Alendronate can cause local irritation of the mucous membrane of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, caution should be exercised in appointing Binosto to patients with upper gastrointestinal diseases, for example, in dysphagia, esophageal disease, gastritis, duodenitis, ulcer, a serious GI disease transferred in the previous 12 months, for example in peptic ulcers, active gastrointestinal hemorrhage, surgical operation on the upper gastrointestinal tract, with the exception of pyloroplasty. For patients with a diagnosed Barrett's esophagus, the question of the appointment of alendronate should be decided on an individual basis by assessing the relationship between the expected benefit and the potential risk.
In the treatment of alendronate, there are cases of undesired reactions from the side of the esophagus (esophagitis, erosion or ulcer of the esophagus), sometimes occurring in severe form and requiring inpatient treatment and in rare cases complicated by the formation of stricture.
In connection with this, doctors need to pay special attention to any signs or symptoms that indicate possible abnormalities on the part of the esophagus,and patients should be warned about the need to stop taking alendronate and seek medical help if symptoms of esophageal irritation, such as dysphagia, pain in swallowing or behind the sternum, or the appearance or intensification of heartburn.
The risk of severe adverse events on the side of the esophagus is higher in those patients who violate the recommendations for taking the drug and / or continue to take it when symptoms of esophageal irritation appear. It is especially important to give the patient recommendations for taking the drug so that he understands that the risk of developing an esophageal lesion increases if these recommendations are not followed (see section "Method of administration and dose").
Although there was no increased risk in the extended clinical trials of alendronate, post-marketing reports reported rare cases of stomach and duodenum ulcers, sometimes severe and complicated.
Patients with oncology treated with intravenous bisphosphonates had cases of local osteonecrosis of the jaw associated mainly with previous tooth extraction and / or local infection (including osteomyelitis). Many of the patients also received chemotherapy and glucocorticosteroids.There are also cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients with osteoporosis who took bisphosphonates orally.
When assessing the individual risk of developing necrosis of the jaw, the following risk factors should be considered:
-
bisphosphonate activity (highest in zoledronic acid), route of administration (see above) and total dose;
-
oncological disease, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, glucocorticosteroids, smoking;
-
dental disease in history, poor oral hygiene, periodontal disease, invasive dental procedures and poorly selected dentures.
Before starting oral bisphosphonate therapy, patients with unsatisfactory dental status are recommended to have a dental examination and preventive medical measures.
During the course of taking bisphosphonates, it is recommended that such patients avoid invasive dental procedures whenever possible. If a patient develops an osteonecrosis of the jaw during therapy with bisphosphonates, surgical dental treatment may worsen his condition. It is not known whether the discontinuation of bisphosphonate treatment reduces the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients who require dental procedures.In each case, the decision should be made by the attending physician on the basis of an estimate of the relationship between the expected benefit and the possible risk for the particular patient.
During therapy, bisphosphonates should explain to patients the importance of proper oral hygiene, preventive examinations, and also warn them about the need to report any symptoms from the oral cavity, such as mobility of the teeth, pain or swelling.
It is known about the occurrence of pain in the bones, joints and / or muscles during the course of taking bisphosphonates.
Post-registration experience of bisphosphonate application shows that in rare cases these symptoms were expressed and / or led to disability (see section "Side effect"). The time of onset of symptoms varied from one day to several months after the start of treatment. In most patients, the symptoms disappeared after discontinuation treatment. In some of them, the symptoms appeared again when the same drug or other bisphosphonate drug was resumed.
It is known about cases of atypical susceptible or diaphyseal fractures of the femur with the use of bisphosphonates, mainly in patients receiving long-term therapy in the treatment of osteoporosis.These transverse or oblique fractures can occur along the entire length of the thigh from the small trochanter of the femur to the supracondylar expansion. These fractures occur after or without minor trauma, some patients experience severe pain in the thigh or inguinal area, which is often combined with the radiologic symptoms of stress fractures, several weeks or months before the full picture of the hip fracture appears. Fractures are often bilateral, so in patients with a hip fracture, taking bisphosphonates, the second (contralateral) thigh should be examined. These fractures are poorly fused. If an atypical hip fracture is suspected, consideration should be given to stopping bisphosphonate therapy before an individual assessment of the relationship between expected benefit and possible risk occurs.
During therapy with bisphosphonates, patients should be advised to report any pain in the thigh or in the groin. All patients who have received such complaints should be examined for incomplete fracture of the femur.
An undesirable phenomenon has been reported, such as osteonecrosis of the external auditory canal, which was predominantly associated with prolonged use of alendronate.Possible risk factors for the development of osteonecrosis of the external auditory canal include the use of steroids, chemotherapy, infections, trauma.
During post-marketing use, rare reports of severe skin reactions have been reported, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome and Lyell's syndrome (toxic epidermal necrolysis).
Patients should be warned that if they miss a dose of Binosto once a week, they should take 1 tablet the morning of the day after they remember. Do not take two tablets on the same day, but in the subsequent it is necessary to return to taking the drug once a week on the day of the week that was chosen at the beginning of treatment.
The drug Binosto is not recommended for patients with renal failure at a glomerular filtration rate of less than 35 ml / min (see section "Method of administration and dose").
Other causes of osteoporosis should be taken into account, in addition to estrogen deficiency and age.
In the presence of hypocalcemia, the concentration of calcium in the blood should be normalized before the treatment with alendronate (see section
"Contraindications"). Other disorders of mineral metabolism (eg, vitamin deficiency D and hypoparathyroidism) should also be effectively treated before alendronate therapy begins. In patients with these disorders during therapy with the drug Binosto, it is necessary to monitor the concentration of calcium in the blood serum and the symptoms of hypocalcemia.
Since alendronate increases the mineral content in the bones, a decrease in the concentration of calcium and phosphate in the blood serum can be observed, especially in patients taking glucocorticosteroids, in which calcium absorption can be reduced. Usually, this decrease is small and asymptomatic. Nevertheless, there are rare cases of symptomatic hypocalcemia, which sometimes reached a severe degree and developed in patients with a corresponding predisposition (eg, hypoparathyroidism, vitamin deficiency D, malabsorption of calcium).
Ensuring sufficient intake of calcium and vitamin D is especially important for patients taking glucocorticosteroids.
Binosto contains 26.2 mmol (or 602.54 mg) of sodium in one tablet. This should be taken into account when treating patients on a diet with a controlled sodium content.
Features of use in children
It is not recommended to use alendronate sodium in children under 18 years due to insufficient data on the safety and efficacy of the drug in the treatment of osteoporosis in children (see section "Method of administration and dose").