My doctor recommended the IV medicine Reclast® for my osteoporosis. Are the side effects worse when its given only once a year?
Although Reclast® is given intravenously (by IV) once a year, most of the medicine is absorbed by your bones, and the rest leaves your body in about 24 hours. So it affects mostly bone, which is what you want. Reclast® belongs to a class of drugs called bisphosphonates. In general, its side effects aren’t any more serious than those of the bisphosphonate medicines that are taken as pills to treat osteoporosis. These other medicines are Actonel® (risedronate), Boniva® (ibandronate) and Fosamax® (alendronate). Side effects that are different from those seen with the bisphosphonate pills can occur shortly after receiving Reclast®, usually within one or two days. These side effects include flu-like symptoms, fever, headache and pain in muscles or joints. They are temporary and usually last only two or three days. You are less likely to have them the next time you have an IV infusion of Reclast®. Also, the side effects you may experience after taking IV Boniva® are similar. Most people who
