Osteoporosis drugs and heart disease risk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on October 1st 2007 it was reviewing reports of abnormal heartbeats in patients who took medicines in a class of osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates. This is just a precaution after a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last May described increased rates of serious atrial fibrillation, a type of abnormal heartbeat, in patients who took either of two bisphosphonate drugs Fosamax and Reclast. These drugs are normally prescribed to increase bone mass and reduce fracture risk in patients with osteoporosis. They also are used to slow bone turnover in patients with a disorder called Paget’s disease and to treat bone metastases and lower blood calcium in cancer patients. Other commonly prescribed bisphosphonate drugs include Boniva, Actonel, Sanofi-Aventis; Zometa, Aredia; Didronel, and Skelid.

Most frequently prescribed in the UK are probably the drugs Didronel and Fosamax, and if you are concerned about osteoporosis then it would be worth investigating natural progesterone supplementation which has been shown to increase bone mass and density. As it is a natural hormone, it does not have any of the side effects of conventional drugs and if you wish to know more, have a look at the book Natural Progesterone: The Multiple Roles of a Remarkable Hormone (2nd Edition) or What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause: Breakthrough Book on Natural Progesterone