Common Questions
What are the potential side effects of teriparatide?
There has been only one study that was large enough to evaluate for adverse side effects of teriparatide(1). Women receiving 20 ug/day dosing experienced:
- Leg cramps (3% as compared to 1% of the control group).
- Dizziness ( 9% as compared to 6% in the control group).
- Nausea and headaches occurred equally in both groups.
- There was transient hypercalcemia (>10.6 mg/dl) 4 hours after the injection in 11% of the treated group (as compared to 2% in the placebo group)but patients were not symptomatic from this.
Overall, the drug is well tolerated.
Another large study using recombinant PTH (1-84) found that this form of PTH was associated with increased hypercalciuria, hypercalcemia, and nausea by 24%, 23%, and 14% , respectively, as compared with placebo(2).
- Neer RM, Arnaud CD, Zanchetta JR, Prince R, Gaich GA, Reginster J-Y, Hodsman AB, Eriksen EF, Ish-Shalom S, Genant HK, Wang O, Mitlak B. Effect of parathyroid hormone (1-34) on fractures and bone mineral densityu in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. N Engl J Med 2001; 344: 1434-41.
- Greenspan SL, Bone HG, Ettinger MP, Hanley DA, Lindsay R, Zanchetta JR, Blosch CM, Mathisen AL, Morris SA, Marriott TB. Effect of Recombinant Human Parathyroid Hormone (1-84) on Vertebral Fracture and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis: A Randomized Trial. Ann Intern Med 2007; 146(5): 326-339.