What is zoledronic acid used to treat?
Zoledronic acid (Zometa) is used to treat high levels of calcium in the blood that may be caused by certain types of cancer.
What is the most common side effect of zoledronic acid?
Fever is the most common adverse effect associated with zoledronic acid infusion. Flu-like syndromes including fever, chills, bone pain, and/or arthralgias and myalgias have also occasionally been reported.
What is zoledronic acid 4 mg used for?
This medication is used to treat high blood calcium levels (hypercalcemia) that may occur with cancer. Zoledronic acid is also used with cancer chemotherapy to treat bone problems that may occur with multiple myeloma and other types of cancer (such as breast, lung) that have spread to the bones.
What are the side effects of zoledronic acid?
More common
- Abdominal or stomach pain.
- back pain.
- bad, unusual, or unpleasant (after) taste.
- bladder pain.
- blistering, crusting, irritation, itching, or reddening of the skin.
- bone pain.
- burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, “pins and needles”, or tingling feelings.
- change in taste.
What are the benefits of zoledronic acid?
Zoledronic acid reduces the activity of the osteoclasts. This can help reduce pain and strengthen the bone. It also reduces the amount of calcium that is lost from the bones. This helps calcium levels in the blood return to normal.
Does zoledronic acid cause weight gain?
Tell your doctor if you have serious side effects of Reclast including urinating less than usual or not at all; drowsiness, confusion, mood changes, increased thirst, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, swelling, weight gain, shortness of breath, muscle spasms, numbness or tingling (especially around your mouth).
Why is zoledronic acid given once a year?
Zoledronic acid is given once a year as an intravenous (IV) infusion to treat osteoporosis. It is also given every two years as an IV infusion to prevent osteoporosis. Zoledronic acid increases bone density and reduces the incidence of the spine and non-spine fractures, including hip fractures.
What happens after zoledronic acid infusion?
The majority of the side effects, such as fever and chills, pain in the muscles or joints, and headache, occur within the first three days following the dose of Zoledronic acid 5 mg. The symptoms are usually mild to moderate and go away within three days.
Will osteoporosis shorten my life?
“Osteoporosis that leads to compression fractures will shorten your lifespan. Research clearly shows that people who fall and collapse a vertebra die sooner than people of the same age who do not have compression fractures,” says Isador H.
How long does zoledronic acid stay in your body?
Zoledronic acid medication is a long-acting drug. As such, it stays in your body longer than 12 months (probably more than 24 months). Therefore, delaying your treatment for a number of months will not put you at a higher risk of sustaining fragility fracture nor cause significant decline in your bone mineral density.
Can you live 20 years with osteoporosis?
The average life expectancy of osteoporosis patients is in excess of 15 years in women younger than 75 years and in men younger than 60 years, highlighting the importance of developing tools for long-term management.
What organs are affected by osteoporosis?
Osteoporotic bone breaks are most likely to occur in the hip, spine or wrist, but other bones can break too. In addition to causing permanent pain, osteoporosis causes some patients to lose height. When osteoporosis affects vertebrae, or the bones of the spine, it often leads to a stooped or hunched posture.
Can a zoledronic acid infusion be switched to weekly?
As for the preference expressed by the participants, 78.7% of the patients preferred the once-yearly infusion to weekly oral therapy. According to the above, patients can be safely switched from oral alendronate to zoledronic acid 5 mg infusion with maintenance of therapeutic effect for at least 12 months.
Are there any side effects to taking zoledronic acid?
Serious adverse effects with zoledronic acid are infrequent. Osteonecrosis of the jaw is a rare condition reported with all bisphosphonates, but mostly in patients with cancer receiving intravenous bisphosphonates who subsequently have dental procedures. It has been reported less often in patients without cancer.
How is zoledronic acid used to treat osteoporosis?
Zoledronic acid administered as a 5 mg intravenous infusion annually increases bone mineral density in the lumbar spine and femoral neck by 6.7% and 5.1% respectively and reduces the incidence of new vertebral and hip fractures by 70% and 41% respectively in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.
How is zoledronic acid used to treat breast cancer?
Zoledronic acid has also been used for the prevention of bone loss and fracture incidence in women with breast cancer receiving estrogen-depleting therapies such as aromatase inhibitors (Hadji 2007).