i am now rethinking an earlier post i sent about fosomax being the cause of my extreme hair loss. it lasted (and still continuing) for four months every year since i got a terrible flu and pneumonia (and resulting telegen effluvium ) back in 2019. in 2021 the hair loss started again 2 months after fosomax. i stopped the drug after 7 months and the problem stopped. HOWEVER, the problem started again the next year in the summer (and ended in nov..typical pattern), and in 2022, and now in 2023 same deal. i widely blamed foxsomax tho dermatologists (3 different board certified ones) all said it was unrelated (most likely), and that my hair would grow back, and i wouldn’t go bald etc. and blew me out of the office…older patients with hair, scalp problems are uninteresting to these docs. well, i finally went to a dermatologist last week who saw the problem and did a scalp biopsy..results to come back in about a week. she believes my terrible flu (off the charts bad..thought i would die) could have created some autoimmune thing. so bottom line, (and i will update this when i know more) , my hair issues likely unrelated fosomax. so in the meantime, i have not been on anything for the osteoporosis. i will likely start on something after my next dexa scan. i was fast to blame everything for anything that happened while on whatever drug, vaccine, etc that came before the event and not sure anymore if it was just a coincidence (and one that possibly kept me from helping my bones). so after this long email, i guess my advice is to get definitive advice, not make a fast cause and effect self diagnosis, and even if it takes a few doctors to get there, it is better to know. now waiting to see what meds i will have to be on for this hair loss problem and pray they aren’t loaded with side effects (like the osteo drugs often are for some) and will make a decision whether the ‘cure’ is worse than the disease. good luck ladies. ❤️

copy and pasted from Web MD about fosamax for osteoporosis:

(part 1 of jaw bone death)

Millions of people treated for bone diseases such as osteoporosis may be at risk for developing a potentially serious jawbone condition that seems to be triggered by having teeth pulled. More than a thousand cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw, or jaw death, have been reported in patients taking a class of drugs known as bisphosphonates. Osteonecrosis indicates that part of the bone is no longer alive; unlike normal bone it cannot regenerate itself because of a lack of blood supply. Most cases occurred in cancer patients taking the intravenous bisphosphonates Aredia and Zometa to prevent cancer-related bone loss. But osteonecrosis of the jaw has also been reported in women who had teeth pulled while taking the widely prescribed osteoporosis pill Fosamax, dentistry professor Ken Hargreaves, DDS, PhD, tells WebMD. "Even if this is a rare condition, so many women now take bisphosphonates to prevent bone loss that the numbers could grow," he says. "We just became aware of this a few years ago, and it has been called a growing epidemic." The study appeared in the October issue of the Journal of Endodontics.

Saving Teeth Lowers Risk - A newly published report edited by Hargreaves outlines two cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw in cancer patients on monthly doses of intravenous bisphosphonates. He says it is clear from these and other published cases that patients taking bisphosphonates should be warned that they may be at risk if they have teeth pulled. Osteonecrosis of the jaw is very painful and can lead to serious complications, including ulcerations within the lining of the mouth, infection, and breakdown of the jawbone with disfigurement. "People taking these drugs need to see their dentist regularly, and they need to recognize the importance of preventive dental care," he says. "And when there is a problem, we need to do everything we can to save teeth."
That means performing root canals on patients taking these drugs rather than tooth extractions, he says.

Dental Extraction and Jaw Death - Drug maker Novartis AG, which markets Aredia and Zometa, also recommends that cancer patients have dental problems corrected before they begin taking either of the drugs. Novartis is a WebMD sponsor. Yet the researchers also write that a significant number of cases of reported osteonecrosis of the jaw have occurred spontaneously. In response to an inquiry by WebMD, a company spokeswoman said approximately 1,500 cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw had been reported among patients taking the drugs as of August of this year. More than 2.8 million cancer patients have been treated with Aredia or Zometa to reduce the risk of cancer-related bone fractures. In a review of 4,000 patients taking either Aredia or Zometa, 33 patients, or less than 1%, developed the jaw disease.

We should always check "every" medication any doctor gives us to see what the warnings and side effects are, and to see if there is a problem taking that new drug with something we already take.

Have you changed shampoo or conditioner or hair treatments of any kind?
It might be your shampoo, some of them are too drying; and as we get older, our skin does not put out as much oil as it use to, and that can cause dryness and itching also.

copy and pasted from Web MD about fosamax for osteoporosis:

(part 2 of jaw bone death)

The study confirmed that having teeth removed put patients at risk for the condition. It was funded by Novartis and conducted by researchers at Houston's University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The findings were reported late last month at the annual meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research. "Based on previous findings and the recent M.D. Anderson Cancer Center report, Novartis strongly believes that improving dental care needs to be a priority for cancer patients," states a company news release.

Oral Bisphosphonates and Osteonecrosis - The risks associated with taking bisphosphonates in pill form, like Fosamax, are not well understood. In a study of 63 patients who developed the jaw condition following oral surgery, about 10% had been taking Fosamax to prevent osteoporosis. Researchers concluded that bisphosphonates in pill form do not appear to be as likely to cause jaw death as the intravenous versions of the drug. Considering the large number of patients around the world using bisphosphonates for prevention or treatment of osteoporosis, dentists may be dealing with a significant potential complication, they add.

But the FDA has called on the manufacturers of all bisphosphonates to include a warning on their labeling about the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw, which Fosamax manufacturer Merck did earlier this year. Merck is a WebMD sponsor.
In its label change, the drugmaker noted that it is not clear if patients taking bisphosphonates can lower their risk by stopping treatment prior to having teeth pulled or other dental procedures. But these medications are metabolized slowly and remain in the bone for many years. It is widely believed that stopping treatment does little good. And once jaw death occurs there is little that can be done to reverse the condition, Hargreaves says. "The best thing we can do is prevent this from occurring by helping patients reduce their risk," Hargreaves says. "That means saving teeth instead of pulling them."