A new study from Baylor medical center in Houston has shown that these drugs can increase the risk of hip fracture by up to 20% in dialysis patients – who often need to take them. These drugs have previously been shown to lead to bone fractures. In fact I had a patient, a nurse, who had a crack in her femur or thigh bone, associated with such a drug. The answer, as always, is to use lifestyle and not drugs whenever possible for medical problems. The side effects of drugs are never completely understood when drugs are initially released.