What is Zoledronic Acid?

If you suffer from multiple myeloma, prostate cancer or hypercalcemia due to a malignancy, or if you are prone to hip fractures or have pain due to bone metastases, ask your doctor about prescribing zoledronic acid, a biophosphonate.

• Zoledronic acid is administered through an IV drip at the hospital.

Identification

• The use of zoledronic acid can prevent skeletal fractures in cancer patients.

  Zoledronic acid is a phosphonate--a drug that is designed to prevent the loss of bone mass. It is marketed under the names Zometa, Zomera, Aclasta and Reclast and is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in preventing skeletal fractures.

Use

• The standard dose of zoledronic acid is 4 mg, which is administered through an IV over a period of 15 minutes every three to four weeks in cancer patients. In patients receiving Reclast for Pagets disease, one dose of 5 mg is used. For patients being treated for severe osteoporosis, a 5 mg dose of zoledronic acid may be administered once a year to help prevent vertebral fractures.

Side Effects

• It is not uncommon that patients receiving their first does of zoledronic acid experience flu-like symptoms, including headache, nausea, respiratory symptoms and body aches. Other common side effects from using zoledronic acid include fatigue, anemia, muscle and joint pain, fever and generalized swelling. Rarely, some cancer patients will experience a condition known as "oseonecrosis of the jaw," which causes a reduced blood supply to the jaw and results in bone death.

Precautions

• Do not use zoledronic acid if you are pregnant, as it may harm a developing fetus. If you suffer from paralysis or have renal dysfunction, speak to your doctor about the use of zoledronic acid, as it may lead to a worsening of your symptoms or lead to kidney failure.

Suggestions

• If you are taking zoledronic acid to prevent or slow bone loss, you should take a calcium supplement of at least 500 mg every day, as well. The manufacturer also suggests taking a daily multivitamin that contains at least 400 IU of Vitamin D.