Osteoporosis and Raloxifene

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to break more easily. It is most common in women and usually begins around the time of menopause. The major cause is lack of estrogen. Osteoporosis can lead to painful fractures (broken bones), most often in the hips, backbone or arms.

Raloxifene (brand name: Evista) is a drug that helps prevent and treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Bone loss is common in postmenopausal women. Raloxifene works like the hormone estrogen to slow this bone loss and can even help increase normal bone growth.

Estrogen can cause side effects like vaginal bleeding and breast tenderness. It can also increase the risk of breast or uterine cancer. Raloxifene doesn’t have these same side effects. In addition, raloxifene also lowers total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (also known as “bad” cholesterol) but won’t raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (also known as “good” cholesterol). Raloxifene is being tested to see if it lowers the risk of heart disease and breast cancer.

Raloxifene is taken as a tablet once a day and can be taken with or without food.

While taking raloxifene, you shouldn't take other medicines that lower cholesterol levels, like cholestyramine (one brand name: Questran). And you shouldn't take estrogen at the same time, in injections, pills or patches.

If you're taking warfarin (one brand name: Coumadin), your doctor may want to check your prothrombin time (time it takes for your blood to clot) more often and adjust your dosage of warfarin.

Most side effects are mild. The most common effects are hot flashes and leg cramps.

A rare but serious side effect is blood clots in the veins. Call your doctor right away if you have pain in the calves (lower part of legs), leg swelling, sudden chest pain, shortness of breath, if you are coughing up blood, or if you notice changes in your vision.

You shouldn't take raloxifene if: