 |
 |
On 06/23/00 Gail wrote: > >This is important information for Parkies on Fosamax...it's hard enough >to time all your PD meds and taking Fosamax makes it even >more complicated...this news will bring relief to many! > >Fosamax Can Be Taken Before Lunch or Dinner > More important than the timing for taking Fosamax for Parkies is the warning to take it with a full 8 oz. of water. What isn't emphasized is the need to remain upright until the drug reaches the stomach. It is a drug that is very irritating to the lining of the esophagus which does not have the protection of a mucous exuding lining that the stomach does. These warnings were made all too clear to me recently when my husband experienced a blockage during his lunch that took him to the emergency room and then to the OR for an endoscopy. The diagnosis: an ulcer midway down the esophagus which partially blocked food or liquid from passing through. The Fosamax was the cause, said the gastroenterologist. Neal had been taking Fosamax for osteoporosis for about two years. It did strenghten his bones and prevent broken ones when he fell many times, but we had to take that risk when the alternative was choking to death. He has always been careful to follow the instructions about taking this beneficial drug, but perhaps his bent over posture and rigid muscles had something to do with the ulcer developing where it did. So far no more ulcer, no more broken bones, no more choking, and no more waiting a half hour the first thing in the morning before his PD meds could be taken. Martha Rohrer (CG for Neal, 80/14)