Q: My wife is 65 years old. She has been suffering from pain in the hip and knee joint for the past 5 years. She was given painkillers and estrogen treatment. The doctor gave risofos (alendronate) and calcium (Mecalvit) tablets. Now she is taking deep ultraviolet rays therapy. She is diabetic but the sugar is under control and her BP is 140/90. Can she take alendronate and calcium tablets together? She complains of more muscle and joint pain and feels feverish after she undergoes UV ray therapy particularly on the day when she takes Risofos, what is the reason for this?

A:Risofos is a brand name that contains a medicine called risedronate, similar to alendronate. It is used in proven cases of post-menopausal osteoporosis on the basis of BMI (Bone Mineral Density) estimation. If there is calcium deficiency, it should be corrected before administering risedronate. In other cases where calcium is given concurrently, it should not be given at the same time since it interferes with the absorption of risedronate. Risedronate should be taken at least 30 minutes before calcium or food. One of its side effects is musculo-skeletal pain.