Alendronate: Difference between revisions

Alendronate is an aminobisphosphonate with a nonhydrolyzable P-C-P. It is structurally similar to IPP, which is pictured further down the page, and thus can bind to FPPS in place of IPP. Alendronate generally affects the activity of osteoclasts in bone. Osteoclasts are responsible for breaking down bone and also for bone resorption (losing bone substance). <ref>http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11794</ref> When alendronate is present, bone resorption is inhibited and bone breakdown is diminished.     

Possible side affects for Fosamax include nausea,stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating or fullness in the stomach, change in ability to taste food, headache, dizziness, and swelling of the joints, hands, or legs. More serious side effects (symptoms requiring doctor involvement) include new or worsening heartburn, difficulty swallowing, pain on swallowing, chest pain, bloody vomit or vomit that looks like coffee grounds, black, tarry, or bloody stools, fever, blisters or peeling skin, rash (may be made worse by sunlight), itching, hives, swelling of eyes, face, lips, tongue, or throat, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, painful or swollen gums, loosening of the teeth, numbness or heavy feeling in the jaw, poor healing of the jaw, and eye pain.<ref>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000018/</ref>