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Osteoporosis treatment: Medications can help
Which medications are commonly used for osteoporosis treatment?
How do most osteoporosis medications work?
How do you know if you're taking the right bisphosphonate?
When might other osteoporosis medications be used?
Can bisphosphonates hurt your bones?
How long should you take a bisphosphonate for osteoporosis treatment?
What happens if you break a bone while taking an osteoporosis medication?
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Which osteoporosis medications are usually tried first?
What are common side effects of bisphosphonate pills?
Do intravenous bisphosphonates have advantages over the pill form?
Can osteoporosis medications hurt your bones?
Should I take a drug holiday from bisphosphonates?
Are hormones used to treat osteoporosis?
How do osteoporosis medications work?
Which drugs help speed up the bone-building process?
Can medication alone successfully treat osteoporosis?
Can osteoporosis medications hurt your bones?
A very rare complication of bisphosphonates and denosumab is a break or crack in the middle of the thighbone. This injury, known as atypical femoral fracture, can cause pain in the thigh or groin that begins subtly and may gradually worsen.
Bisphosphonates and denosumab can also cause osteonecrosis of the jaw, a rare condition in which a section of jawbone is slow to heal or fails to heal, typically after a tooth is pulled or other invasive dental work. This occurs more commonly in people with cancer that involves the bone — who take much larger doses of a bisphosphonate than those typically used for osteoporosis.
