Doctor Shares Beliefs about Bisphosphonates
Joanna Bonfillio spends most of her time helping her mother who lives in constant pain. “Brutal, brutal pain in my right hand and wrists,” said Edna Polcari, Joanna's mother. Edna lived an active life before she started taking Boniva, a drug that helps make bones stronger. Just weeks after she asked one doctor after another if her pain was associated with Boniva, the FDA issued a warning alerting them that Boniva and other bisphosphonates could cause bone pain. “I have never prescribed these medications,” said Dr. Phuli Cohan, who treats her osteoporosis patients with vitamins and natural hormones. She says pain isn't the worst thing that can happen with bisphosphonates. “There is actually bone death occurring," said Dr. Cohan. A recent letter in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests long-term use of the drugs may actually increase the risk of fracture in some women. As an example she cited x-rays of a woman whose hip shattered after years on Fosamax, another bisphosphonate. “People don't want to believe that this is happening. But it is a side effect of the medicine,” said Dr. Cohan. The makers of Fosamax deny any such link has ever been proven.
