Generic Name: Risedronate for Osteoporosis (risedronate)
Risedronate for Osteoporosis Reviews
Actonel (risedronate) "Knowing I am very reluctant to pill-taking in general, my doctor pushed Actonel on me saying, 'Now, don't give it up after a few months!' I persevered for 10 months. I used to be very active, exercising every day, taking long walks, realizing I have aged 10 years in those ten months. I did some research on the net and understood where my problems came from. Aching everywhere, stiff, tired... I stopped."
Actonel (risedronate) "I have taken Prolia where I have 2 injections 6 months apart. I had severe side effects & gave up as I couldn’t tolerate the drug. My doctor & later specialist put me reluctantly in Actonel. I was taking one tablet a week & this seemed OK but after that, I had all the symptoms the others comment on. I have been a very active person but now I don’t feel like getting up in the mornings let alone exercising. The stomach pain & bowel problems are really bad. At that point, I stopped taking the tablet & almost immediately felt better. On my doctor's advice I went to an endocrinologist for help. She was no help & said unless I took the recommended dose or Prolia I would probably end up in hospital with non-reparable broken bones. The saga goes on. I then thought I would try Actonel again but at this point I can no longer take this drug. It is awful for my system. What do I do now? Thank you I hope my story helps you in some way"
Actonel (risedronate) "I was on Actonel for five years. I did not relate the problem I was having to the drug until after I stopped taking Actonel. I developed dry eyes. They were so bad, they would wake me up every night five or six times, and I would have to put eye drops in so I could go back to sleep. During the day, I would have to excuse myself from meetings, etc., to leave the room to put eye drops in my eyes. I went to several eye doctors, and all they could do was say I had dry eye syndrome and wanted me to start Restasis. I had read that you have to use this forever, and I was reluctant to start it. I put up with the dry eye problem for years. My doctor took me off Actonel after the five years, and after a few months, my dry eye problem completely went away! I was so surprised and appreciative! Even while I was on Actonel, I read the side effects, and nothing was ever mentioned about dry eyes. That is the reason I am writing this review so that others may have some hope that this problem may be caused by Actonel and is reversible once the drug is stopped."
Actonel (risedronate) "I took Actonel on Monday on a weekly dosage. I have been so sick for 3 days with stomach ache, headache, sore back, and vomited once. I will not continue. How long does it take to get better? I have been off work."
Actonel (risedronate) "1st dose made me vomit within 30 minutes. I lost the weekly pill into the toilet when up chucking. Called the pharmacist and she said take another. I did and lost that too the same way. Called the doctor and he said take another with food and sit upright for at least 30 minutes. He said that if I vomited that one as well, just stop. I did and vomited that one out as well. I stopped taking it. I continued to vomit and felt nauseated for over a month, then I started to get a deep pain in my groin at the top of my legs and upper thighs. It's now 4 months later and my deep groin and upper thigh pain continue but are finally easing. I'm never touching these bisphosphonates again. Awful stuff!"
Actonel (risedronate) "I took Actonel, as directed, for four months. Each time, my body ached so badly that I could barely walk and had to take time off from work. I took myself off the medication because I just couldn't function. I go back to my doctor tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be scolded."
Actonel (risedronate) "I took 1 monthly dose of Actonel. By that afternoon, I was very tired, heavy in my body. The next day, I experienced a loss of appetite, diarrhea, and after 5 days, severe inflammation and extreme pain all over my body. Then, I suffered from 3 months of fatigue, muscle weakness, pins and needles in my face and arms, blurry vision, and loss of voice volume. After 12 months, my strength is slowly returning, but I still fatigue easily and regularly experience pins and needles in my face. Medications I used to be able to take now trigger headaches, fatigue, and pins and needles in my face, hands, and arms. I would like to know how long these symptoms will last, but nobody knows. This drug should be taken off the market."
Actonel (risedronate) "I am a 66-year-old man who, after 5 years, showed no improvement in the hip area with oral bisphosphonates. I took them religiously the way you are supposed to and did not have any digestive issues. With the oral bisphosphonate, my hip BMD degraded. The spine only showed minimal improvement. Two years ago (2018), I had a fragility fracture walking down the sidewalk and broke my hip. After that, I was on Forteo, which gave a 21% increase in BMD of the hip! I am disappointed in what Actonel did not do for me. Maybe the FOSAMAX name brand is better because of better manufacturing standards. That is something I do not know."
"I took my very first weekly prescription yesterday as prescribed. At 2:00, I began feeling severe back and jaw pain. I could not move without excruciating pain. I could not walk alone. I developed a horrible headache and began shaking in a seizure-like manner, violently. I began vomiting and could not take a deep breath. I thought I was going to die. My husband was going to call an ambulance, but he found a Phenergan. I took it, and 20 minutes later, I fell asleep. The pain in my entire back, spine, and muscles is unbearable today. I have not been out of bed except for bathroom privileges, but I need assistance. If I am not better tomorrow, I will not be able to work. This was just horrible! The worst night of my life!!"
Actonel (risedronate) "Had terrible vomiting and diarrhea, that took two weeks to recover from. This occurred every month after the first four months! Stopped taking it and have since started to recover and regain a little weight."
Actonel (risedronate) "I have been taking Actonel once a week for the past 4 years and I have absolutely no side effects. My last dexa scan showed much improvement. I usually drink almost a whole bottle of water with the weekly pill, and I stay upright until I eat something - at least 30 minutes before eating. It has worked for me and no side effects."
Actonel (risedronate) "By the end of the first day, I was very lethargic and had abdominal cramps and bloating, followed by diarrhea. Throughout the night and all through the second day, I experienced flu-like symptoms, relieved slightly with aspirin, but continued with abdominal tenderness and discomfort as well as feeling very lethargic. By the third day, the muscle aches were gone, but the abdominal tenderness persisted. My appetite did go down. Hopefully, there is truth to the notion that the first dose is the most difficult in terms of side effects."
Actonel (risedronate) "I took Actonel for 7 months. I'm 55 years young and active! One day each month after taking Actonel, I had flu-like symptoms for 4 months and then it got better, however, I experienced esophagus burning."
"I took a 150 mg once a month pill. I have been on it for 2 weeks. No side effects. I am alarmed at some of the reviews of this medicine. I suppose some people don't tolerate it as well as others. I'm 59 years old. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis after a bone scan. I had severe lower back pain, numbness, and tingling in my feet. I hope that after a year, when I return for a bone scan, things will have improved. By the way, I used to run 5 days a week, 3 to 5 miles a day for 25 years. I stopped 10 years ago. I am continuing to take 1,200 mg of calcium per day, and I walk for 30 minutes."
Actonel (risedronate) "I took Actonel for one month and experienced severe hip, back, and neck pain. I have gone from being fit and active to not being able to move around without pain. I am unable to go to work. I will definitely seek out an alternative."
"I took my first dose during flu season, and 12 hours later, I thought I coincidentally came down with the flu. Since it was Christmas, I called the doctor on call. I was dismissed as soon as I said 'fever,' although I did point out it was listed as a side effect. I took my second dose 3 days ago. Same thing. Extreme muscle aches, high fever, esophagus pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness, and I was in bed for 4 days. I will never take this medicine again. It has been an awful experience. I would consider an alternative. I am angry that I was not told about the possible side effects being so harsh. Who would intentionally do this to themselves?!?"
"I was prescribed this medication, risedronate, several years ago but took it for only a few months. The side effects left me unable to be any distance away from a toilet due to sudden attacks of diarrhea. This lasted for the first 2 days after taking the drug. Also, the pain increased, and I felt like an old man despite being only 40. Overall, it interfered with my fairly active life that I enjoyed, so I stopped taking it."
"I have been on it for about 4 years, and until recently, I just accepted that I would be ill for a day and got on with it. I did some research and was so startled by what I found that I stopped taking it immediately. The FDA is now saying it should not be taken for more than 2 years. I thought necrosis of the jaw meant the bottom jaw and ignored a problem with my upper jaw. I have been getting dull aches in my hips and sometimes searing pain down my legs. I now read that Bisphosphonates can cause atypical femur fractures, i.e., sudden snapping of the femur. The pills cause micro-cracks at the head of the femur. There is a lot written out there on Bisphosphonates, don't just blindly follow doctors, do your research. Some of the damage is irreversible."
"After the second dose of Actenol, taken once a week, I experience a day of aching joints, temperature, vomiting, and could not eat. Second day I still have severe joint, muscle, and bone pain. Third day the same. Will not take this again. Terrible drug."
"This drug has caused me so much back and leg pain. I actually have pain throughout my body. My mouth is painful. Lots of tremors. I am so very nauseous, my feet and ankles are numb. I have no energy and just want to sleep all the time. I am extremely depressed. I took the 150 mg in July and again last week. It scares me to think I will have to wait another three weeks to get it out of my system, if it does go away and hopefully I will feel better. It sure has put a dampener on my life at the moment and brought my happy lifestyle to a halt. I will never take this medication again."
Actonel (risedronate) "Horrible! Terrible abdominal pain for 2 days followed by altered taste in food (after 1 dose). This was followed by muscle spasm and difficulty starting urination. The worst side effect was full body severe joint pain lasting for a week (I had to rock and grab surfaces to stand from sitting. I almost fell several times.) I was active independent before taking this drug. I won't continue. In a 2 week period this drug gave me a taste of what it will be like when I need supportive care."
Actonel (risedronate) "I had an overactive parathyroid. It was sucking the calcium out of my bones. It affected me in my hips to where I could hardly walk. My doctor finally put me on Actonel before I was supposed to have surgery to remove the parathyroid. Within a couple of weeks, my hips stopped hurting. I was taking the dosage of once a week. My one frustration was the doctor not putting me on it sooner when I was starting to hurt."
"After seven months of once-a-week dosing, I have severe pain in my collarbones. I have trouble getting dressed because raising my arms is so painful. Also, my groin is very painful in the morning and after sitting a while. My doctor was too booked up to see me until January. I quit the stuff a week ago. Slight improvement. I hope this pain is not permanent."
"I commented in January of 2021 after taking risedronate once weekly for 3 weeks. I wanted to update that post. It has now been 3 months since I discontinued this drug, and I am still not back to where I was before. Fatigue, bone and muscle pain continue. Walking is difficult some days, painful most days. The muscle pain in my legs keeps me awake at night, and I am exhausted. Not sure how much longer till this resolves, but hope it will be soon. I was an active person before this and had made a good recovery from a leg fracture. I feel worse now than I did during my recovery process."
"I have taken risedronate for only 3 weeks and have severe bone pain in my hands. I cannot bear the pain. I also have a burning sensation in my throat. I was given alendronate to start with, and they also made me feel so ill. I won't be taking any more. I really don't know what to do as I don't want the injection or infusion."
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Related treatment guides
- Paget's Disease
- Osteoporosis
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