Monday, March 03, 2008

Bone drugs iffy

From the Toronto Sun:
Can drugs that strengthen your bones actually hurt them?

That question has been asked recently by many women upon reading reports that osteoporosis drugs (prescribed to strengthen thinning bones) can trigger osteonecrosis (destruction of bone, in particular the jaw).

Some women who take this class of drugs, called bisphosphonates or BFs, also report stiffness and pain.

BFs are used by millions world-wide. As our population ages, it's likely that even more people will take them to prevent osteoporosis -- a condition that plagues 1.4 million Canadians.

Use has increased as well since women discovered they could no longer rely on estrogen (now linked to breast cancer) to keep bones strong. ...more

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