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Fosamax Side Effects
Although Fosamax is well tolerated by most people, side effects may still occur. Common side effects include abdominal pain, muscle pain, and constipation. Other side effects, while not as common, could indicate a problem and should be reported to your healthcare provider. These serious side effects of Fosamax include throat pain, severe heartburn, and signs of an allergic reaction.
As with any medicine, side effects are possible with Fosamax® (alendronate sodium); however, not everyone who takes the drug will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate it quite well. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider.
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with Fosamax. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of Fosamax side effects with you.)
Fosamax has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials, in which a group of people taking the drug have side effects documented and compared to another group not taking the medicine. This way, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine.
In these studies, the most common side effects of Fosamax included:
- Abdominal pain (stomach pain) -- in up to 6.6 percent of people
- Bone, muscle, or joint pain -- up to 6 percent
- Indigestion or heartburn -- up to 3.4 percent
- Constipation -- up to 3.1 percent
- Diarrhea -- up to 3.1 percent
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) -- up to 2.8 percent
- Gas -- up to 2.6 percent
- Headaches -- up to 2.6 percent.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD