When osteoporosis drugs first came out ...

This strategy is a tough sell to consumers who are covered osteoporosis drug advertising over the years. When osteoporosis drugs first came out, "people thought it repeats diseases like high blood pressure. So why do not you treat him for life? "Said Dr. Richard Eastell, an expert in the field of bone metabolism at Sheffield University, UK, who spoke on the issue last month at the annual meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research . "But now some anxiety during prolonged use."

Several factors converge to tell a new era of caution surrounding drugs. One is the simple acknowledgment that some people approaching 10 to 15 years of continuous operation. "The world is a widely debated question of how long you should go for these treatments," Eastell said. "For 10 years lasix drug heart, we do not know how these procedures work."

Add to that, several potential risks associated with long-term recently emerged. In rare cases, people taking bisphosphonates - including Fosamax, Боніва, Actonel and Reclast - can develop necrosis of the jaws, a condition in which the jawbone begins to deteriorate. A study published in September in the British Medical Journal found that people who take drugs are bisphosphonates for several years with slightly higher risk of developing esophageal cancer. Experts do not know what drugs will increase the risk of cancer, although they are known to irritate the esophagus in some people. Most disturbing, however, is that long-term users bisphosphonates may develop rare and unusual fractures of the femur or thigh bone. In 2008, the study first linked long-term use of medication for hip fractures and other studies confirmed the link. On October 13, Food and Drug Administration announced that currently require bisphosphonates drugs to carry information on the labels describing the risk of hip fractures rare. Without a lot of clear scientific evidence to guide them, doctors are discussing how long people should bisphosphonates and a casual "drug holiday" is a good idea. Bones grow and change. After reaching peak bone mass in early or mid 20's, bone density begins to decline, as old bone is lost faster than new bone is made. This process is accelerated in middle age, especially after menopause in women. Bisphosphonates work by preventing the body from bone reabsorption. They slow down bone loss, but also interfere with the natural bone reconstruction cycle, the process by which old bone is constantly broken up and new bone is made to replace it. This intervention, he thought underlies the unusual fracture risk. Some bone specialists believe that leaving bones, free from drugs for a year or more in people with osteoporosis allows the bone reconstruction process to strike again. .