Side Effects Of Alendronic Acid

Like all medicines, alendronic acid can cause side effects in some people, but many people have no side effects, or only minor ones.

Side effects of alendronic acid

These common side effects of alendronic acid happen in more than 1 in 100 people. There are things you can do to help cope with them:

Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if the advice on how to cope does not help and these side effects bother you or do not go away.

Serious side effects

Some people may have serious side effects when taking alendronic acid.

Stop taking alendronic acid and speak to a doctor or call 111 straight away if you have heartburn (or heartburn that gets worse), or problems or pain when swallowing. These may be signs of ulcers in your food pipe (oesophagus).

Other serious side effects are rare, but call a doctor or call 111 straight away if you have:

• flu-like symptoms, such as aching muscles, generally feeling unwell and sometimes with a high temperature - this is more likely to happen when you first start taking alendronic acid
• a loose tooth, mouth sores, or swelling or pain in your mouth or jaw - contact your dentist as well as your doctor, as this could be a sign of damage to your jawbone
• pain, weakness or discomfort in your thigh, hip or groin - this happens rarely but may be an early sign of a possible broken thigh bone
• severe pain in your joints, muscles or bones
• black or red poo - these can be signs of an ulcer or bleeding from your gut
• blurred vision, painful or red eyes - these can be signs of swelling of the eye
• muscle cramps or spasms, a tingling sensation in your fingers or around your mouth - these can be symptoms of low calcium levels in your blood

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to alendronic acid.

Call 999 now if:

• your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly become swollen
• you're breathing very fast or struggling to breathe (you may become very wheezy or feel like you're choking or gasping for air)
• your throat feels tight or you're struggling to swallow
• your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (if you have black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet)
• you suddenly become very confused, drowsy or dizzy
• someone faints and cannot be woken up
• a child is limp, floppy or not responding like they normally do (their head may fall to the side, backwards or forwards, or they may find it difficult to lift their head or focus on your face)

You or the person who's unwell may also have a rash that's swollen, raised, itchy, blistered or peeling.

These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital.

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of alendronic acid. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

Reporting side effects

You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme.

Visit the Yellow Card website for more information about reporting side effects.

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