title: Treatment of osteoporosis after alendronate or risedronate.
abstract: Alendronate (ALN) and risedronate (RIS) are ideal as first-choice therapy options in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. What to do for patients who do not respond adequately to bisphosphonates has not been conclusively determined, but transitioning to other therapies should be considered. The aim of this article is to describe potential alternatives for patients switching from ALN or RIS to other therapies for osteoporosis. A systematic search of PubMed was conducted to find papers that evaluate the effects of switching therapies on fractures, bone mineral density (BMD), or bone turnover markers. Results from 11 studies that prospectively assessed treatment after ALN or RIS in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis were reviewed. All studies are of short duration (all 24 months or less) and assess the topic of transitioning therapy from ALN or RIS. None of the studies had the statistical power to assess fracture-reduction efficacy. Transitioning from ALN to zoledronic acid maintains therapeutic effects for 12 months. Switching to strontium ranelate, denosumab, or teriparatide causes further increases in BMD. Specifically, transitioning to teriparatide could be used for a limited time for select patients but needs to be followed up with anti-resorptive treatment to prevent a loss of the bone gained. There are only few studies-of short duration-that assess the topic of transitioning therapy from ALN or RIS, although this is a very frequent occurrence in clinical practice. This is especially true if the patient has not reached his/her therapy goal. Further long-term studies are needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Nephrology and Endocrinology, Nordsjaellands Hospital, Hilleroed, Denmark. pia.eiken@regionh.dk.|Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. pia.eiken@regionh.dk.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eiken
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.|Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vestergaard
mesh_terms: D019386:Alendronate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D057915:Drug Substitution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000068296:Risedronic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019379:Teriparatide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077211:Zoledronic Acid
chemical_list: D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D004164:Diphosphonates; D007093:Imidazoles; D013876:Thiophenes; C081587:strontium ranelate; D019379:Teriparatide; D000077211:Zoledronic Acid; D000068296:Risedronic Acid; D019386:Alendronate
keywords: Bisphosphonates; Bone metabolism; Bone mineral density; Fractures; Osteoporosis; Postmenopausal; Treatment