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Took Alendronate And Had Side Effects Even After Stooping Pill. How To Deal With It?

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Posted on Sat, 26 Oct 2013
Question: I took Alendronate once-a-week pills for 6 weeks then stopped because the the side effects were horrendous. I am one week past stopping the pills but am still having side effects. Will these abate with time, and is there any way to speed up the process?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Yes they will abate; drink plenty of fluids

Detailed Answer:
Hello ma'am and welcome.

Thank you for writing in.

Alendronate is used to treat and/or prevent osteoporosis. Yes, ma'am the side effects will abate/subside with time, soon after you discontinue the pills.

By speeding up the process you mean, is there any way to speed up the excretion of the drug from your system? If this is what you are inquiring about, then yes, there is. The usual way to speed up excretion of a drug from the system is by the consumption of a large amount of fluids. The renal system then filters and clears all substances including medication, which are passed out in the form of urine.

If there is anything else you wish to ask, or if I have not addressed the exact question you were inquiring about, please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications or information.

My best wishes are with you.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Shoaib Khan (27 hours later)
Alendronate is a bisphosphonate. It can't be excreted from the system, as it has a half-life and can stay in the body for years. When I asked about speeding up the process, I meant speeding up the process of the SIDE EFFECTS, by means of a cleanse or anything like that
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (15 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Take alendronate with food, water or other meds

Detailed Answer:
Hello once again ma'am.

Yes of course you are right. Alendronate has a documented half life of approximately 10 years or more. But I shall elaborate on what I meant when I asked you to increase the consumption of fluids to help reduce the level of alendronate absorbed or its side effects.

The only tried and tested method to reduce the side effects of alendronate is to take the medication with food, plain water or other medications (preferably those that help treat the particular side effect experienced). This helps reduce the concentration of alendronate absorbed all at once, and hence reduces the side effects. The only other way to reduce the side effects is to directly treat the particular side effect. Other than this, unfortunately there is no other way to speed up the process of getting rid of the side effects. Once you have finished your course the only way to get rid of the side effects is to drink plenty of milk, exercise regularly, avoid alcohol and smoking. A few documented cases have also reported the consumption of tea, coffee and fruit juices to have reduced side effects of the medication.

Please forgive me for not being more clear in my previous response. Please also feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications. I would be more than happy to help you.

Take care.
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Shoaib Khan

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2009

Answered : 9409 Questions

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Took Alendronate And Had Side Effects Even After Stooping Pill. How To Deal With It?

Brief Answer:
Yes they will abate; drink plenty of fluids

Detailed Answer:
Hello ma'am and welcome.

Thank you for writing in.

Alendronate is used to treat and/or prevent osteoporosis. Yes, ma'am the side effects will abate/subside with time, soon after you discontinue the pills.

By speeding up the process you mean, is there any way to speed up the excretion of the drug from your system? If this is what you are inquiring about, then yes, there is. The usual way to speed up excretion of a drug from the system is by the consumption of a large amount of fluids. The renal system then filters and clears all substances including medication, which are passed out in the form of urine.

If there is anything else you wish to ask, or if I have not addressed the exact question you were inquiring about, please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications or information.

My best wishes are with you.