Table 4 Examples of risk/benefit analyses related to the decision to take OP medication
"Easy" Decision | Â | "Difficult" Decision | Â |
|---|---|---|---|
Taking OP medication at time of interview | Not taking OP medication at time of interview | Taking OP medication at time of interview | Not taking OP medication at time of interview |
Regarding her decision to take a bisphosphonate, "It might make my bones stronger,...or I might gain back some bone density" (#18) | Participant understood she was prescribed a bisphosphonate "to prevent further bone loss" (#25) | "One friend of mine was asked to take [a bisphosphonate] and she had a major allergic reaction to it and it caused some problems with her blood cells...A neighbour mentioned she'd been on [a bisphosphonate] for almost a year...and she was having some cramping problems in her toe" (#10) | "I did a bit of research and elected not to go on [bisphosphonates] because I didn't feel I wanted to accept the side effects. And I was certainly right...If you look at the side effects of [the bisphosphonate], which has now been discontinued because of jaw necrosis...they lose bone in the jaw...common sense tells one that if you have to swallow a pill and cannot lie down or bend for half an hour because if it lodges in the esophagus, it creates a great deal of damage there...and does the damage where you do not feel it until it's too late" (#24) |