Like all medicines, this Osteoporosis treatment medication can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

See your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following side effects, which can be serious, and for which you may need urgent medical treatment:

Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 patients)

• sometimes intense pain of bones, muscles, and/or joints.

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 patients)

• heartburn; trouble swallowing; pain when swallowing; sore throat (esophagus – the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach) which can cause chest pain, heartburn, or difficulty or pain when swallowing.

Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 patients):

• allergic reactions such as hives; swelling of the face, lips, tongue and/or throat, which may cause difficulty breathing or swallowing,
• severe skin reactions (separation of the epidermis and the superficial mucous membrane) – toxic epidermal necrolysis,
• extremely severe allergic reaction to skin eruption often with blisters or sores in the oral cavity or eyes, and other mucous membranes such as genitalia (Stevens-Johnson syndrome),
• pain in the mouth and / or jaw, swelling or sores inside the mouth, numbness or feeling of heaviness in the jaw, or detachment of a tooth. These could be signs of damage to the jawbones generally associated with delayed healing and infection, often after tooth extraction. Contact your doctor and dentist if you experience these symptoms,
• unusual fracture of the femur especially in patients on prolonged treatment for osteoporosis. Pain, weakness, or discomfort in the thigh, hip, or groin as this may be an early indication of a possible fracture of the thigh bone.

Other Alendronic acid tabs side effects that may occur:

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 patients)

• headache,
• dizziness
• abdominal pain,
• feeling sick to your stomach or flatulence after eating,
• constipation,
• feeling of fullness or bloating in the stomach,
• diarrhea,
• flatulence,
• Joint pain,
• hair loss, eczema,
• fatigue,
• swelling of hands and legs

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 patients)

• nausea,
• vomiting
• irritation or inflammation of the throat (esophagus -a tube that connects your mouth to your stomach) or stomach,
• black or tarry stools,
• skin rash,
• redness of the skin,
• transient flu-like symptoms, such as muscle pain,a general feeling of being unwell, and sometimes a fever that usually appears early in treatment,
• alteration of taste.
• blurry vision; pain or redness in the eye.

Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 patients)

• narrowing of the esophagus (the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach),
• mouth ulcer when the tablets have been chewed or sucked on,
• peptic or stomach ulcer (sometimes severe or with blood loss),
• itching worsens in sunlight,
• symptoms that indicate low levels of calcium in the blood such as muscle cramps or spasms and / or a tingling sensation in the fingers and around the mouth.

Alendronic acid Interactions:

Food and drink (including mineral water), calcium supplements, antacids, and other oral medications are likely to affect the absorption of alendronate if taken at the same time. Therefore, patients should wait at least 30 minutes after taking alendronate before taking any other oral medication.