November 6, 2006
Many people diagnosed with osteoporosis may be making that choice right now—and they don’t even know it.Over the past ten years, millions of Americans have taken Merck’s bone-building drugs, Fosamax and Fosamax Plus D. If you aren’t taking it, you probably know someone who is. You already know it slows bone loss and improves bone growth. What you probably don’t know is that the same drug that builds bones can also destroy them.
What?
You read that correctly. Merck actually learned about this problem in 2001, but most patients taking Fosamax are still waiting to hear about it. The FDA told Merck to issue a warning in September 2004. Doctors heard about the scary choices some of their patients might have to make—stronger bones or no teeth, unbearable pain, and dead jaw. Some choice!
So how do you find out if you are going to have a problem with Fosamax? You really cannot find out ahead of time. You find out when you have dental work done. You go in for a routine root canal, a new cap, a filling, or even a regular cleaning, then suddenly you have relentless pain, tooth loss, and, for the unlucky few, osteonecrosis of the jaw (dead jaw). The jawbone can become exposed and the surgery needed to fix the problem can require removal of the damaged jaw and teeth and long-term treatment with antibiotics.
Most of the other drugs in the same category revised their labels to warn about the risk. Merck didn’t bother to add the warning until 2005, when the FDA told them to do it.
If you’re already taking Fosamax, don’t change anything without talking to your doctor. If you have dental work scheduled, be sure your dentist knows you take Fosamax. If you already had problems with Fosamax, we’d like to speak with you at 1-866-9 DRUG LAW (1-866-937-8452).
