title: Effect of stopping risedronate after long-term treatment on bone turnover.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Determining how quickly bisphosphonate treatment effects begin to regress is crucial when considering termination of treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to assess the effects of 1 yr discontinuation of risedronate use in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who had previously received risedronate for 2 or 7 yr.
  
  
  METHODS
  Before initiation of the current study, placebo/5-mg-risedronate patients had received placebo for 5 yr and risedronate for 2 yr, whereas 5-mg-risedronate patients had received risedronate for a total of 7 yr. Risedronate was then discontinued for 1 yr (yr 8).
  
  
  METHODS
  Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who had previously completed the 3-yr Vertebral Efficacy with Risedronate Therapy MultiNational (VERT-MN) pivotal trial, plus a 2-yr extension comparing risedronate or placebo for a total of 5 yr, followed by 2 yr of open-label risedronate treatment were enrolled in these trial extensions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Evaluations included changes in type I collagen cross-linked N-telopeptide (NTX)/creatinine (Cr) and bone mineral density (BMD) values, fracture incidence, and adverse events.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 1 yr of risedronate discontinuation, NTX/Cr levels increased toward baseline in both patient groups vs. the values at the end of yr 7. In both treatment groups, off-treatment total hip and femoral trochanter BMD values decreased, whereas lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD were maintained or slightly increased. The adverse event profiles were similar between the two treatment groups during yr 8.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  One year of discontinuation of risedronate treatment in patients who had received 2 or 7 yr of risedronate therapy led to increases in NTX/Cr levels toward baseline and decreases in femoral trochanter and total hip BMD.
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Bone Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Herries Road, Sheffield S5 7AU, United Kingdom. r.eastell@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eastell
authors.forename: Rosemary A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hannon
authors.forename: Dietrich
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wenderoth
authors.forename: Jesus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Moreno
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sawicki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects*; D016723:Bone Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects*; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012968:Etidronic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015995:Prevalence; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D000068296:Risedronic Acid; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D028761:Withholding Treatment
chemical_list: D004164:Diphosphonates; D000068296:Risedronic Acid; D012968:Etidronic Acid