Below are two excerpts from an article talking about potential side effects from long term use of bisposphonates. David

"Fractures in this sturdy part of the bone typically result from car
accidents, or in the elderly and frail. But the case reports show the
unusual fracture pattern in people who have used bone-building drugs
called bisphosphonates for five years or more."

"In recent years, another rare side effect has been associated with bone
drugs: osteonecrosis of the jaw, in which a patient’s jawbone rots and
dies. Most victims are cancer patients taking a potent intravenous form of the drug, but a small number of cases from ordinary users have been reported."

http://www.nytimes.com/20...