Osteoporosis due to antiepileptic drugs: placebo including Vitamin D helped 69 percent, placebo with risedronate helped 70% – Sept 2013

Prevention of bone loss and vertebral fractures in patients with chronic epilepsy-Antiepileptic drug and osteoporosis prevention trial.

Epilepsia. 2013 Sep 6. doi: 10.1111/epi.12351.
Lazzari AA, Dussault PM, Thakore-James M, Gagnon D, Baker E, Davis SA, Houranieh AM.
Primary Care Service, Boston VA Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A; Osteoporosis Clinic, Boston VA Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A; Rheumatology Section, Boston VA Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A; Department of Medicine, Boston VA Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A; Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether use of a bisphosphonate (risedronate) in addition to calcium and vitamin D in male veterans with epilepsy who were taking antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) long term can prevent the loss of bone mass (BMD, bone mineral density) associated with AED use compared to patients who were treated with a placebo plus calcium and vitamin D. As a secondary end point we studied the incidence of new morphometric vertebral and nonvertebral fractures.

METHODS: Antiepileptic drug and osteoporosis prevention trial (ADOPT) was designed as a prospective 2-year double-blind, randomized placebo controlled study involving 80 male veterans with epilepsy who were being treated with AEDs such as phenytoin, phenobarbital, sodium valproate, or carbamazepine for a minimum of 2 years. All enrolled participants received calcium and vitamin D supplementation, and were randomized to risedronate or matching placebo. Total body, bilateral proximal femora, and anteroposterior (AP) lumbar spine BMDs in addition to morphometric lateral vertebral assessments (LVAs) were evaluated by a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) instrument. Comparisons of BMDs were made between baseline, 1 year, and after 2 years of enrollment in the study. The incidence of new vertebral and nonvertebral fractures was secondary end point.

KEY FINDINGS: Of the 80 patients initially enrolled in the study, 53 patients completed the study. Baseline characteristics of the two groups were similar. At the end of the study, in the placebo plus calcium and vitamin D group, we observed a significant improvement in BMD at any of the evaluated sites when compared to their baseline scans in 69% (18/26) of the participants.
In the risedronate plus calcium and vitamin D group, we observed significant improvement of BMDs in 70% (19/27) of the participants. A
t the end of the study, the risedronate group experienced a significant increase of BMD at the lumbar spine L1-4 (1.267-1.332 g/cm2 ), which was significantly larger than that seen in the placebo group) (1.229 g/cm2 vs. 1.245 g/cm2 ; p = 0.0066).There were nonsignificant differences between the two groups regarding changes of total body BMD or at the proximal bilateral femora. Five new vertebral fractures and one nonvertebral fracture were observed only in the placebo group.

SIGNIFICANCE: Calcium and vitamin D supplementation or calcium and vitamin D supplementation in addition to risedronate improved BMD in more than 69% of male veterans with epilepsy who were taking AEDs. In the group receiving risedronate plus calcium and vitamin D there was a significant improvement of BMD at the lumbar spine as compared to the placebo group, which also received calcium and vitamin D. The use of risedronate plus calcium and vitamin D prevented the incidence of new vertebral fractures and one nonvertebral fracture in this cohort.

Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2013 International League Against Epilepsy.
PMID: 24010637

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Notes

1. The abstract fails to mention how much vitamin D and Calcium nor how much risedronate
2. Risedronate costs $10 per pill
3. Suspect that if they had used more Vitamin D that there would have been fewer fractures than with risedronate

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See also VitaminDWiki

• Overview Fractures and Falls and Vitamin D
• Search VitaminDwiki for epilepsy 43 items as of Nov 2013
• Children with epilepsy advised to take vitamin D – July 2013
• Epilepsy seizures reduced by 40 percent after vitamin D levels normalized – April 2012
• Learning Disabilities, anti-epileptic drugs, and subsequent vitamin D deficiency - Oct 2014
  Vitamin D reduces seizure and thus not need medication which reduces bone.
• Search VitaminDWiki for bisphosphonate OR risedronate 6 items as of Nov 2013
• Overview Osteoporosis and vitamin D contains the following summary
  *FACT: Bones need Calcium (this has been known for a very long time)
• FACT: Vitamin D improves Calcium bioavailability (3X ?)
• FACT: Should not take > 750 mg of Calcium if taking lots of vitamin D (Calcium becomes too bio-available)
• FACT: Adding vitamin D via Sun, UV, or supplements increased vitamin D in the blood
• FACT: Vitamin D supplements are very low cost
• FACT: Many trials, studies. reviews, and meta-analysis agree: adding vitamin D reduces osteoporosis
• FACT: Toxic level of vitamin D is about 4X higher than the amount needed to reduce osteoporosis
• FACT: Co-factors help build bones.
• FACT: Vitamin D Receptor can restrict Vitamin D from getting to many tissues, such as bones
• It appears that to TREAT Osteoporosis:
•        Calcium OR vitamin D is ok
•        Calcium + vitamin D is good
•        Calcium + vitamin D + other co-factors is great
•        Low-cost Vitamin D Receptor activators sometimes may be helpful
• CONCLUSION: To PREVENT many diseases, including Osteoporosis, as well as TREAT Osteoporosis
• Category Osteoporosis has 207 items
• Category Bone Health has 299 items

Note: Osteoporosis causes bones to become fragile and prone to fracture
  Osteoarthritis is a disease where damage occurs to the joints at the end of the bones