Ibandronate

Pronounced eye-BAN-dro-nate

Brand names: Boniva

Type: Bisphosphonate (bone medicine) · All Hormone & Endocrine Medicines

What Ibandronate is used for

  • Osteoporosis in women after menopause
  • Preventing bone loss in women after menopause at risk of osteoporosis

◆ Kidney note

Not recommended when kidney function is severely reduced.

Common side effects

  • Back pain
  • Stomach pain
  • Heartburn
  • Joint pain

Important cautions

  • Can irritate the food pipe — tablets are taken with a full glass of water and the person stays upright afterwards, exactly as the label directs
  • Rarely, serious jaw bone problems or unusual thigh fractures occur — tell your dentist you take it

How it comes

Tablets, injection (clinic). This guide lists forms only — it never lists strengths or doses.

Toxicity lists: Ibandronate also appears on Medicines That Can Harm the Kidneys.

Related medicines — Hormone & Endocrine Medicines

Please note: This page is a patient-education summary, not medical advice, and it deliberately contains no doses. Medicines affect everyone differently — always follow your own prescription and talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.