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(Martha Rohrer) wrote: > > On 08/07/97 Joan Holliday asked: > > >Has anyone had any experience with the drug Fosamax? > > My husband, who has osteoporosis as well as PD, has been taking Fosamax for > about a year. There have been no conflicts with his PD medications. These > include Sinemet, Sinemet CR, Permax and Eldepryl. Before he started Fosamax > he was taking Didronyl(etidronate)for osteoporosis. He is much happier with > Fosamax. The Didronyl required a complicated cyclic regimen alternating with > calcium pills. > > The only problem he has with Fosamax is fitting it into the day's medication > and meal schedules. Fosamax is most effective if it is taken a couple of > hours before a meal, but at least 30 minutes must elapse before eating. > Also, one must remain upright for a half hour after taking it with plenty of > water. The reason for this is its potential for irritating the esophageous, > and to assure its delivery into the stomach. It should not be taken with > orange juice, coffee, or milk, which reduce its availability. > > My husband takes it when he first gets up in the morning, whatever time that > is. By the time he has gotten dressed, at the best speed bradykinesia > allows, a half hour has usually gone by and he then takes his morning > sinemet and permax. A half hour after that he is ready for his breakfast. > This allows an hour to pass before food is taken in. He is able to move, > although very slowly, on getting up because he has taken a Sinemet CR > sometime arount 3:30AM. It may be possible to take Sinemet along with > Fosamax. We haven't checked on that. He also has 3 8-oz. glasses of milk a > day, plus other sources of calcium and phosphorous, to provide the minerals > needed for the Fosamax to work with. > > Fosamax (alendronate) works by inhibiting bone resorption without inhibiting > new bone deposit. > > Neal fell out of bed in his sleep the other night and bruised his ribs. The > doc said he may have cracked a rib, but there was no break. So it seems to > be working. > > Martha Rohrer (CG for Neal. 77/12) > [log in to unmask] DEAR MARTHA: Little is known about taking Fosamax with other drugs. Because food reduces the absorption so much it is recommended that fosamax not be taken with food, or other drugs as a precautionary measure. My personal opinion is that the sustained release form of Sinamet is OK to take. The immediate release form is anybodys guess. I'll try to find out more. Jerry Starr RPh.