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Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. The most common ones are usually mild and will probably disappear after a short time.
Tell the doctor about any of the following serious side effects straight away: Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people): Severe kidney impairment (will normally be determined by the doctor with certain specific blood tests).
Low level of calcium in the blood.
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people): Pain in the mouth, teeth and/or jaw, swelling or sores inside the mouth, numbness or a feeling of heaviness in the jaw, or loosening of a tooth. These could be signs of bone damage in the jaw (osteonecrosis). Tell the doctor and dentist immediately if the patient experiences such symptoms.
Irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) has been seen in patients receiving zoledronic acid for postmenopausal osteoporosis. It is currently unclear whether zoledronic acid causes this irregular heart rhythm but the patient should report it to the doctor if such symptoms after receiving zoledronic acid is experienced.
Severe allergic reaction: shortness of breath, swelling mainly of the face and throat.
Tell the doctor about any of the following side effects as soon as possible: Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people): Low level of phosphate in the blood.
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people): Headache and a flu-like syndrome consisting of fever, fatigue, weakness, drowsiness, chills and bone, joint and/or muscle ache. In most cases no specific treatment is required and the symptoms disappear after a short time (couple of hours or days).
Gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea and vomiting as well as loss of appetite.
Conjunctivitis.
Low level of red blood cells (anaemia).
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people): Hypersensitivity reactions; low blood pressure; chest pain; skin reactions (redness and swelling) at the infusion site, rash, itching; high blood pressure, shortness of breath, dizziness, sleep disturbances, tingling or numbness of the hands or feet, diarrhoea; low counts of white blood cells and blood platelets; low level of magnesium and potassium in the blood. The doctor will monitor this and take any necessary measures; sleepiness; tearing of the eye, eye sensitivity to light; sudden coldness with fainting, limpness or collapse; difficulty in breathing with wheezing or coughing; urticaria.
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people): Slow heart beat; confusion; unusual fracture of the thigh bone particularly in patients on long-term treatment for osteoporosis may occur rarely. Contact the doctor if the patient experiences pain, weakness or discomfort in the thigh, hip or groin as this may be an early indication of a possible fracture of the thigh bone; interstitial lung disease (inflammation of the tissue around the air sacks of the lungs).
Very rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people): Fainting due to low blood pressure; severe bone, joint and/or muscle pain, occasionally incapacitating; painful redness and/or swelling of the eye.
If the patient gets any side effects, talk to the doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed.
