Hi everyone
I’ve just started taking these and am a bit confused about the instructions as the manufacturer’s instructions say to remain upright for 60 minutes after taking it and not eat for 30, whereas the pharmacist’s instructions on the outside of the box say to remain upright for 30 minutes afterwards and not eat for 60. I will check with the pharmacist next week and do both for 60 minutes in the meantime but just wondered if anyone else has come across this?
Best wishes
Sheena
Hi Sheena, I’ve been on these tablets a while now. My understanding is as soon as food is digested they stop being effective so I remain both upright…(type emails or just potter about doing early morning stuff) and leave it the full hour before I eat or drink. Although tap water is ok anytime during the 60 mins. I’m late up today so counting down for a hot cross bun and cup of tea at 9.30. 
Good Luck with the tablets…x
P.S. I was diagnosed with bone mets including spinal mets seven years ago. I’ve been very well ever since then. Just wanted to wish you all the best…I remember my early days post diagnosis…x
Thanks for your prompt reply, Belinda. I will try and leave it for 60 minutes then - it might be trickier on work days but I’m sure I’ll find a way of organising things.
Your case is one of the ones that has given me hope in the months leading up to and since my bone mets diagnosis. Many thanks for your good wishes and all the best to you too.
Hi Sheena
Same here as Belinda. I leave it at least 30 mins before I have anything other than tap water and usually about 60. The upright bit is due to the fact that the tablets can irritate the oesophagus if they don’t have a direct route down to the stomach. I’ve also found that if you don’t have enough water with them your stomach can feel a bit queasy. Overall they don’t intrude on my mornings but, like Belinda I’m up late today and have to wait till 10 for my cuppa and HCB
Take care and hope you are coping with your secondary diagnosis, ask any further questions if you have some.
Nicky x
Many thanks Nicky. Hope you enjoy your breakfast! I usually have breakfast more or less as soon as I get up so the waiting is really making me appreciate it! S x
Hi Sheena
Like Belinda & Nicky, I give the Bondronat tabs a full hour to get absorbed before I eat/drink anything (other than water), and also sit/stand for the full hour as well. I’ve been taking Bondronat for over six years for my bone mets – I’ve had great success with them & no side effects at all. My onc thinks I should offer to do adverts for Roche (who make them) . . . Hope they’re effective for you!
Regards, Marilyn x
Thanks Marilyn - glad that you have had success with them and hoping that they will be useful for me too. I haven’t noticed any side effects so far; the main problem has been getting hold of them as there seemed to be a shortage and it took the pharmacist nearly 2 weeks to get them in for me - I am hoping that won’t be a regular occurrence.
Hi Tournesol
I don’t think chemists tend to stock these as they are so expensive and my GP will only give me 1 month’s prescription at a time due to their expense whereas all the other tablets I’m on I can get 2-3 months at a time. It might be worth saying to your chemist that this will be a regular order now so they can source a quicker supplier - mine is pretty good now and can get them next day but I always order way ahead anyway - just in case. Something I forgot to say before about the tablet form of bisphos is that they do give you wind! I have hardly ever burped in my life (odd, but true!) until I had these and boy do I burp now! Sometimes it is very uncomfortable and was so bad during the 1st couple of months on them that I nearly went back to IV bisphos. I’m glad I persevered with these though as they are, overall, far less disruptive than going to hospital.
Nicky x
Hi…Just to add I always re-order my tablets when I’m down to 3 weeks supply left in the box…xx
Hi Tournesol
I have been on Bondronat for 18 months. Yes it is hard getting to grips with the hour long wait in the morning. I work 4 days a week and have to get up very early to fit in my tablet taking. I am also on Capecitabine (Xeloda) and so I have to take the Bondronat, wait an hour, then have breakfast and take the Xeloda afterwards as that has to be taken on a full stomach. I found it hard to cope with at first but have got used to the routine of it now. I find it gets easier with time. Hope it gets easier for you too.
Love to all, Claire
Hi Belinda
Do you mind me asking whether your bone mets have been stable since you’ve been on Bondronat?
Thanks, Finty
Hi Finty, yes my bone mets have remained stable since start of treatment. They are still there but inactive and I have had no detectable activity in my tumour markers for many years now. I have been on constant treatment since 2003 when I was diagnosed with both breast cancer and bone mets when my hip spontaneously fractured…I was in my early 40’s. I had a very succesful hip replacement and have had 7 years of bisphosphonates, 5 years of hormonal treatments and have now had just over 2 years with Xeloda, my first chemo. I feel I’m lucky to have had good responses to treatments so far and I take, need, no painkillers. Last winter I fell heavily on an icy pavement and thanks, I think, to bisphosphonates I was fine, no broken bones.
Please get in touch if I can help further. Take Care Finty. Love Belinda…xx
Thanks Belinda - that is so encouraging to hear. I was dx in Nov’09 with bc plus one very small spinal met. I am just finishing chemo, will have rads next, and will continue with Zometa and Avastin for a year plus 5 years hormonal treatment. I am trying to find out whether a bone met can be permanently knocked-out, or whether the best one can hope for is for it to be stable. I haven’t really discussed this in much details with my onc yet - have been concentrating on the primary bc, and am now beginning to focus more on the bone met. Would appreciate any advice you have - thanks. Can you stay on biophosphates indefinitely? Also, do you know if there is much difference between them?
I am also on Bondronat, but only wait half an hour, before I eat or drink anything else, which is what it says in the leaflet. In truth, it is probably longer than that, by the time I have got myself organised e.g feeding the cat, emptying litter tray etc! I also asked my onc and she said that 30 mins was sufficient.
Regards
Isobel
Hi again Finty. Bone mets can most definitely heal and (my Onc has confirmed this along with info on how healing mets can sometimes be painful) I have had areas that have completely healed and I’m sure I have read the same from others here it’s not unusual. Other areas I have with mets have remained inactive.
I think you can stay on bisphosphonates indefinitely. I had the Pamidronate infusions for a couple of years then changed to tablets as my veins were troublesome and it’s lovely to pop a pill every morning instead of numerous cannula attempts with infusions. I think the infusions tend to tail off towards the next cycle whereas you have a constant effect from the daily tablets but Zometa is a very good bisphosphonate and so much quicker than pamidronate.
Good Luck Finty…I hope the chemo has been kind and very effective.
xx
Oh a PS…I also take Adcal tablets, prescibed at first by my Onc although I now get them via my GP (calcium and vitamin D.)
Thank you so much Belinda - I can’t begin to tell you how much better I feel. My onc was quite encouraging about the bone met when I was diagnosed, but I was too scared at the time to ask the precise questions - just in case the answer wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I have my last Tax next week, and I have had a little back pain in the last week or so - wasn’t sure what to make of it, but maybe it is pain from healing.
I am so glad the treatments have been successful for you.
finty xx
Hi Finty
I too have had healing (of my 2 areas of bone mets) shown on my post chemo scans so yes it is possible. I seem to track Belinda with my various treatments (other than having chemo initially) and I hope I keep as stable as she has over the years!
Nicky x
Thanks Nicky - more good news. x
Great news girls about the Bondronat tablets and their effects. I have been taking mine since the beginning of November for mets in my spine. I was struggling to walk and in a lot of pain until I had the radiotherapy and then Bondronat. Until the last couple of weeks I have been almost fine, only painful when I have done a long walk and that goes if I rest, no pain killers needed. But, I have been having some discomfort and have been worrying that the mets are getting worse again even though I have just finished chemo. The news that bones can hurt when they are healing is a positive thought for me to cling to pending my scan next week and results later.
A;sp pm the positive side I had my first cycle ride today since last October and it was brilliant, my back seemed fine, better than walking actually - yahoo!
Thanks as always for the information.
Sue xx