Getting Ready for Your Child’s Zolendronic Acid (Reclast, Zometa) Infusion

Your child will need to stay overnight (23-hour stay) for the first infusion of zolendronic acid. After that, your child will have outpatient treatments every 6 months.  

To get ready for each treatment your child will take certain medicines for 7 days before.

1. Vitamin D ___________units daily.

2. Calcium supplement _________mg, three times daily.

The Day of the Infusion

• Your child will have an IV placed and will have labs drawn.

• We will give your child Tylenol® and/or ibuprofen before the treatment, every 6 hours in the hospital and the first day at home.

• The infusion is given through the IV over about 1 hour.

• During the first treatment your child will likely have flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, body aches, joint or bone pain, or headaches. These symptoms may last 1-2 days. You child will not likely have these symptoms for future treatments.

Between Infusions

Your child will need labs drawn at your local clinic every 3 months. Your doctor will order a bone density scan to watch the effects of the medicine and to see if your child has bone pain or a broken bone. 

Future Visits

Your child will have treatments every 6 months. A nephrology provider will see your child during follow-up treatments. Each year, your child will also have a follow-up visit in the pediatric bone clinic.