Title: What is Osteoporosis & How It Can Be Treated with Boniva Ibandronate?

Osteoporosis as a bone disease is quite prevalent nowadays. It makes the bones thinner and weaker so that they break easily. It is a common perception among people that bones are as solid as a rock. Truly speaking, bone is living tissue, similar to other organs of the body like the heart, brain, or skin. Bone is nothing but a harder kind of tissue and changes constantly. Our bones remain strong and healthy because of the substitution of old bone with new one.

When osteoporosis occurs, the body eliminates more bone than it substitutes. As a result, bones get weaker and become vulnerable to break easily. This bone disease mostly affects women after menopause. In the beginning, the symptoms of osteoporosis go unnoticed. But, people gradually develop symptoms like loss of height and fractures of the back, wrist, and hip bones. The disease can be treated and prevented with a number of means such as Boniva (Ibandronate Sodium) which is a potent bisphosphonate drug marketed and manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and Roche Laboratories. This drug is also known as Ibandronic Acid. It is indicated for use in postmenopausal women only. Men should not take Ibandronate unless they are a part of clinical trials.

The most common side effects of Boniva (Ibandronate) are a rise in blood pressure levels, stomach upset, and abdominal pain that occur in 5 to 8 percent of its users. Approximately 3.5 percent of users experience joint pain, diarrhea, and nausea. People have also reported side effects like headache, back pain, and inflammation of the throat after taking Boniva pills.

Apart from these common side effects, Boniva (Ibandronate) is known to cause several bothersome and irritating, but not hazardous side effects. Some women have suffered from the additional gastrointestinal symptoms of constipation, lightheadedness, rash, and flu-like symptoms. Musculoskeletal side effects such as muscle pain, and cramping and pain in the extremities are also found in some women. The occurrence of some infections such as bronchitis and urinary tract infections cannot be fully denied too.

You should regularly test your bone mineral density during the treatment to make sure that Ibandronate is improving your condition. Visit your healthcare provider on a regular basis. Do not absent yourself from any scheduled appointments with your doctor.

Boniva (Ibandronate) may not be sufficient to treat and prevent osteoporosis alone. It only makes part of a complete program that may also have diet changes, exercise, and use of calcium and vitamin supplements. You must adhere to medication, diet, and exercise schedules strongly.

Inform your doctor if you have medical conditions such as kidney disease, an ulcer in your stomach or esophagus, or a vitamin D deficiency. In such cases, you will be prescribed to alter your Ibandronate doses or perform special tests to ensure safe use of the medication.