What is Alendronate?
Category: Prescription Drugs
Most popular types: Fosamax Alendro Once Weekly Osteobon Show all
Alendronate is a bisphosphonate that is used to treat and prevent osteoporosis due to menopause, low bone mineral density or induced by glucocorticoid therapy; for Paget's disease of the bone in patients who are symptomatic, at risk for future complications or with elevated alkaline phosphatase.
| Purpose | Patients | Evaluations | Perceived Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osteoporosis | 419 | 145 | |
| Osteopenia | 138 | 55 | |
| General health | 27 | 17 | |
| Complex regional pain syndrome type II | 19 | 0 | |
| Complex regional pain syndrome type I | 17 | 0 | |
| Osteogenesis imperfecta | 15 | 0 |
- Major
- Moderate
- Slight
- None
- Can't tell
Side effects
Side effects as an overall problem
| Severity | Evaluations | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Severe | 22 | |
| Moderate | 15 | |
| Mild | 16 | |
| None | 159 |
Commonly reported side effects and conditions associated with Alendronate
| Side effect | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 7 | |
| Heartburn | 4 | |
| Bone pain | 3 | |
| Diarrhea | 3 | |
| Pain in lower back | 3 | |
| Constipation | 2 |
Why patients stopped taking Alendronate
Multiple reasons could be selected
| Reason | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor's advice | 54 | |
| Side effects too severe | 44 | |
| Other | 25 | |
| Personal research | 20 | |
| Did not seem to work | 19 | |
| Course of treatment ended | 10 | |
| Change in health plan coverage | 4 | |
| Expense | 4 |
Duration
Stopped taking Alendronate
| Duration | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 month | 18 | |
| 1 - 6 months | 15 | |
| 6 months - 1 year | 12 | |
| 1 - 2 years | 19 | |
| 2 - 5 years | 29 | |
| 5 - 10 years | 27 | |
| 10 years or more | 13 |
What people switch to and from
Patients started taking Alendronate after stopping:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Risedronate (Actonel) | 2 | |
| Baclofen (Mylan-Baclofen) | 1 | |
| Denosumab (Prolia) | 1 | |
| Paracetamol-dihydrocodeine (Co-Dydramol) | 1 | |
| Prednisolone (Panafcortelone) | 1 |
Patients stopped taking Alendronate and switched to:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Denosumab (Prolia) | 5 | |
| Risedronate (Actonel) | 4 | |
| Zoledronic acid (Zometa) | 2 | |
| Pamidronate (Aredia) | 1 | |
| Raloxifene (Evista) | 1 |
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