Cleveland, OHMy doctor put me on Fosamax eight years ago and just like most patients, I trusted my doctor and did what he told me to. My health began to decline and I didn't even question him," says Nancy Davis (not her real name) from Texas, "I just lived with it."
"I was prescribed Fosamax for bone density. Once you get to a certain age (I would have been 68 when I first took it) you need a bone supplement. I didn't realize what was happening to me until one day my daughter came by and said, 'Mother, you don't look good' and she told me that I had to go to the hospital.
I was in a daze and couldn't comprehend what was going on around me. I knew that I had been losing blood (through my stool) but because my health had deteriorated, I didn't have the strength to do anything about it.
When I got to the hospital I had a brain scan and they put something in my stomach. I had all sorts of tests and ended up in the Intensive Care Unit for three days. I was given five pints of blood. My doctor wouldn't go to that hospital so I had a hospital doctor. He in turn called in a gastrologist who performed an endoscopy .
This doctor told me that my esophagus and stomach were damaged due to Fosamax. I kept a copy of all the tests and reports.
They moved me to a regular room and I spent three days there. I was very tired and it took me a long time to recover, physically and emotionally. It is an emotional shock to go through an experience like this. I was very alarmed and wondering what else there was to be afraid of.
My illness and taking Fosamax taught me to look into things and seek as much information as I can over the Internet. Look at all the Fosamax lawsuits out now!
I told my regular doctor what happened and how it was caused by Fosamax but he didn't seem too concerned. Doctors are aware that medications are out there causing serious problems but they continue to prescribe them. Maybe a small amount of people have serious side effects and they weigh the odds.
Pfizer's Marketing Techniques
"On a routine visit to my doctor, I noticed some new computers and on one of the towers was a metal sticker that said 'compliments of Pfizer.' The next time I visited, the stickers had been removed. I know that doctors receive perks but I don't know if it influences their decisions to prescribe these drugs. And here's another thing: when I sit in the waiting room, reps from these drug companies are in and out constantly. Last time I was there, one of these reps had bought a box of donuts for the office staff.
I don't think I am in a position to question my doctor but why wouldn't he take the time to talk to me about Fosomax? I asked his associate (she works under him because he is so busy) if she was still prescribing Fosamax to other patients and she said yes.
I would like to have some explanations. Why are drugs continued on the market when they can cause so much injury and possibly death? Patients should have to right to be told the risks before we are prescribed them. What is their thinking and philosophy?
I know they don't do it intentionally, but doctors should investigate medications before prescribing them. It should be a patient decision after they are informed. It is no secret - we know Fosamax is doing a lot of damage to a lot of people."