Stop Taking Osteoporosis Drugs? It’s Never Too Late

You may already know that bisphosphonates, such as Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva, and others, are a very unattractive option if you want to have strong, flexible and healthy bones.

But what if you’ve already taken these drugs at some point or want to stop taking them? You might be concerned about what happens when you stop them “cold turkey”. Will the drug stay in my bones forever? Did I do permanent damage? Will I ever be able to build bones naturally? Will the Osteoporosis Reversal Program work for me? To date, I’ve received thousands of emails asking me just that.

Amazingly, there is little research on this very important subject.

So here are the facts:

There are two main ways by which your body gets rid of the bisphosphonates once you stop taking the drug.

The first – and quickest way – is by elimination via the urine. Studies conducted by maxillofacial surgeons have shown that most of the free-flowing chemical in the bloodstream is eliminated in approximately three to four months. This also includes the release of bisphosphonates from bone surfaces that end up in the bloodstream, because they can’t attach themselves to the bone cells and are simply unused.

That’s how they get cleared out of the bloodstream… but what happens to the bisphosphonates that attach themselves to the bone?

Half of them remain attached to the bone for approximately ten years. That’s according to a study published by The International Bone and Mineral Society titled “Long-Term Bisphosphonates for Osteoporosis: An Introduction” by Gordon J. Strewler of Harvard Medical School.

This may sound like terrible news, but please don’t despair… The same study found that bisphosphonates are active only when they’re on exposed bone surfaces, so as new bone starts to form, it actually covers the bisphosphonates, and “the drug is buried in bone and becomes inactive”.

That’s a quote by Dr. Watts in the Endocrinology & Metabolism Clinics of North America, Volume 27, Issue 2, titled “Treatment of Osteoporosis with Bisphosphonates”.

This should come as great news to you, if you’ve stopped or wish to stop taking the drugs. And here’s the icing on the cake: the same Harvard Medical School study mentioned before reports that bone loss (resorption) gradually resumes after stopping the drugs, and achieves normal (pre-menopausal) levels in approximately five years.

You see, the major osteoporosis and osteopenia drugs close the door on new bone formation, leaving only old and weak bone. But once you’re on the road to having healthy bones the natural way, you’ll be producing new bone that is more flexible and therefore less prone to fractures than old and brittle bone.

Armed with this information if you have doubts about stopping bisphosphonates, you can rest assured that it’s never too late to start on a natural bone health program. There is light at the end of the tunnel…