Please inform your doctor if you have any of the following: diarrhea, a bone fracture, a stomach or esophageal ulcer or disease, or kidney disease. If you have any of these conditions, you may not be able to use etidronate, or you may need a dosage adjustment or special tests during treatment.

Moreover, do not take etidronate if you have a condition called osteomalacia (softening of the bones).

Tell your doctor if you are taking a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin®). You may not be able to use etidronate, or you may need dosage adjustments or special tests during treatment.

Further to the above, there may be other drugs that can affect etidronate. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor first.

Additionally, avoid drinking milk or eating dairy products within 2 hours after taking etidronate. Also avoid taking supplements that contain calcium, magnesium, iron, or aluminum (such as in multivitamins with iron, and in many types of antacids).

Some people using medicines similar to etidronate have developed bone loss in the jaw, also called osteonecrosis of the jaw. Symptoms of this condition may include jaw pain, swelling, numbness, loose teeth, gum infection, or slow healing after injury or surgery involving the gums.

You may be more likely to develop osteonecrosis of the jaw if you have cancer or have been treated with chemotherapy, radiation, or steroids. Other conditions associated with osteonecrosis of the jaw include blood clotting disorders, anemia (low red blood cells), and dental surgery or pre-existing dental problems.

This particular medication falls into the FDA pregnancy category C. This  means that it may be harmful to an unborn baby and should not be used by a woman who is pregnant. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.

Also, it is not known whether etidronate passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

 

FDA Information

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