Short answer: The ibandronate label dose is one 150 mg tablet once a month on the same date each month. It is swallowed whole with 6 to 8 ounces of plain water at least 60 minutes before the first food, drink or medicine of the day, sitting or standing upright, without lying down for 60 minutes. A missed dose is taken the next morning if the next one is over 7 days away.
This is what the FDA label says. Follow your prescriber. Your prescriber may use a different dose or pace than the label's standard schedule.
What Ibandronate Tablets is approved for: Ibandronate sodium tablets, the generic form of Boniva, are a bisphosphonate approved to treat and prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. The label says ibandronate increases bone mineral density and reduces vertebral fractures (section 1.1). The best length of use has not been set, and people at low fracture risk may be considered for stopping after 3 to 5 years (section 1.2).
Source
Ibandronate Sodium Tablets, for oral use, prescribing information and Medication Guide. Bionpharma. DailyMed, version published August 27, 2026. DailyMed setid 6ca94cce-a2bb-421f-bd8f-6b14bc2bd985
The tablet is taken at least 60 minutes before the first food or drink (other than water) of the day, and before any other oral medicine or supplement, including calcium, antacids or vitamins. Mineral water is avoided (section 2.2).
It is swallowed whole with a full glass of plain water (6 to 8 ounces) while standing or sitting upright, not chewed or sucked. The person does not lie down, eat, drink anything but plain water, or take other medicines for at least 60 minutes (section 2.2).
The Medication Guide says not to take it with mineral water, coffee, tea, soda or juice.
The table below is the label's schedule, from the Dosage and Administration section. Numbers are copied exactly; the section is in brackets.
| Item | What the label says |
|---|---|
| Dose | One 150 mg tablet taken once monthly on the same date each month |
| Water | Full glass of plain water (6 to 8 oz), standing or sitting upright |
| Wait before food, drink or medicine | At least 60 minutes |
| Stay upright | Avoid lying down for 60 minutes after the dose |
| Calcium supplements | Avoid within 60 minutes of the tablet |
| Strength | 150 mg yellow film-coated tablet |
Supplemental calcium and vitamin D are taken if dietary intake is not enough, but not within 60 minutes of the tablet.
The best length of use has not been set; treatment data cover three years. People at low fracture risk may be considered for stopping after 3 to 5 years, and fracture risk is re-checked periodically after stopping.
Ibandronate is not recommended when creatinine clearance is under 30 mL/min.
It is stopped for trouble or pain swallowing, chest pain behind the breastbone, or new or worsening heartburn.
If the next scheduled day is more than 7 days away, one 150 mg tablet is taken the morning after the missed dose is remembered. If the next scheduled day is only 1 to 7 days away, the person waits until that next month's day. Either way, the person then returns to one tablet every month on the originally chosen day. The Medication Guide adds: do not take it later in the day.
In Dose Track you set up Ibandronate Tablets as a protocol with the dose and schedule your prescriber gave you. A protocol can hold dose steps, each with its own dose and length in days or weeks, so a step-up plan like the one on the label can be entered once and the app moves to the next step on its own. Reminders follow the schedule, and every dose is logged with the date and time, so you can see which step you are on and when your last dose was. The app follows what you enter; it does not choose or change a dose.
This page is what the FDA label says, in plain words. It is not medical advice. Follow your prescriber, and ask them or your pharmacist about anything here.