The time of day that Etidronate is ingested does not influence its therapeutic effect in osteoporosis

To investigate whether the therapeutic effect of etidronate is affected by the time of ingestion we have retrospectively studied 110 osteoporotic pati ents. They had been taking etidronate according to the manufacturer's instr uctions for a mean duration of 2.6 years either on waking (n = 47), on reti ring (n = 47), or during the day (n = 16). No significant differences were found between the three groups with respect to percentage change in bone mineral density at all sites either for the f irst year of treatment or for the mean yearly percent change throughout the total course of treatment. These findings suggest that the time of ingesti on of etidronate does not influence the therapeutic effect if a two how fas t before and after ingestion is adhered to.