Zometa

Hello,My MO has suggested Zometa infusions (bone strengthening drug) twice a year as an extra preventative against recurrence (improves odds by an extra 3%).  It was suggested that I do this about half way through my 12 weeky Taxol infusions (I finished Taxol #4 yesterday).  First, you have to get an OK from your dentist to make certain your teeth are in good order because it carries a small but real risk of some kind of necrosis of the jaw.  Has anyone out there had these infusions?

Wow!  Thank you for this information.  I will discuss at my next MO meeting at the end of my Taxol.  I believe the rationale behind the Zometa was that since it's a bone strengthening drug and TN can cause mets to the bones, it would be beneficial in that way only??  But this study on Evista seems to offer protection at the cellular level. 

I met with a bone health specialist last week to discuss my osteopenia and the best treatment for me. I brought the paper on Evista to ask about. There is a higher risk of blood clots and since I had a blood clot in my early 20's that prevented me from taking the birth control pill, she did not want to take the risk with this drug. We're leaning towards Zometa after she analyzes a panel of bloodwork to see how my bones are doing.

Donna

Mommom44,

If I didn't have the worry about a blood clot, I would have pushed for the Evista/Raloxifene. On a side note, was advised against Fosomax. It has a long half life - 10 years, compared to other options. I think they said Zometa has only a 3 month half life.

Donna

I brought the article about evista and tnbc to my mo and she was very willing to prescribe it for me. I've been taking 60 mg/day for just over 2 months and no side effects so far.