Uses
Boniva(Ibandronate) is a medication commonly used for bone and calcium conditions. This medication helps your body to use calcium and to create new bone tissue. This is a safe and well tolerated medication when used as prescribed. It is used for conditions such as osteoporosis, Paget’s Disease, thyroid and calcium conditions, osteoporosis prevention, corticosteroid use.
How to Use
Take this medication by mouth, with a glass of water(water only), on an empty stomach right when you wake up in the morning.
Do not lie down, eat or drink, or take vitamins or supplements for 1 hour after taking this medicine.
Do not chew or crush the tablet.
Take this medication exactly as directed.
If you miss a dose, take the dose the next morning if your next upcoming dose is more than 7 days away. If your next upcoming dose is within 7 days, skip the missed dose and continue on your regular schedule.
Important Information
Visit your doctor regularly while taking this medicine.
It may take from a few days to a few weeks before you begin to benefit from this medication.
It is important that you are consuming a diet with the right levels of calcium and vitamin D while taking this medicine, discuss your diet and vitamin intake with your doctor.
Tell your doctor immediately if you develop pain in the upper legs or groin area, or if you have any pain that dose not go away with time. This medicine can cause bone, joint and muscle pain.
Be sure that your prescribing doctor is aware if you have any of the the following conditions before taking this medication
Dental diseases, stomach or intestinal conditions(acid reflux, GERD), low calcium or vitamin D, kidney disease, conditions that render you unable to sit or stand for 60 minutes, trouble swallowing, any history of allergic reactions, pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Side effects that should be immediately reported to your healthcare provider
Allergic reaction(hives, itching, swelling of the face or mouth), trouble breathing, stomach or chest pain, vision changes, heartburn, jaw pain, painful or trouble swallowing, any red, blistering, loosening or peeling skin, tarry or black stools.
Other Side Effects
Diarrhea, constipation, headache, itchy eyes, nausea, vomiting, intestinal gas, taste changes, low calcium and phosphate, flu like symptoms, heart conditions, ulcers of stomach and esophagus.
Adult Dose
Osteoporosis, and Osteoporosis Prophylaxis
2.5 mg by mouth once daily, OR 150mg by mouth once a month.
Sources
1. Actonel® oral tablets, risedronate sodium oral tablets[package insert]. Rockaway, NJ: Warner Chilcott; 2011.
2. Riis BJ, von Stein T, Bagger Y, et al. Ibandronate: a comparison of oral daily dosing versus intermittent dosing in postmenopausal osteoporosis. J Bone Miner Res 2001;16:1871-8.