Drug Ratings for ACTONELAverage Rating: 1.4 (1356 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by Date Rating Was Added Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 |
Charts & graphs: Reviews Summary for ACTONEL | Top 10 Adverse Effects (reported to FDA)
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ACTONEL | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 1 | Foll. compress fracture in spine | Fatigue, leg and foot cramps, general unwell feeling | F | 65 | 3 months 1X W | 4/23/2010 | 1 | osteopenia | 12 hours after taking actonel I experienced severe pain in my neck, chest, arms, hands, hip and knee. Day 2 still have extreme pain in my chest and hands. | Will not take a second dose. Doctors should be more aware of these symptoms. Taking actonel has been a horribly painful mistake. I would like an answer as to how long this drug stays in your system. | F | 51 | 1 days 150 MG 1X M | 4/22/2010 | 1 | osteoporosis | refused to take - dissatisfied with the comments is enough for me! | THANK YOU ALL!!! My doctor wants me to take Actonel because THE INSURANCE co will not pay for FOSAMAX Brand name (had side effects w/generics) as of 1/2010. Thanx to all of these comments, I'm going ALL Natural!!! Thanx again! | F | 60 | 1X D | 4/22/2010 | 1 | osteopenia | Severe muscle spasms in legs and some in arms. My whole body keeps "tensing up" making my hands shake. It has become somewhat difficult to write. Left knee gives out while walking, making it hard to go up and down stairs. Excruciating foot/toe cramps. | I took seven monthly doses and was so concerned about what this was doing to my otherwise healthy body that I called my doctor and she told me to stop taking it. I've been off for a couple of months now and still experiencing symtoms. Hope all this goes away and I get back to being normal and healthy! | F | 59 | 7 months 150 1X M | 4/21/2010 | 1 | early signs of osteoporosis | First month slight flu like symtoms. 2nd month the day after I took the pill, extreme fatigue, body aches, chills, headache. 2 days later I stated experiencing heartburn which I have never had before. This has lasted for 3 days now. I will not be taking this medication again. | F | 53 | 2 months 150 mg 1X M | 4/19/2010 | 1 | OSTEOPOROSIS | FIRST TIME: THE FLU LASTED ABOUT TWO DAYS SEONCD TIME: NAUSEA, THE RUNS, AND THE FEELING THAT SOMEONE HIT ME WITH A TRUCK. I HAD TO GO BACK TO WORK AFTER TWO DAYS AND CAN STILL BARELY WALK AND GET AROUND. | USE WITH CAUTION - I AM SO LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE - PROBABLY GOING NATURAL TO STRENGTHEN BONES | F | 46 | 2 months 150 MG 1X M | 4/19/2010 | 1 | Osteoporosis | Severe shoulder pain. Numbness/tingling in 2 fingers. Pain in shoulders is excruciating. It's affecting my work, I can barely move the computer mouse. | F | 40 | 7 months 150mg 1X M | 4/15/2010 | 1 | diagnosed osteopina | Just got my prescription today. Asked doctor about side effects. She downplayed them, mentioning joint pain. This was a huge red flag for me, as I am already on meds for chronic back pain. Found this site...Thank God! I'm dealing with enough stuff. Don't need more pain. I will look for other alternatives.I feel terrible about the suffering I'm reading here. Cannot believe no one is doing anything about it. I pray for you ladies to get well. | F | 58 | 35 mg 1X W | 4/15/2010 | 1 | Pagets disease | My mom was prescribed the medication and refused to take it as she indictaed that it made her stomach very upset. She also said that her appetite disappeared after taking Actonel. She adamantley refuses to take it. After reading all other stories about Actonel, now I am a believer. My mum has never refused to take any other medicine and her Actonel is only a weekly dose. | F | 82 | 35Mg 1X W | 4/14/2010 | 1 | Osteopina | Severe muscle and joint pain, flu like symptoms, tired | I just figured it out, took me a while, but just took monthly dose and severe joint pain, tired, feel like I have the flu. I get swelling in my ankles and feet. This is horrible, I thought I was getting some sort of arthritis. I am so upset because I just took another montly dose and now it will take months for this to get out of my system. This is a disgrace, I don't believe this drug was properly tested. I can barely stand up after sitting at my desk, it is like my joints are locked together, the pain is acute. | F | 52 | 1 years 150G 1X M | 4/13/2010 | 1 | osteoporosis | Horrible acid reflux, esophagus burning and a general ill feeling with weakness.Also had some knee pain, but it disappeared after stopping the drug. I've been off the drug for 2 months and the acid reflux is still occurring. I've been taking prevacid, but will need to go to doc for something more effective. How long does this stay in your system!!?? | F | 52 | 2 months 150mg 1X M | 4/11/2010 | 1 | osteoporosis | Chest pain, back pain, leg cramps. | One day after taking Actonel, I had severe chest pain and back pain. I will never take this drug again! There are many other ways to fight osteoporisis than taking what appears to be poison! | F | 62 | 1 days 150mg 1X M | 4/9/2010 | 1 | for bone loss | I had severe weakness, cold chills, with fever. I felt like i was dying from the flu. I went into work and my boss said what is wrong with you, your face shows pain. I said I felt so weak, absolutely no appeatite on this drug. I had severe leg pain in the night. I am very outgoing and entergetic. This drug criples you. After feeling near dead, I decided to let this therapy go and get it out of my system. | I have tried this drug on three occasions and it always does the same thing. The Chills start, the aches in the body, fever and night sweats. You have absolutely no energy and feel worse than you have ever felt. That means this drug could do some serious damage to other tissue and organs. It is not a natural element for our body to assorb. I am going seek out natural means to improve my bone density. If someone has a suggestion, I would welcome it. | F | 55 | 7 days 5 MG 1X D | 4/8/2010 | 1 | Osteosporosis | Started taking 150mg once/month in June/09. Experienced muscle and hip pain, leg cramping. 2d month -5th month severe joint pain woke me up at night plus deep stomach pain;6 mo insomnia and pain in my jaw and leg cramping, 7-9 months insomnia, during day sudden pain behind leg joint to the point of limping. The 10th mo.has been the worse: next day woke up w/soreness in throat and tongue along w/flu like symptoms and night sweat. A group of my tongue's taste buds in the center of it arose turning whitish (not a sore) as well as towards the trachea. It hurt to clean my tongue when brushing my teeth. This kind of calmed for about 3-4 days (but it did not disappear) after the first 2 weeks and arose again. I also had lots of stomach piercing pain. I went to my PCP and he certainly did not know what it was and gave me a referral to see an Oral surgeon. It took so long to get the appmt that today, 1-month and 4 days after having taken Actonel, my tongue is finally getting back to normal. The | PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICINE. THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY DOES NOT EVEN HAVE TELEPHONE NUMBER TO CALL IF YOU WANT TO VERIFY IF WHAT YOU ARE FEELING ARE SIDE EFFECTS THAT OTHERS HAVE REPORTED. IN THE MEANTIME, YOU WORRY, CAN'T SLEEP, WASTE TIME AND MONEY GOING TO SEE DOCTORS THAT CAN'T HELP YOU... PLEASE LETS GET TOGETHER FOR A CLASS ACTION SUE. IT'S ONLY FAIR TO US AND TO THE ONES THAT DON'T KNOW. ALL OF THESE MEDICATIONS FOR OSTEOPOROSIS HAVE THE SAME SIDE EFFECTS, DON'T TAKE ANY. EXERCISE AND EAT WELL TO STAY HEALTHY. | F | 57 | 10 months 150mg 1X M | 4/7/2010 | 1 | osteopenia | first month felt great the day that I took Actonel then next day had severe flu-like symptoms - was in bed all day with temp, vomiting and severe stomach pain second month - no vomiting but very fatigued and tremendous muscle and joint pain -gastric upset | F | 53 | 2 times 150 mg 1X M | 4/7/2010 | 2 | osteoporosis | After the 1st dosage,taken at 7am, I experienced flu-like symptoms within about 20-24 hrs. They went away by mid afternoon, so about 8-12 hrs after the onset. The next few months I was fine. About three months ago, I began getting these flu-like symptoms again. I awoke in the middle of the night, my skin hurt, I had chills and weakness. Two months ago the flu symptoms were similar but somewhat milder; however now I felt had mild diarrhea and nausea. Each time the symptoms subsided in early afternoon. This last month I took it, the symptoms in the middle of the night were very strong. Chills, skin hurting, diarrhea, then vomitting. I also spiked a 100 deg. fever. Symptoms finally went away by early evening but I was weakened by the experience. My diaphragm muscles also hurt me for another 24-48 hrs, but this may have been from vomitting. I'm not sure. | I will not take this anymore. I feel like I am poisoning myself. My original plan with my doctor was to take actonel for two years, and then go on evista. Now he is suggesting that I stop taking the actonel (he's assuming I'd have the same side effects with Boniva or Fosamax) and begin the evista next month. Evista has to be taken daily and may cause hot flashes, so I am disappointed that the actonel did not agree with me. I know some people that do well with it. No one knows why some are successful and others are not. | F | 59 | 8 months 150 1X M | 4/6/2010 | 1 | osteopenia | i took 1 dose of actonel the first night i was awake all night and had chills so bad my teeth were chattering my ribs hurt so bad i thought they were broken the next day i spent in bed w/ heating pad&icepacks i also had a fever which i never get even w/ the flu i also have had diarrea since i took the actonel i have lost 4 lbs in three day's which i can't afford to do the pain has gotten much better thank goodness i will never take this drug again i know people who have taken the once a wk. pill & haven't had problem's not sure if i'll try that one | I DON'T THINK THE MONTHLY SHOULD BE GIVEN ESPECIALLY THIN PEOPLE IT'S TOO STRONG I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO TAKE THE YEARLY ONE GLAD I FOUND THIS WEBSITE WAS VERY HELPFUL | F | 67 | 1 months 150 mg. 1X M | 4/5/2010 | 1 | For My Bones | I only took once, that night I woke up vomiting and was so cold!! I have never experienced the chills I went thru. Next day all my bones ached, the following day I was experiencing pain when I would take deep breaths or cough. It's been 4 days, feeling better. | Not sure if it is because it is a monthly dosage, that it may be too strong for people. Gonna go tell my Doctor today of what I went through | F | 52 | 1 days 1X M | 4/5/2010 | 1 | Osteoporosis | My mother (age 65) took Actonel in the morning as instructed. That night she started having very bad stomach pain followed by an episode of chills. Gave her Tylenol. The next day, she had lower back pain. During the week she felt strong pain in her femur a few times, and the pain in the ankle she had broken 9 mos ago seemed worse. The stomach pain would also come and go. | Told her MD about the side effects and she said she will try the weekly dose next month. Not sure if she intends to continue with Actonel or another med. Can't seem to trust the pharm companies or even doctors sometimes. | F | 65 | 1 times 150mg 1X M | 4/5/2010 | 1 | I personally take womens vitamins, extra calcium supplements, herbs, exercise, eat calcium enriched foods and take TUMS, which is an old tried and true way of getting extra calcium. Oscal, and caltrate are great too. | F | 56 | 0 days 1X O | 4/4/2010 | 1 | Osteoporosis | Diarrhea, Vomiting, Chills, Fever, Headache, | I will NEVER EVER take this medicine again. I have never been so sick in my life. I had to go to the ER two nights in a row to have IV fluids, an injection for nausea and pain meds. This pill is horrible and for the company to say "if these conditions persist for more than three days, see your phyisian" is nuts. I never would have survived without the ER stepping in. I think I'd rather die from a broken hip. | F | 60 | 2 months 150 1X M | 4/4/2010 | 1 | Osteoporpsos | Nauseous, achy, joint pain, severe pain in jaws. Ended up hospitalized 4 days after second dose: I had passed out due to blood pressure dropping. After days of tests, the only conclusion the doctors oculd come to was that the Actonel caused the problem. | Sorry I listened to my doctor and took this as a calcium supplement. When I passed out, I fell against the kitchen counter and tore chest ligaments. I was incapacitated for months. I am still trying to recover. | F | 84 | 2 months 150 mg 1X M | 4/3/2010 | 1 | osteopenia | Took my first dose of once a month Actonel yesterday morning. By late evening I could hardly walk up the stairs because the bone, joint and muscle pain was so bad. I called my doctor this morning and she said do not take any more doses of actonel or any of the other similar drugs. She also said the symptoms could last up to a month or longer. I am a relatively active person; I work out at the gym about 3 times a week and take spinning, zumba and other aerobic classes. I hope I feel better soon so I can begin my regular activities. | DO NOT TAKE ACTONEL -- TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT OTHER WAYS OF COMBATTING OSTEOPENIA/OSTEOPOROSIS! | F | 54 | 1 months 150 mg 1X M | 4/2/2010 | 2 | osteopenia | Was experiencing chest pains. Would go off the drug for a few months until I felt better, and then would take again because I wanted to protect my bones. Had to start taking every 2 weeks instead of every week so I could minimize the chest pains. About a month ago, I noticed the hair on top of my head seems a lot thinner. Went looking on google, seems that might be an undisclosed side effect. | I'm going to stop taking. The side effects are worse than the osteopenia. Will just keep taking calcium and vitamin D. | F | 47 | 2 years 35 mg 1X W | 3/30/2010 | 1 | ostheoperosis | four days after taking actonel my back started hurting by the 6th day I woke up and could barely walk without pain I could barely lift my arms I hurt from my neck down to my toes It is better after the 8th day but still have pain | I will never take actonel again My first and last dose I will just keep taking my calcium and D. | F | 55 | 2 weeks 150 1X M | 3/29/2010 | 1 | osteopenia | Began taking 150/once per month actonel in Oct. 09. No flu or intestinal probs at all (lucky me!), but developed severe lower back and joint pain within 2 days of taking my first dose. Decided that surely it would either get better or my body would aclimate, so continued Nov. and Dec. doses. Pain increased to the point that I could no longer lift my weights, or walk my 2 miles each day (both, of course, counter productive to dealing non-medically with my osteopenia..), or even do simple things like move furniture to clean or lift full grocery bags. Have been off of med for 3 months and still using ibuprofen and ice & hot packs...and wonder if/when I'll be able to garden or take my long walks again..or sleep through the night, painfree . What a lifestyle change this has been for me. I am not angry, as I know that with every touted "wonder drug", there is always a "less than wonderous" side. I would just like to know if anyone has a clue how long this takes to ge | If you experience any side effects, don't recommend that you continue taking this med thinking that they will get better with time. | F | 58 | 3 months 150 mg 1X M | 3/29/2010 | 1 | osteoporosis | 4 days after taking the is tablet I stood after sitting in a chair and the pain in my left leg was excruciating I thought that I had broken my leg. I finished up in casualty at our local hospital and after x-rays and a thorough examination they could find nothing wrong. Over the next 3 weeks I spent more time in casualty and more tests. Eventually I began to think that the drug was causing the problem so I did some research and found that the drug should not be prescribed for people who have had a broken limb or had joint replacement surgery, I have had both. I printed out the information and gave it to my Dr and the hospital only one Dr remembered that this was the case. I stopped taking the drug and the pain subsided but I now have problems with the broken left ankle that I didn't have before taking the drug. | I think more care should be taken and test done before prescribing this drug to certain people. | F | 66 | 6 weeks 35mg 1X W | 3/28/2010 | 4 | ostoprosis | No side effects. | F | 65 | 7 years 1X M | 3/27/2010 | 1 | osteopenian/osteoporosis | Severe pain in feet and ankles days after taking. May have gout but seems to flare around same time I take my medication Hmmm. | Stopped taking hopefully gout flare ups will stop again. | M | 47 | 4 months 150 mg 1X M | 3/24/2010 | 1 | ossteoporosis diagnosed | Took my first does at 7 AM on Sat. Felt very tired all day. That evening was awakened with sever pain in my rib, could not turn over in bed. The following day developed severe back pain so much so that I had difficulty walking. Awakened night 3 with bad back pain, took my breath away to turn over. Have been on Advil every 4 hours for the pain. | Will not take another dose of this medicine, usure what path I will take for the osteoporosis. | F | 56 | 1 months 150mg 1X M | 3/23/2010 | 1 | Osteopenia & Family History | I have put my comments previously on this website, as wanted to warn everyone what a devasting drug it is. I had every terrible side effect. I've been off it for 7 months now, and my teeth are still not 100%, and I still often have morning nausea, which is a side effect of acid reflux. I'm just hoping over time, how much time?, these remaining symptons will leave. | Report this drug! The website is: fda.gov/medwatch. They need to know how many people are being affected by it. | F | 52 | 3 months 35 1X W | 3/22/2010 | 1 | DEXA score -3.6 (osteoporosis) | General aches in whole body (except head, for some reason). Worse each week after taking "medicine". After five months could hardly get to breakfast table. Quit Actonel and slowly got better. Now, 3 years after quitting, I still wake up in the morning feeling tired. My DEXA improved to -3.5 this year. | This poison is used to keep barnacles from growing on the hulls of ships! There is no antidote for it. It takes "forever" for your body to get rid of it. It works by binding to your bones and killing the osteoclasts which are part of the bone renewal process. If you have problems with it, there is no such thing as "too soon" to quit. One year of life ruined, another year of difficulty doing anything. Even now, 3 years later, I do not wake in the morning feeling rested. I do not look forward to the day ahead like I did before starting Actonel. I fell for the hogwash that the symptoms get milder with continued use. I would rather suffer a broken bone and wait for it to heal than what happened to me. It would be much less suffering. | M | 68 | 5 months 35 mg 1X W | 3/22/2010 | 1 | osteopenia | Fever (101), body ache, nausea and bloating every time. Severe diarhea first dose and fourth dose. General symptoms have gotten worse and lasted longer with each dose. Thought it was the flu the first three times (around other people with stomach viruses), but this time checked the internet. I think this is it for me, but all the medicines for improving bone density have similar ratings. Right now trying to survive the symptoms first (felt rotten for the past four days, cancelled all plans today so I could be close to facilities). | F | 54 | 4 months 150 mg 1X M | 3/20/2010 | 1 | osteopenia | About 7 months ago I started feeling extremely tired, experiencing joint pain in every part of my body but especially in the right elbow and shoulders, knees and hips. Thought it was Lyme Disease (found a tick) on my neck) and had 5 different types of blood tests done to find out this wasn't Lyme , then went for 2 MRIs (shoulder and neck) and 2 shots of cortisone in my shoulder, saw 6 different types of doctors and still not feeling better. Have started seeing a rheumatologist and she said to stop the Actonel and see what happens. I have been off for a month and so far still feeling poorly. All this pain keeps me up at night, forces me to take Aleve during the day and has forced me to change my lifestyle because of the pain. I was always very active, I ski, exercise and dance but have curtailed these activities. I read that someone had a salty taste in their mouth from taking Actonel and I have the same but could'nt figure out why until I read her story. If all this is happening top m | F | 58 | 18 months 1X M | 3/19/2010 | 1 | yes | an overall feeling of aches and pains, my joints hurt, my stomach is full of gas and cannot get rid of it, neck is stiff and achy jaw hurts, upset stomach and the list goes on and on. I feel worse now than I have in my entire life. Funny....my MD gave me a 1 month sample of 150mg: to see if I could tolerate it (wish he would have been up front with me. I'm not sure what route I will take, but I will not take Actonel again. | I will never take Actonel again | F | 54 | 1 months 150mg 1X M | 3/16/2010 | 2 | for osteoporosis | None for the first three months; fourth month, chills day after, and lower back ache which lasted 2 days. Fifth month, chills day after, temp. of 100 deg., fleeting but intense pain in groin/hip area only on day after taking pill. Fine after, but a week of "tummy ache". | My endocrinol. wants for me to try Boniva, as I have significant bone loss. | F | 56 | 5 months 150 1X M | 3/15/2010 | 1 | Bone loss | Recently I've had a few bouts of what I thought was food poisoning: waking up at night with slight or not so slight fever and chills, severe diarrhea, desire to throw up, weakness, lasting a day or two. I realized this morning that it always happens the day after I take my actonel pill! | F | 60 | 12 months 150 1X M | 3/15/2010 | 1 | Osteoporosis | One week after taking Actonel (150 mg), I awoke in the middle of the night with chest pain and severe indigestion. I kept belching, hoping that I would feel better. I debated whether to call 911 as I thought I was having a heart attack. The next day when I still had symptoms I did go to emergency room. Was told it was a digestive issue and to take Pepcid AC. That helped a bit, but the gas in the chest is still intolerable, especially at night. I try to burp, but it is still so uncomfortable. I have been taking Nexium and Mylanta for one month now, but no relief. Am hoping that since it is one month since I took the dose of Actonel, that I will heal. It has been very frightening. | Will never take this drug again. Perhaps it was the high dosage. I hadn't figured out that problems were due to the drug until I went to the doctor and she figured out the relationship of the onset of symptoms to when I took the drug. | F | 57 | 1 days 150 1X M | 3/15/2010 | 1 | osteoporosis | It has been a week since my last dose and it will be my last. I first noticed my right ring finger was cold and had no circulation. Then the bone on the left side of my knee began to hurt. I experienced diarrhea and flu symptoms last month but attributed it to the flu. A day after I took it this last time I had the same symptoms. My arms and legs ached and I felt miserable. My bone pain has worsened and today I can barely put my foot down. I am an avid runner and as of now am not able to even walk without pain. | My doctor will be getting a call in the morning. I will not take a medication that affects my body this way. The FDA should take notice. | F | 57 | 4 months 150mg 1X M | 3/14/2010 | 1 | osteopenia | I took the actonel on saturday morning as prescribed, followed the instructions to a T. Felt fine all day Saturday. Sunday morning I woke up feeling nauseous and flu-like. I've had chills all day and my joints ache. I also have a headache. I also briefly had stomach cramps and diarrhea. I am a very healthy person and have not been sick, even a cold for a couple of years. I also got the flu shot in December so I seriously doubt that it's the flu. I'm so glad I found this site. | F | 48 | 1 days 150 mg 1X M | 3/14/2010 | 1 | osteopenia | I took the pill as directed on Mon. March 8. 2010. Within several hours I was beginning to "not right" but continued my daily activities because I normally do not suffer common symptoms from medications. Twelve hours later I was hit by diarrhea and was in the bathroom countless times before bed. I was also suffering from chills and what felt like a low grade fever. I did not sleep much that night due to the diarrhea, chills and fast heart rate and headache. I did not think it was the pill because I did not think that it would cause a fever but after reading the comments posted before I have now changed my mind. "Mild flu-like " symptoms are listed as possible side effects but not fever, headache and diarrhea. The day after I took the dose, I called my Dr explaining all my symptoms, the nurse got back to me and said that the Dr said symptoms would not occur this quickly, that I had a stomach virus and it is going around and to take the Actonel the following month. | F | 62 | 1 days 150 mg 1X M | 3/10/2010 | 1 | ostiopenia | One day after taking tablet, woke up with extreme pain all over - legs, arms, back, neck. Next day nausea and vomiting. So weak I just lay on the floor. Have been to doctor twice and was given steroid shots and prescriptions for pain. Other side effects: headaches, jitters, chills, dry throat, constipation, flatulence and trapped gas. Two weeks later and I am still not completely well. I am normally very active but now tire very easily. | Do not take Actonel. Take calcium and et calcium rich foods. | F | 67 | 1 days 150 MG 1X M | 3/9/2010 | 1 | Ostoperenia | This is a dangerous drug! I almost had a cardiac arrest, my BP went so low, and had to call 911. Breaking out into sweat, headaches, abdominal discomfort, dizziness, lack of energy and rib pain. | F | 75 | 6 months 1X M | 3/8/2010 | 1 | osteopenia | Severe joint and back pain. Chills and fever. Flu-like symptoms. Headache and daily bouts of fatique and joint pain | The pain I experienced with a one time use of this drug was second only to childbirth. It was excruciating and continuous. I thought I was having a stroke or heart attack. This medication should be taken off the market before someone ends up dead from using it! | F | 61 | 150 1X M | 3/8/2010 | 1 | Osteoporosis | My back started to ache then I had joint and muscle pain, temperature of 102.4. I have a cough, too. No appetite and feel very tired. I left work on Wednesday after 1/2 day and have been off Thursday, Friday, and Monday. I was sick on Saturday and Sunday, too. I thought I might have the flu, but I always get a flu shot. If you get the flu after having the shot, it should be a mild case. | I had no problem with Fosamax + D and will return to it. I would never take Actonel again and will never recommend it to anyone. I agree that a class action lawsuit should be filed. I'll be the first to sign up. If anyone knows how to initiate such a suit, contact me. | F | 71 | 1 days 150 mg 1X M | 3/8/2010 | 1 | osteo | Flu like symptoms, abdominal pain, pressure, back pain. I feel like I can't eat because the nausea will come back and the abdominal pain will continue. Feel like crap. | I have only taken this drug once and will not take it again. I am not into taking medicines that make me feel sick. After reading everyones comments I feel that this is a drug that should not be offered to ANYONE. This has been going on since 2004. When will it be stopped!!! | F | 48 | 1 days 150 mg 1X M | 3/7/2010 | 2 | OSTEOPOROSIS | NONE WITH THE 35 MG ONCE A WEEK, FLU SYMPTONS WHEN TAKING THE ONCE A MONTH | I am never sick and the last 3 months I have had chills and fever for just one day. I did some checking and the days I was sick was the days that I took the monthly dose or the day after. Think I am done with that | F | 56 | 4 years 150 1X M | 3/5/2010 | 1 | osteopenia | nausea, stomach cramps, 103 temp, severe body aches, headache, chills & hot flashes alternately, severe diarhea; all of this alternately for 3 days now; am hoping for a let up tomorrow. | This has been a nightmare! I will find something else...like exercise with weights, Citrical, 15 min. of sunshine a day for Vit. D... | F | 63 | 1 days 150mg 1X M | 3/4/2010 | 1 | SEVERE OSTEOPOROSIS OF THE HIPS | I am so glad I found this website. Now I know that my original thoughts are true. After my second month of taking this (November) I noticed that my hands were hurting and the tip of my middle finger on my right hand felt numb. I went to my doctor, just because I had had a "cold" and a cough for the previous 8 weeks and now I had a sore throat. I told him that I thought perhaps the hands were as a result of the Actonel, since that was the only difference in my life. He said, "no" it could be carpel tunnel, or tennis elbow or bursitis, but not the Actonel. He sent me home with Motrin 800, which eased the discomfort, but, they are soooo big and so awful to take, I stopped after a few days and learned to live with the discomfort. I've taken to wearing a thumb stabilizer on my left hand because it helps to relieve the wrist and hand pain. At the end of last month (February) my hands were beginning to actually feel a little better. But, within a day of takin | F | 68 | 6 months 150 MG 1X M | 3/3/2010 | 1 | bone loss | Took the pill first thing in the morning, yesterday, felt jittery all day, like what i imagine a Redbull would do. Was feeling fine until bedtime. Agonizing joint pain. Didn't get much sleep. Was awakened from restless sleep with cold sweat and shivers. Like the flu. I've heated up a few times today to the point of my forehead sweating. It's now 36 hours after taking first Actonel and the chest pain scares me. Brochure says to consult a physician for chest pains. Then what happens? Can they suck the junk outta my bones so i can feel like myself again? So many joints aches all over, can not get comfortable. 1000 mgs of Advil helps a little bit. | How long will these awful symptons last? When will the pressure on my sternum end? I also have trapped gas. Very uncomfortable I wish I would have read these postings before popping the little blue pill. Definitely would have changed my mind. The doctors office gave me a coupon for the first month free, her aide suggested I go to the Actonel website to get the drug for $25. Even with good prescription insurance my local Walgreens clerk said one pill would cost me $43 a month. Why the 'ef' would i pay $25 or $43 for these awful side effects? Ladies, beware of Actonel. | F | 53 | 1 days 150 mg 1X M | 3/3/2010 | 1 | to replace bone loss | none | How good can a drug be if you are told by your physician to take it once weekly at the same time with a full glass of water and to remain standing, etc., etc., etc. I am a young 68 years old single female & live alone. I live in NYC, nearest relative almost 3 hours away & cannot afford to be sick or bedridden. I read everything I could about this medication and stumbled upon this site. Based on what I have read I've made the decision to not take this drug. I will rely on calcium and vitamin D supplements. From all the comments listed here I am sorry that you've experience so much pain and discomfort. As some of you have suggested, this medication should be banned. I might also add that I do not believe that many of our physicians are familiar with the medications they prescribe for us but just go with what the drug companies tell them. | F | 68 | 0 days 35mg 1X W | 3/1/2010 | 1 | Osteopenia | Started off with bone pain. Then I noticed when I breathed my rib cage all around was hurting really bad. The worst is I woke up with severe pain in my hips and lower back. This is so bad I couldn't stand it. I did go have an MRI done of the lower back suggested by my physician but I believe it is all related to this medication now. I have never had any problems like this until I have taken (2) mths of this medication. I would not recommend this to anyone. Doctors need to do more research on this before prescribing to their patients. | This medication should not have even passed the FDA's approval. Now I wonder if they are just trying to strum up other business with all of the side-effects that it seems to cause. TERRIBLE.... | F | 50 | 2 months 150 mg 1X M | 2/28/2010 | 1 | yes | Severe joint & bone pain.I can barely go up and down stairs and do my normal daily routine. My knees are hurting and burning, my left shoulder, thighs, arms, chest, and entire back are also aching. Total lock of control of upper torso and not able to roll over in bed. Chills, temperature of 103. THE MOST HORRIBLE PAIN ! | I guess you want to try just like I did to find out if it will work. WHAT ELSE IS THIS PILL DOING TO OUR INTERNAL ORGANS THAT THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES ARE NOT TELLING US. ARE THEY WAITING FOR PEOPLE TO DIE ???????? | F | 57 | 1 days 150mg 1X M | 2/25/2010 | 1 | bone density test | I took 150 mg on Sept.1 and Oct. 1 and I have suffered ever since with joint pain in hands, wrists, knee, neck, shoulders, and elbows. I have had to wear wrist spints because the pain was so bad. I am taking Tylanol Arthritis and Tramadol daily just so I can function. Every few days or so I experience another severe joint pain. I have even had my knee drained twice because it was so swollen I could hardly walk. I also had a severe pain in my stomach and vomiting the first day I took it (both months). | After 6 months of suffering I'm praying it will soon be out of my system. I'm glad I got on this web-site, so I could see that others are having the same problem. I think there should be a class action suite for all the suffering we have gone though. I feel like I am 20 yrs. older and I want my life back. Are there others out there that have had it for 6 months or longer? | F | 67 | 2 months 150 mg 1X M | 2/23/2010 | 1 | osteoporosis | I took Actonel once. I took it as prescribed at 7:00 am and felt fine until mid-afternoon. Then, I started to feel nauseous. By 7:00 pm I had a fever of 101 and` had the worst flu symptoms I have ever experienced. I finally had to go to the hospital emergency room where I was given an IV to calm the nausea. I will never take this or any other biophosthonate again. There must be another way to help my bones! | F | 54 | 1 days 150 mg 1X M | 2/23/2010 | 1 | OSTEOPENIA/OSTEOPOROSIS | Istarted Actonel once a month and began having headaches. Never connected them to med. Next month had flu like symptons shortly after dose (fever,chills,diarrhea and muscle pain), Again just thought I'd caught a bug. After third dose began experiencing muscle and joint pain which over the next few weeks became so bad I had trouble walking and climbing stairs. Now I thought "gee maybe it's the new med" so I stopped on my own. Paint continued and I found some mild relief with heating pad. Finally after sleepless nights and intolerable pain I went to my doctor who thought I had some autoimmune disease. After blood work came back all ok we decided it was the med and dr. agreed I was wise to stop on my own. Was given pain/steroid shots and did a 6 day course of steroids which helped improve my pain. Now I am taking anti inflammatory and going for massage therapy for next few months. I still have pain which has improved somewhat but not normal yet and it's been over 3 months since | TAKE THIS DRUG OFF THE MARKET BEFORE IT KILLS SOMEONE!! | F | 62 | 3 months 150 MG 1X M | 2/21/2010 | 1 | osteoporosis | Took one tablet 430 am friday Feb 12 with 8oz glass of water stayed upright for 30 minutes as suggested by Dr. and all seemed well. Until following Monday. My joints felt as if I was being stabbed with an ice pick. Both knee caps right foot jaw hinges back or spinal pain lost control of right arm thought I was having heart failure...had trouble with bladder even after voiding I feels I must go again. Felt so cold almost like Id caught the flu. Called my pharmacy and was told to contact Dr. I did and now am waiting to see Dr. Didn't have these problems prior to taking this one tiny pill BUT my body knows this pill did this so I never took the next one.... and I really am praying this horrible pain stops. | I can't prove this Actonel did this BUT I warn all of you be careful this drug may do you more harm than good. I am looking into infusion which takes 15 minutes in hospital and lasts a year but now Im scared....anyone out there tried this treatment? please respond asap. | F | 63 | 1 days 35mg 1X W | 2/20/2010 | 2 | osteopenia | I took Actonel weekly for 2 months, had no problems..waited a couple of weeks and then took the 150mg monthly..first day I was fine, next day I was short of breath and totally fatigued, that lasted a couple of days..next I felt like everything was falling out of me...a couple of days after that I felt like I was getting a UTI, such urgency and pressure..but it was bladder spasms.. along with this I had severe pressure in my eyes...that lasted 2 weeks. It has been a month now since I took it and won't take it again. But now I am apprehensive about going back on the weekly, will that build up in my system? | F | 66 | 1 months 150 mg 1X M | 2/17/2010 | 1 | Osteoporosis | SEVERE back pain, rib and chest pain accompanied by total lack of control of upper torso - could not roll over in bed or get out of bed without assistance | DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION - I was in the hospital for two days and experienced extreme pain and weakness - almost paralysis in upper body - took Actonel once - otherwise, I am a very healthy and active 49 year old. | F | 49 | 1 days 150 1X M | 2/17/2010 | 2 | osteopenia | Slight muscle discomfort, swollen breasts, brought on period after 2 1/2 years. | I thought it was odd that my breasts were sore ...it felt like it did before my period was coming. My last period was Dec. 2007. Nothing in my medical history changed and I saw the gyn. only two weeks ago and she indicated I was in full menopause. What else could it be if not this drug? I will not take it next week. | F | 54 | 3 weeks 1X W | 2/14/2010 |