Fosamax Side Effects
The serious side effects of Fosamax may include the painful and potentially disfiguring condition osteonecrosis of the jaw, or ONJ (also known as dead jaw, jawbone necrosis or jaw death).
Almost 10 million osteoporosis, cancer and Paget’s disease patients who were prescribed the bone-density drug Fosamax may be at risk for developing this rare jawbone decay condition.
Among the most terrifying reported side effects of Fosamax are infections so severe that they require removal of the jaw.
ONJ can cause pain, infections, swelling, loosening of the teeth from the jawbone and even exposure of bone in the mouth. The link between Fosamax and jawbone deterioration has alarmed many unsuspecting consumers and has prompted some Fosamax users to file Fosamax lawsuits.
Inability to heal
Jaw osteonecrosis can impair the jawbone’s ability to heal after routine dental work causes trauma to the bone. Symptoms of dead jaw often first appear at the site of previous dental work.
Among the most terrifying reported side effects of Fosamax are infections so severe that they require removal of the jaw. Since the drug stays in the body for years, even people who have stopped taking bone-strengthening pills like Fosamax are at risk for developing symptoms of dead jaw after undergoing dental work.
The pain associated with many cases of ONJ may resemble that in more common dental problems except that the pain in ONJ cases does not respond to the usual dental therapy.
All past or present Fosamax users may now be at risk for developing ONJ. People particularly susceptible to getting jawbone necrosis after taking Fosamax or other bisphosphonates include:
• People who are over the age of 65
• People who have taken Fosamax for a long time
• People who have taken Fosamax and undergone dental work such
as a tooth extraction or implant, root canal or other oral surgery
