Bondenza belongs to a group of medicines called bisphosphonates. It contains ibandronic acid. It does not contain hormones.
Bondenza may reverse bone loss by stopping more loss of bone and increasing bone mass in most women who take it, even though they won?t be able to see or feel a difference. Bondenza may help lower the chances of breaking bones (fractures). This reduction in fractures was shown for the spine but not for the hip.
Bondenza is prescribed to you to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis because you have an increased risk of fractures. Osteoporosis is a thinning and weakening of the bones, which is common in women after the menopause. At the menopause, a woman?s ovaries stop producing the female hormone, oestrogen, which helps to keep her skeleton healthy.
The earlier a woman reaches the menopause, the greater her risk of fractures in osteoporosis. Other things that can increase the risk of fractures include:
- not enough calcium and vitamin D in the diet
- smoking, or drinking too much alcohol
- not enough walking or other weight-bearing exercise
- a family history of osteoporosis
Many people with osteoporosis have no symptoms. If you have no symptoms you may not know if you have the condition. However, osteoporosis makes you more likely to break bones if you fall or hurt yourself. A broken bone after the age of 50 may be a sign of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis can also cause back pain, height loss and a curved back.
Bondenza prevents loss of bone from osteoporosis, and helps to rebuild bone. Therefore Bondenza makes bone less likely to break.
A healthy lifestyle will also help you to get the most benefit from your treatment. This includes eating
a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D; walking or any other weight-bearing exercise; not smoking; and not drinking too much alcohol.