Retired physician John R. Agnew has an amusing take on Big Pharma’s bombardment of consumers with DTC advertising. Writes Agnew:
The drug commercials seem to me to be insulting. They overstate the benefits, minimize the side effects and ignore the cost: “Panacea is not for everyone,” they warn. “Let your doctor know if you have liver disease (he is too dumb to figure it out for himself) or are allergic to this drug (which you wouldn’t know in advance anyway). Side effects include fainting, jaundice, suicidal thoughts, constipation and sudden death. Do not operate heavy machinery after taking the first dose, and tell your doctor right away if you are dying”…
My favorite is Reclast, a once-a-year treatment for osteoporosis. It comes with many warnings, of course, including “jaw problems have been reported.” Jaw problems? What does that mean? Lock-jaw? Fossy-jaw? (I looked it up, and you don’t want to know while eating breakfast).
Reclast, like Fosamax and Boniva, is a treatment for osteoporosis, which refers to an extreme loss of bone density, most common in postmenopausal women. All three drugs are known as bisphosphonates.
The difference is that Reclast offers a level of convenience that the others don’t. Reclast is the first drug approved by the FDA (in 2007) as a once-a-year, intravenous treatment. As Novartis states on the Reclast Web site:
A single dose, along with daily calcium and vitamin D, helps strengthen your bones and protect them from fracture for 12 full months.
Reclast, along with Fosamax, Boniva and other bone-building drugs, have a number of side effects — but currently the FDA is most concerned about studies that show these drugs can produce irregular heartbeats in some patients. The most recent study, focusing on Fosamax, came out just last month.
Reclast’s jaw side effect, by the way, is osteonecrosis (“bone death”) of the jaw bone; it has occurred only in rare cases. Here’s a full list of Reclast warnings and precautions.
More on Reclast vs. Fosamax here.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Jo Coudray // Jul 16, 2009 at 9:38 pm
I just cancelled an infusion for Reclast after reading of the side effects. I think I would prefer to shrink and die naturally rather than go through all the worries of the pharmaceutical industry profit. Thank you very much!
2 Summer Smith // Oct 14, 2009 at 9:20 am
I had my Reclast infusion in June, and it altered my body chemistry dramatically! I am now allergic to eggs, cheese, dairy and any and all calcium supplements! In addition to which, I have also developed an extreme allergy to antibiotics. Another side effect for me has been the loss of energy — I used to be much more active and could stay up later at night. Not any more! All I can say is this: I sure hope the Reclast infusion is doing something for my bones, because it sure has messed me up in other ways!!
Bottom Line: I won’t do it again!
Summer Smith
3 Gini // Oct 16, 2009 at 11:25 pm
I had this infusion two days ago. It will be my last!! I was up all night… never so sick in my life…a headache that would not quite, chills, all over body aches, weakness, etc. It was awful.
4 Pat // Nov 10, 2009 at 8:04 pm
I had an appointment today to get reclast, but cancelled after reading all of the side effects, especially the loss of jawbone, not to mention kidney problems, and low blood calcium.
5 Brittany // Feb 21, 2010 at 4:33 pm
I am a student at the University of Oklahoma and am working on my capstone project which requires me to interview women with osteoporosis. It’s upsetting to hear what you women have gone through and I am curious if you have started any new treatments to help prevent your osteoporosis from worsening?
6 Pam // Feb 24, 2010 at 8:22 am
This drug sucks! Never again!!
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