Fosamax and calcium

I am a 56 y/o female who started on Fosamax last Sunday. I have a dx of osteopenia. I followed the directions of taking pill with full glass of water and remained upright for 30 minutes before having anything to eat. I was fine on Sunday but on Monday I woke with SEVERE bone pain! My whole rib cage, back, knees and heels were hurting so bad. It felt like I had pain in every bone in my body. I could not take in a full deap breath as my rib cage was hurting so bad. I could not bend or turn without terrible pain. My energy level was zero. I immediately called my doctor who told me to hold the Fosamax (ya think?) and ordered Vit D lab levels. Apparently when you Vit D levels are off (don't know if too high or too low) you can suffer this bone pain. I am awaiting the results. The pain is better today and I was told it takes 5 days to get out of your system. I only wish I had done my homework and found this site before taking this poison. I have to say I'm a registered nurse and know that ALL medications have side effects and everyone responds to meds differently. Some side effects subside as your body gets use to it and some can experience severe allergic reactions. But it's important to weigh the risk vs the benefit. I would rather deal with osteopenia in another way. So my search begins for alternatives to Fosamax for good bone health. Has anyone had good results with other supplements/meds?

I have been taking Fosamax for about 4 or 5 years and I recently have been experiencing pain in my left hip and thigh area that make sleeping difficult.....I didn't know what caused it and really didn't think about Fosamax until I read this website...the reason I was reading it is I have bumps on my face that are filled with calcium..I have gone to 2 different skin doctors and both are baffled...they say it is rare...one of the doctors tried to remove one and couldn't as it is rooted...they have started slowly since shortly after I started taking Fosamax and both the doctor and I think it may be a possible side effect of that drug....has anyone had anything similar?

After taking just 2 weekly pills (70mg) I felt so sick. I'm talking about a severe pain in my middle upper chest that felt like something was stuck there plus dizziness. I know the pill was not stuck because it is small. I drank the 8oz of water with it & was sure to wash it down, but this feeling was not going away. My doctor told me to take it for another 2 months & that she may change me over to the Actenol. I was never sick like this in my life. I stopped taking it, a week went by & I still have this pain in my chest, not as severe, but I wish I could put my hand in there and massage it. It worsens every time I eat a meal. Thought I was going to have to go to the ER the other night. The only thing that made it feel better was eating ice cream. I feel this stuff does to your esophagus what Draino would do to a pipe. It probably ate away the sensitive tissue lining. I'm just going to drink soy and take calcium vitamins and walk more. I'd rather have weak bones, than something really awful happen. It's just not for everyone. Easy for the doctors to tell you what to take, they should try a few doses.