Hi there,
You may have heard this on NPR already, but I wanted to spread the word about this Canadian study on long-term use of bisphosphonates i.e. Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva - published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Bone health is a topic of particular concern for many women (and is important for men to consider as well!) and the decision about whether or not to take these drugs is something people need to be educated about.
The take-home message from NPR's report?
"Don't start one of these drugs too early; wait until you actually have osteoporosis. And once you start, don't stay on one of these drugs longer than necessary . . . Five years on a bisphosphonate drug may be good enough." You and your doctor can use a web calculator called FRAX (http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/FRAX/) to assess your 10-year risk of a fracture. "Some doctors recommend a patient not start taking a bisphosphonate drug unless her 10-year risk of hip fracture is at least 3 percent, and the risk of any fracture is at least 20 percent."
Check out the following link for the full report . . .
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/28/134064950/rare-fractures-linked-to-drugs-for-weak-bones
Of course, building good bone structure early in life - especially in the teens - is essential to healthy bones in older age, and never underestimate the power of weight-bearing exercise at any age!
