It has been a fabulous day for me here in Charlotte. I decided to have an early rise and shine moment this morning so I could get some errands done before tending to the site.
My biggest accomplishment of the day was hitting the gym before noon – missed the lunchtime craze and got my workout in earlier rather than later.
I’ve quickly become very passionate about GetPharmacyAdvice.com and can’t wait to have more time to spend on building a purposeful community here.
I’m going to switch it up a little today – I got stuck on chatting about middle ear infections for a bit there so I figure it’s a good idea!
This topic came to mind when I received a phone call at the pharmacy from a patient that is taking Actonel. She was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to take her weekly morning dose because she ate her last meal at 10PM. Was it okay for her to take her dose of Actonel considering her late night meal?
First, a quick note about Actonel.
Actonel is part of the class of medications called the bisphosphonates. Other medications in this same class you may recognize are Boniva and Fosamax (alendronate).
The bisphosphonates are commonly used as treatment for osteoporosis, high levels of calcium in the blood (aka hypercalcemia – fancy term for ya!), and Paget’s disease. They work by stopping the breakdown of bone.
Moving right along, the answer to the question is:
(For those of you who would rather watch a video, check out the one I embedded below!)
Yes, it was okay for the patient to take her weekly morning dose of Actonel even though she had eaten at 10PM the night before.
She has reason to be concerned about when she last ate because food decreases the absorption of Actonel (and all of Actonel’s classmates) by a lot.
The percentage of unchanged drug that reaches its target site in your body already rings it at a measly 1% (if that) for Actonel and that’s without the presence of food.
Taking Actonel with food or within 2 hours of eating decreases the 1% absorption rate even more; something as simple as orange juice or coffee reduces the amount of Actonel that gets into your system by 60%!
Hot diggity, think about what food would do – you’d barely be getting any of the Actonel into your bloodstream!
Since the patient was in a fasting state (no food intake in the past 8 – 10 hours), she was in the clear to take her Actonel.
To achieve maximum possible activity out of your Actonel, you should take it in the fasting state and at least two hours before a standard breakfast.
Now, 2 hours before breakfast may be unrealistic for most people, so current recommendations say that you can take Actonel alone (no other drugs, supplements, vitamins, liquids, etc.) and at least 30 minutes (60 minutes for Boniva) before breakfast. You can, and should, take Actonel with a full 8oz. glass of water – that’s it though!
It’s important to avoid supplements and vitamins because they often contain calcium and magnesium, which can decrease the absorption of Actonel too. Do not take such vitamins and supplements for at least 1 hour after taking your Actonel.
Just so you know, the same info and rules for Actonel apply to Fosamax and Boniva (and all other bisphosphonates) as well!
There you have it – information on something other than ear infections!
Go ahead and let me know what you’re thinking by posting a comment or sending me an e-mail at cate@getpharmacyadvice.com.
Also, we now have our free video course “90 Ways to Save Money on Your Prescription Drugs” available for your pleasure so click here to get it instantly. Enjoy!