Drug Safety Information for FOSAMAX (Alendronate sodium)

Safety-related Labeling Changes for FOSAMAX (ALENDRONATE SODIUM) Rx Drug: FDA Link

Safety-related Labeling Changes for FOSAMAX PLUS D (ALENDRONATE SODIUM; CHOLECALCIFEROL) Rx Drug: FDA Link

Safety-related Labeling Changes for BINOSTO (ALENDRONATE SODIUM) Rx Drug: FDA Link

Adverse Drug Reactions for FOSAMAX* (Alendronate sodium)

These charts and graphs are based on reports received through the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) program (see below).

Top 20 Adverse Effects Associated with FOSAMAX
(reported in FDA Medwatch/FAERS Reports)

  Side Effect # of FDA Reports
1Femur fracture10300
2Fall5151
3Osteonecrosis3876
4Low turnover osteopathy3424
5Arthralgia*3407
6Osteoarthritis3081
7Pain*3039
8Hypertension2994
9Anxiety2875
10Pain in extremity*2791
11Nausea2702
12Depression2690
13Back pain*2536
14Gastrooesophageal reflux disease2349
15Osteoporosis2320
16Fatigue*2315
17Bone disorder2311
18Drug ineffective2263
19Dyspnoea2098
20Dizziness2047

* This side effect also appears in "Top 10 Side Effects of FOSAMAX " in the drug's Review Summary based on AskaPatient reviews.

Top 10 Reasons for Taking FOSAMAX
(associated with FDA Medwatch/FAERS Reports)

Reason # of FDA Reports
1Osteoporosis*127234
2Osteopenia*75057
3Osteoporosis prophylaxis18293
4Product used for unknown indication15729
5Bone density decreased*5321
6Prophylaxis4789
7Bone disorder3180
8Rheumatoid arthritis1847
9Osteoarthritis*1785
10Osteoporosis postmenopausal1698

*Also a top-10 reason in AskaPatient Review Summary.


Types of Adverse Events for FOSAMAX

Total Reports Filed with FDA: 383284


Number of FDA Adverse Event Reports by Patient Age for FOSAMAX

Total Reports Filed with FDA: 383284*


* Reports for drugs with the same active ingredients have been aggregated in this analysis: Alendronate sodium (Alendronate, Binosto, Alendronato, Fosamax, Alendronate sodium)

Charts are based on 383284 reports filed with the FDA between 2004 and June 2015.

Adverse Event Reports are submitted to the FDA by pharmaceutical companies (mandatory reporting is required by manufacturers, distributors, or importers), health care providers such as doctors (voluntary reporting), and by patients themselves (voluntary reporting). More Information on FDA MedWatch (FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program)Voluntary reporting takes place under the FDA's MedWatch program, where health care professionals and consumers submit reports to FDA when they find a problem with a drug, medical device, biologic, or other FDA-regulated product. An adverse event is any undesirable experience or extreme side effect associated with the use of a medical product. Adverse events include: death, life threatening event, hospitalization, disability or permanent damage, congenital anomaly or birth defect, medical product use requiring a surgical or other intervention, or other serious medical situation believed to be caused by the drug.

Click to go back to search results and FOSAMAX Reviews and Review Summary .

Historical Analytics of FDA Adverse Event Reports Provided by Druginformer.com. FDA Drug Safety Information, including safety-related labeling updates, required post-approval safety studies, risk evaluation management strategies (REMS), alerts, and recalls are compiled by AskaPatient.com from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.