Ibandronate

Ibandronate may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• nausea
• stomach pain
• diarrhea
• constipation
• weakness
• dizziness
• headache
• fever, sore throat, chills, cough, and other signs of infection
• frequent or urgent need to urinate
• painful urination

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately before you take any more ibandronate:

• new or worsening heartburn
• difficulty swallowing
• pain on swallowing
• upper chest pain
• rash
• painful or swollen gums
• loosening of the teeth
• numbness or heavy feeling in the jaw
• poor healing of the jaw
• dull, aching pain in the hips, groin, or thighs

Ibandronate may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

Taking a bisphosphonate medication such as ibandronate for osteoporosis may increase the risk that you will break your thigh bone(s). You may feel pain in your hips, groin, or thighs for several weeks or months before the bone(s) break, and you may find that one or both of your thigh bones have broken even though you have not fallen or experienced other trauma. It is unusual for the thigh bone to break in healthy people, but people who have osteoporosis may break this bone even if they do not take ibandronate. Talk to your doctor about the risks of taking ibandronate.

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch) or by phone (1-800-332-1088).

• Boniva^®

• Calcium supplements, antacids, and other products that contain aluminum, magnesium, or iron may reduce absorption of ibandronate. Ibandronate should be administered at least 60 minutes before administration of any oral medication, including medications containing iron, aluminum, magnesium, or calcium.
• Patients should wait at least 60 minutes after taking ibandronate before taking other oral medications. The occurrence of irritation in the stomach and intestines may increase if aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), for example, ibuprofen (Motrin), Advil, naproxen (Aleve) are combined with ibandronate.

• Bisphosphonates have been shown to cause fetal harm in animals, but there are no data on risk to the fetus in humans. Ibandronate should be used during pregnancy only if the physician feels that its potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.
• Ibandronate is secreted into the breast milk of animals. It is not known whether it is secreted into human breast milk. Since most medications do appear in human breast milk, it is generally recommended that caution be exercised when ibandronate is given to women who are nursing.

Oral:

• Ibandronate is a prescription medicine used to treat or prevent osteoporosis (thinning of bones and increased risk of bones breaking). It is used in women who have gone through menopause (the end of menstrual periods).
• This medication may be prescribed for other uses.  Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Injectable:

• Ibandronate is a prescription medicine used to treat or prevent osteoporosis (thinning of bones and increased risk of bones breaking).
• This medication may be prescribed for other uses.  Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take or plan to take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• aspirin
• ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil)
• other NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) 
• antacids, supplements, or medicines containing aluminum, calcium, or magnesium

This is not a complete list of ibandronate drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

If you take too much this medication, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

If this medication is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.

(eye BAN droh nate)

Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F).

Bisphosphonates may interfere with diagnostic imaging agents such as technetium-99m-diphosphonate in bone scans.