaken by the University of British Columbia, and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute that found the most commonly used Osteoporosis drugs almost tripled the risk of developing bone necrosis, a condition that can lead to disfigurement and incapacitating pain. 

The research was described as “the largest study of bone necrosis and bisphosphonates, a class of drugs used by millions of women worldwide to help prevent bone fractures due to osteoporosis”. 

It was also said to be the first study to explore the link between bone necrosis and specific brands of the drug group bisphosphonates, such as Actonel, Didrocal and Fosamax. Researchers apparently found that all three brands had similar outcomes.

The online Journal of Rheumatology published the findings, undertaken following 

“a recent USA FDA alert about bisphosphonates drugs that highlighted the possibility of severe and sometimes incapacitating bone, joint and/or muscle pain in patients taking the drugs”. 

Homeopathic Treatment

Please click here to see the evidence basis for Homeopathy

Important Note. 

Homeopathy does not treat illness or diseases. It treats the individual who has been diagnosed with a particular illness or disease. The distinction is important, and if you wish to read more about this, click on the chapter “Illness Diagnosis” above. 

Homeopathy uses many remedies for people suffering with Osteoporosis. As is normal with Homeopathy, the correct remedy for any individual is based upon a remedy that best matches the symptoms of that individual. The main remedies used, with a brief description of the kind of symptoms they are used for, are as follows:

Calcarea carbonica

This remedy can work extremely well for people with Osteoporosis by promoting the absorbtion of calcium. It is often helpful to individuals who are easily tired by exertion and tend to feel anxious and overwhelmed from work or stress. The person may be chilly, flabby or overweight, and feel worse from cold and dampness. Back pain, swollen joints, and a sweaty head at night are often seen. People who need this remedy often have strong cravings for both eggs and sweets.

Calcarea phos

Stiffness, soreness, and weakness of the bones and joints often are experienced by those who need this remedy. Delicate and easily broken bones. Aching in the bones of the neck, upper back, and hips can be distressing. Deep tiredness frequently is felt, especially after exercise. No appetite, green stools, offensive, with undigested food. Calcium deposits and bone-spurs may develop, even while general bone-loss is taking place, and fractures may be slow to heal. A feeling of dissatisfaction and a strong desire for travel or a change of circumstances are often seen in people who need Calcarea phosphorica.

Calcaria Iod

This remedy should be considered when there is deficiency of muscles and fat in addition to deficiency of bones. Unhealthy condition of glands is always present when this remedy is indicated.

Phosphorus

This remedy is often helpful to people who are sensitive, suggestible, imaginative, but easily tired or weakened physically. Bones may be less strong than normal, or be slow to heal after fractures. Weakness is often felt in the spine, with burning pain between the shoulder blades. People who need this remedy are often tall and thin with an easily-flushing face. A desire for refreshing foods (especially ice cream) and strong thirst for cold or carbonated drinks are other indications for Phosphorus.

Silicea (Silica)

People who need this remedy are often nervous, easily tired, very chilly, and tend to sweat at night. They have a refined or delicate appearance, and often have weakness in the spine. Their injuries are slow to heal, and they tend to have a low resistance to infection. Moderate exercise often warms the person up and improves energy.

Symphytum

When osteoporosis is a problem, fractures often occur from mild trauma. This remedy can be useful for strengthening and healing bones when new fractures occur, and also helpful when pain persists in old, healed fractures (see Fractures).

These remedy descriptions have been taken from the website ‘truestarhealth’

Randomised Controlled Tests (RCTs) on Homeopathic Remedies

Whereas the main proof for the effectiveness of Homeopathy are the patients who once suffered from this condition, and have recovered. I have found one RCT trial that have looked into the use of homeopathy for the treatment of Osteoporosis.

Comparative therapeutic use of Risedronate and Calcarea phosphorica – allopathy versus homeopathy – in bone repair in castrated rats

This study compared bone repair in rats of one conventional drug, and one homeopathic remedy (Calc Phos). 

          “The Risedronate treatment influenced repair, leading to a greater bone quantity thanks that induced with Calcarea phosphorica 6CH. However, the bone formed under the Risedronate treatment displayed a resistance to resorption, keeping its trabecular aspect, while the Calcarea 

phosphorica 6CH bone changed from an initially trabecular to a lamellar bone at the end of the experiment. The allopathic and homeopathic treatments led to different bone formation results regarding remodeling and maturation aspects. Further research is therefore necessary to assess the resistance and quality of the formed bone. Repair evaluation through optical density analysis does not faithfully describe the bone callus’ morphological course because it does not consider the differences between the trabecular and lamellar bones and also because it adds the fibrous connective tissue to the measurements”.

Osteoporosis. A disease caused by Conventional Medical Drugs?

Osteoporosis. Description of the disease

Osteoporosis is a disease of the skeletal system when the bones lose density, become brittle and become more prone to fracture. It is the major cause of bone fractures in older people, particularly post-menopausal women. Women are affected by the disease 4 times more than men. The risk of osteoporosis can be reduced by adequate nutrition, especially with calcium and vitamin D, regular weight bearing exercise, and by stopping smoking and avoiding alcohol.

History and facts about the disease

The International Osteoporosis Foundation has provided the following facts about the incidence and impact of this disease.

• Osteoporosis affects an estimated 75 million people in Europe, USA and Japan.
• 30-50% of women and 15-30% of men will suffer a fracture related to osteoporosis in their lifetime.
• Nearly 75% of hip, spine and distal forearm fractures occur among patients 65 years old or over.
• A 10% loss of bone mass in the vertebrae can double the risk of vertebral fractures, and similarly, a 10% loss of bone mass in the hip can result in a 2.5 times greater risk of hip fracture.
• By 2050, the worldwide incidence of hip fracture in men is projected to increase by 310% and 240% in women.
• In white women, the lifetime risk of hip fracture is 1 in 6, compared with a 1 in 9 risk of a diagnosis of breast cancer.
• In women over 45 years of age, osteoporosis accounts for more days spent in hospital than may other diseases, including diabetes, myocardial infarction and breast cancer.
• It is estimated that the lifetime risk of experiencing an osteoporotic fracture in men over the age of 50 is 30%, similar to the lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer.
• Approximately 1.6 million hip fractures occur worldwide each year, by 2050 this number could reach between 4.5 million and 6.3 million.
• Hip fractures cause the most morbidity with reported mortality rates up to 20-24% in the first year after a hip fracture, and greater risk of dying may persist for at least 5 years afterwards. Loss of function and independence among survivors is profound, with 40% unable to walk independently, 60% requiring assistance a year later. Because of these losses, 33% are totally dependent or in a nursing home in the year following a hip fracture.
• Vertebral fractures can lead to back pain, loss of height, deformity, immobility, increased number of bed days, and even reduced pulmonary function. Their impact on quality of life can be profound as a result of loss of self-esteem, distorted body image and depression. Vertebral fractures also significantly impact on activities of daily living.
• The incidence of vertebral fractures increases with age in both sexes. Most studies indicate that the prevalence of vertebral fracture in men is similar to, or even greater than, that seen in women to age 50 or 60 years.

Pharmaceutical Drugs used to treat this disease

Drugs used to treat Osteoporosis have been found to cause more problems for the bones! So paradoxically instead of the drugs improving the condition, they can actually make it worse!

The website Physorg published an article on15 January 2008 "Popular osteoporosis drugs triple risk of bone necrosis" .The article outlined a study undertaken by the University of British Columbia, and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute that found the most commonly used Osteoporosis drugs almost tripled the risk of developing bone necrosis, a condition that can lead to disfigurement and incapacitating pain. 

The research was described as “the largest study of bone necrosis and bisphosphonates, a class of drugs used by millions of women worldwide to help prevent bone fractures due to osteoporosis”. 

It was also said to be the first study to explore the link between bone necrosis and specific brands of the drug group bisphosphonates, such as Actonel, Didrocal and Fosamax. Researchers apparently found that all three brands had similar outcomes.

The online Journal of Rheumatology published the findings, undertaken following 

“a recent USA FDA alert about bisphosphonates drugs that highlighted the possibility of severe and sometimes incapacitating bone, joint and/or muscle pain in patients taking the drugs”. 

This is perhaps the reason why NHS Choices is extremely coy when it outlines the treatment for Osteoporosis!

          “You may not need or want to take medication to treat osteoporosis. However, you should ensure that you're maintaining sufficient levels of calcium and vitamin D. To achieve this, your healthcare team will ask you about your current diet and may recommend making changes or taking supplements”.

Bisphosphonate drugs are the most commonly used medications used to treat osteoporosis. The DIEs of this treatment have been outlined above, yet they were approved, and continue to be approved by Drug Regulators throughout the world. They are used both for the prevention and treatment of the disease. They include the following:

• Actonel (risedronate)
• Boniva (ibandronate)
• Fosamax (alendronate)
• Reclast (zoledronic acid)

Other side effects for bisphosphonates taken orally include gastrointestinal problems such as difficulty swallowing, inflammation of the esophagus, and stomach ulcers.

Side effects for bisphosphonates taken intravenously include flu-like symptoms, fever, pain in muscles or joints, and headache.

Other drugs used by the Conventional Medical Establishment to treat osteoporosis include:

• Evista (raloxifene), which belongs to a class of drugs called selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs).
• Miacalcin and Fortical (Calcitonin), a hormonal drug.
• Forteo (teriparatide), another hormonal treatment which has a ‘black box’ warning from the FDA as it can increase the risk of developing osteosarcoma, a rare but serious cancer. 
• Estrogen/Hormone Therapy (ET/HT). This treatment is is often known as estrogen therapy. It can increase a woman’s risk of developing cancer of the uterine lining (endometrial cancer), breast cancer, blood clots and heart attacks. Other side effects include vaginal bleeding, breast tenderness, mood disturbances, blood clots in the veins, and gallbladder disease.

Pharmaceutical Drugs that may have caused this disease

So what are the causes of the enormous rise in the incidence of Osteoporis? Several factors are usually mentioned in relation to osteoporosis. For instance, it has been shown to have a large genetic component; and body weight in infancy has also been associated. Physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, high alcohol intake are also frequently mentioned. 

Yet all these factors have not changed fundamentally over the decades that have seen the increasing incidence of the disease, certainly not enough to explain the increase. 

As usual, the evidence that pharmaceutical drugs have played a role is rarely mentioned. The International Osteoporosis Foundation provides a long list of conventional medical drugs drugs contribute to osteoporosis by causing bone loss. This is what they say, followed by the list of medicines implicated.

“Some medicines can be harmful to your bones, even if you need to take them for another condition. Bone loss is usually greater if you take the medication in high doses or for a long time.

• Aluminum-containing antacids
• Antiseizure medicines (only some) such as Dilantin® or Phenobarbital
• Aromatase inhibitors such as Arimidex®, Aromasin® and Femara®
• Cancer chemotherapeutic drugs
• Cyclosporine A and FK506 (Tacrolimus)
• Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) such as Lupron® and Zoladex®
• Heparin
• Lithium
• Medroxyprogesterone acetate for contraception (Depo-Provera®)
• Methotrexate
• Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as Nexium®, Prevacid® and Prilosec® 
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Lexapro®, Prozac® and Zoloft®
• Steroids (glucocorticoids) such as cortisone and prednisone
• Tamoxifen® (premenopausal use)
• Thiazolidinediones such as Actos® and Avandia®
• Thyroid hormones in excess

Note: This list may not include all medicines that may cause bone loss.

Yet perhaps there are three types of Big Pharma drug are the worst culprits. The first is Proton Pump inhibiting drugs, such as Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, Tagamet, Zantec, Pepcid, which can reduce the absorption of calcium from the stomach. Long-term use (a year or more) of these drugs can increase the risk of hip fracture by up to 60%.

Then there is Steroid, or Corticosteroid drugs. It has been estimated that between 30-50% of patients on long-term Corticosteroid drugs will experience fractures, with a 2-fold increased risk of hip fracture in women, and 2.6-fold increase in men. Yet Steroid drugs are regularly prescribed for a variety of conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, Crohn’s disease, lupus and allergies. They are often prescribed to relieve inflammation. They are also used along with other medicines to treat cancer and autoimmune conditions and to support organ transplants.

Yet perhaps the biggest culprit in the rise of Osteoporosis is conventional medicine’s meddling with our hormones, and in particular, the hormones of women. Large numbers of women were, until relatively recently, prescribed hormonal treatments (HRT), particularly for menopausal symptoms. Add to these numbers the huge number of women who have taken the contraceptive pill over the last 50-60 years, the it become undeniably that conventional medical drugs have played, and continue to play, a large role in the disruption of normal hormonal balances within our bodies, and thus in the rise of Osteoporosis. Perhaps it is little wonder that Osteoporosis mainly affects older women, who have suffered most of the abuse caused by these drugs.

Fosamax. Harming Patients: and waiting to be banned?

Fosamax is an osteoporosis drug. Merck, its manufacturer, are estimated to have made more than $3 billion in sales to over 10 million people since it was first approved by the FDA in September 1995. Why has it been a best seller? You can still read about the 'amazing benefits' of Fosamax on the internet! 

http://www.fosamax.com/alendronate_sodium/fosamax/consumer/index.jsp

          "Living with Osteoporosis. This is an amazing age, when it’s actually possible to help reverse bone loss. This is the age of Fosamax"

and

          "Your doctor has prescribed Fosamax because you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis (thinning bones). And although diet, exercise and vitamins are important in maintaining your overall bone health these alone may not be enough".

So how likely is it that you will have osteoporosis? The website tells you that 58% of women between 50 and 59 years of age do. 74% of women between 60 and 69 years of age do. And 92% of women older than 70 do. The implication is, therefore, that most older women should be taking it - or face the almost inevitable consequences!

Yet the magazine WDDTY wrote about the drug as long ago as February 2003 and its DIEs - which it gave as stomach pain, heartburn, nausea, irritation of oesophagus. It stated that 31 people had died of this last DIE, with stomach ulcers and acute hepatitis.

Similarly, Mercola stated in April 2006 that it had been warning against the drug for 8 years (that is, after it had been marketed for just 3 years). They stated that this showed the length of time between a drug problem being identified and action being taken is considerable - and that throughout this time patients are taking drugs without realizing they are dangerous.

On 9th August 2007 Mercola asked whether Merck, the manufacturer, had 'seriously under reported' its risks which were then known to be causing the disease 'osteonecrosis', or Jawbone death (US dentists apparently call it, 'Fossy-jaw'). It is a condition that can cause your jaw-bone to rot and decay. 

The allegation was that Merck knew about the dangers of jawbone death, but hid it from the public - and as a result the company is now facing hundreds of lawsuits in the USA now.

It is interesting to note that as late as February 2003, when the magazine WDDTY listed Fosamax’s DIEs, there was no mention of ostenecrosis at this time. Again, this demonstrates that Big Pharma drugs can be causing harm without it being known, even by magazines that specialize in drawing our attention to the adverse reaction to drugs.

Fosamax is now subject to a substantial number of lawsuits in the USA. One jury has recently awarded $4.5 million dollars to one plaintiff. It has been estimated that there are many thousands of lawsuits either proceeding in court at present, or in process. Merck already faces many thousands of lawsuits in relation to its antidepressant drug, Vioxx; but they have been able to argue that there are many factors other than the drug that can cause the heart attacks associated with it. With osteonecrosis, the link with Fosamax is apparently much clearer, and easier to prove in court.

And Fosamax has now been found to increase the risk of sudden hip fractures; so it has been prescribed for a condition - and actually makes that condition worse!

http://www.naturalnews.com/029392_hip_fractures_Fosamax.html

More recently, in September 2010, Foxamax has been found to double the risk of esophageal cancer.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/24/osteoporosis-drugs-linked-to-cancer-risk.aspx

Osteoporosis drugs cause fractures

Yes, I know they are drugs that are supposed to prevent fractures - but new research suggests they cause them! 

So Conventional Medicine and Big Pharma strike again! 

The research was conducted at the St Michael's hospital in Toronto, Canada, and published in the Journal of American Medical Association, 2011; 305: 783-9. 

Thanks to What Doctors Don't Tell You for knowledge of this research.

http://www.wddty.com/osteoporosis-drugs-cause-fractures-they-re-supposed-to-prevent.html

Osteoporosis drugs weaken bones and give you cancer!

What a deal! Of course, it has been known for some time that drugs for osteoporosis actually weaken your bones - quite amazingly! Now, the researchers from Oxford University have found that drugs such as Actonel, Boniva and Fosamax increases the risk of oesophageal cancer. They found the risk to be doubled!

The study was published by the British Medical Journal. But such research is unlikely to stop these drugs being traded. I suppose Big Pharma, the NHS, and our doctors will tell us that the advantages outweigh the risks! The profits certainly outweigh the benefits.

Well, there are choices. You can just keep on taking the drugs, as 'they' want you to do. Or you can find a safer, more effective medical therapy. But quickly!

Learn more at:
http://www.naturalnews.com/030669_bone_drugs_cancer.html#ixzz18BjmQxxl