<s>[INST] I hear horror stories in the news about the side effects of the osteoporosis medications. [/INST] All medicines have side effects. It’s important to distinguish between minor side effects and very serious but rare adverse effects. Mild side effects may disappear as your body becomes accustomed to the new medicine. Others can be managed by your doctor adjusting the dosage, timing, or even the drug prescribed.

Rare harms can occur with long-term use of some osteoporosis medicines. The risk of harm appears to increase the longer a patient stays on the medicine, particularly after 4 to 5 years.

Atypical femur fracture (AFF)
More information>> Atypical Femur Fracture
Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ)
More information>> Osteonecrosis of the Jaw
All of the osteoporosis medicines are FDA approved for the treatment of osteoporosis. The medicines have gone through rigorous studies, have good safety data and they all reduce the risk of fractures by at least 35%. Using the ABH Fracture Risk Calculator™ can help you weigh the risks of a fracture against the risks of the medicines. Source: American Bone Health. Link: https://americanbonehealth.org/frequently-asked-questions/. Field: Rheumatology. Disease: Ostoeporosis </s>