I found this today. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/568424

I've heard nothing of this anywhere else. So when did the manufacturer plan on telling me that all this muscle pain I've suffered from for almost 10 years was caused by their drugs??!! We have tested me for fibromyalgia; myasthenia gravis; a type of arthritis that causes muscle pain whose name escapes me right now; every thing known to cause muscle pain. They finally settled on fibro-like disease. This was years before the RA became prominent. And in spite of their precious medication, I have 9 broken bones with no falls to cause them. Only a slight loss of balance on the last one, didn't fall.

Am I ticked????!! You betcha!!!

Billye

Um, I can't view the article because I'm not a member. What medication was the article about?

fanfaire

I can't view the article and I AM a member....

Which drug are you referring to so I can use my usual account which just logs me in automatically?

Oh and on drugs...this is how it goes....

Statins, proton pump inhibitors, the new osteoporosis drugs, the old tricyclics...because the doc orders it we assume this is safe...

Drugs can save lives, but none and I mean none of them is without risk....some of it substantial.

I assume there will be some class action suits in the future, but, lately they give you some substantial print outs on the downsides of these drugs, so we are in some ways, making 'informed' choices, for as 'informed' as that is....

It is always a risk versus benefit analysis.

Billye, was it polymyositis?? What you were tested for---the name that escapes you....there is also polymyalgia rheumatica.

Neuropathy can cause what looks like an RA. I have some very deformed joints....they look identical to any RA patient I have cared for....only thing is...I am utterly without ONE inflammatory marker in my body.

There is neurogenic arthropathy. (The joint loses position and becomes more or less like a bag of bones....much more susceptible to fracture.

There is neurogenic myopathy. (Denervation and loss of input to the muscles-they shrink and get abnormal)

There is myopathy due to drugs, inactivity, toxins and heredity.

There is vascultic myopathy...but that should show as 'inflammatory' with higher sed rates and potentially other inflammatory markers.

They can find neuropathy in the tissues of the mouth in burning mouth syndrome.....and disordered biopsies due to that lack of innervation.

Swallowing can become difficult due to lack of innervation of the smooth muscle...same with gastroparesis and constipation...it isn't separate...it is the denervation issue.

Heart muscle can become denervated....altho is the least likely to be affected.

Breaks can occur due to myopathy, as our muscles, tendons, ligaments are not holding our bones in position or moving them as they should be and then pressure on a bone that isn't engineered to take that stress, fractures it. A bone doesnt need to be that misplaced to cause injury to it, fracture, sprain, impingment etc...

Bone can get malnourished due to neuropathy affecting vasculature...

It is very complex...mind boggling.

These new osteoporosis drugs are under the microscope right now too....not to mention if you have a bad esophagus you can't take them....I do, so I can't take them.....not that estrogen is riskless....it isn't. It is Russian Roulette...so is osteoporosis...

I am finding that I could have a string of diagnoses, depending on who I see, however, they are boiling down to 'neurogenic' changes. Where that neuropathy is coming from is a secret known only to the Creator at this point...or some very motivated molecular geneticist.

I hear your frustration.

People have a right to be angry if they are not told the full truth regarding drugs they take. Seems to me that some drugs perceived as 'money makers' due to the sheer number of potential consumers get fast tracked prior to having good data, while other drugs seem to sit on the shelf. It is after all the 'free market' principle they are modeling the health care system on these days.

Here is another sample.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/538317

The link works for me. It's
Bisphosphonate Therapy Linked to Risk for Severe Musculoskeletal Pan. Written by Yael Waknine dated Jan. 08, 2008

Try copy and pasting into your browser.

Am I allowed to copy and paste it?

And Cyclops, ..it was polymyalgia rheumatica that I was trying to remember.

Billye

Fosamax is going generic soon... I expect we will see MORE articles like this one now. (they knew all along) This is typical when a brand goes off patent.

I think this MAY be part of the low Vit D phenomenon... really!!.

Thanks Billye....I will check that out. I am on an automatic log in on that, so maybe that is why is balked at me...

Sounds like the bisphosphonates are getting some flack these days. I had read it was causing breaks....sounds now like soft tissue issues as well.

I had to respond to this thread due to the title because in 2006 in June I had a 3 level spinal fusion that was a disaster...first NS cut into my spinal cord twice causing me to bleed into my spinal fluid and instead of being in hosp 4-6 days I was in 12 and DH carried me out with me yelling that they were killing me...and I came home and fell time after time, lost all control over my B&B and NS never did anything, not even a Xray and no other Dr would touch me (when I would go to ER they would send me away saying to see my NS....anyway 3 months later I went numb from my waist to the tops of my thighs and my PM had a stat MRI with Contrast to rule out CES and I was sent next day screaming and kicking all the way back to same NS that nearly killed me and he said I had arachnoiditsis and there is no cure. He recommended pain pump but no Dr will do it, would rather I take huge amounts of oral narcotics ( I also had/have muscle spasms since day one) so I take Kadian, 100mg 3xD MS 15mg 2xD and Valium 10mg 3xD for spasms (and if I stop taking them I can't pee, plus my bowel is paralyzed as well! The pain meds dulls the pain some but its always there, and no bending or twisting and if I lift over 10 lbs I go down....I have to split my housework/cooking into 10 minute increments or I think I will fall over.I still have incidents of incontinace at times, mostly I just can't go so I have RX for self cathing kits. The numbness for me has never left, only spread and when I researched it (CES) and (Arachnoiditsis) I found the number one cause was blood in spinal fluid and second was steroid epidural s. I have horrible fire like hot poker pains suddenly shoot up my rectum/vaginal area without warning and the only one that understands it is my Primary Md. My left arm has also been numb and my PM wanted to do surgery and I said HELL NO!!! I will never let another Dr touch me with a knife. I truly hope you do not have these conditions because they are progressive and forever. Be careful and good luck!

you can copy the article as long as you give the link to it. it's usually best to only copy part of it, if it's long.