Men's Osteoporosis Support GroupOnce-weekly or once-monthly dosing? J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2009 Jun 29. [Epub ahead of print]. Patient Satisfaction in Postmenopausal Women Treated with a Weekly Bisphosphonate Transitioned to Once-Monthly Ibandronate. Bonnick SL and others. PMID: 19563245. This was an open-label, six-month study to test the preference of 1678 patients for a once-monthly dosing of oral ibandronate (Boniva) after switching from a once-weekly oral dose of a bisphosphonate. An Osteoporosis Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire was used to evaluate patient preference for the dosing regimen. The authors noted, "After 6 months, 73.6% of patients preferred monthly ibandronate to weekly bisphosphonates." They concluded, "Patients previously using weekly bisphosphonates reported improved satisfaction with monthly ibandronate dosing." Editor's comments. These findings are quite logical. One would expect that once-monthly dosing would be preferable to once-weekly, especially when the person taking the medication has to remain upright and not eat or drink for from one-half to one hour after taking the medication. Note that studies have also been done showing that once or twice-monthly risedronate dosing is as effective as the once-weekly dosing as reported in a 2008 Update. One would presume that alendronate (Fosamax) could be taken on a once-monthly dosing schedule, too, as long as the dosage is properly compensated: 280 mg once-monthly rather than 70 mg once-weekly. If this more convenient dosing interests you, speak to your physician.
|