Bisphosphonates symptoms and conditions

Metallic taste, loss of taste: A few weeks after beginning my once/month Boniva dosage, I lost my full sense of taste. I now continuously have a sort of metallic taste in my mouth, a combination of salty/bitter tastes, and have lost the 'sweet' tastebuds. Further on the back of the tongue I still have some taste, but it is not what it was before. It's a personal loss, as I used to have very sensitive taste buds, this loss handicaps my ability to cook well, and I had been a very good home cook. I still retain a full sense of smell.

I have been on Boniva for about a year and a half, my doctor says she's never heard of anyone losing taste sensations as a side effect of this medication. I'm too concerned about possible osteoporosis, as I have osteopenia, to discontinue the drug for this alone. Has anyone experienced this side effect, is it permanent, or does it disappear if the drug is discontinued?

I was put on Fosamax in 1997 after a total hip replacement and was told that studies show it maintains the bone growth around the implants (I later discovered this is not proven) Oct. 2005 I had a spontaneous fracture of my pelvis. After doing much research on my own I have discovered that others have experienced this as well. Still no warning on Fosamax insert. Apparently Bisphosphonates (Fosamax and Actonel and Boniva) cause severe repression of bone turnover which is what actually makes the bones strong. No one should stay on this drug for more than 5 yrs. You do not lose any of the gain you have gotten when you quit as Fosamax stays in your body forever.......GREAT!

I don't think our doctors know any more than we do about this drug. It's up to us to research it ourselves. According to what I've read, there is no evidence that even taking it at all prevents fractures, and there is quite a bit of evidence that it is in fact harmful. What's more, the drug stays in your bones even after you stop taking it and has a half-life of 10 years, meaning that it takes 10 years for it to reach half it's potency!! This, plus the fact that the long-term effects of this drug are unknown!!

I have been taking Didronel, which is a weaker form of bisphosphonates for several years and was recently put on Fosomax because my bone density had gone lower according to the DXA test. I've now stopped taking it after having perused this forum, and reading an excellent book on the subject called "The Myth of Osteoporosis" by Gillian Sanson. All I can say is, I wish I'd read this material before taking any of these drugs.

A very interesting fact that our doctors do not tell us because presumably they are ignorant of it themselves, is that bone density itself is not a reliable indicator of fracture risk.

I've drawn the conslusion that our doctors are ill informed and we put our trust in them at our own (often considerable) risk.

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