Undecided choice of drugs for Osteoporosis

@ripley it is commonly agreed by all my docs, everything I read, and every video I have watched, as well as info on this forum, that Reclast is not a good choice for what you term "severe" osteoporosis. You can:

- try Forteo (been around the longest) or
-try Tymlos (dose is adjustable to start, if you so choose) or
-try Evenity (very potent, anti-resorptive for last half)

After any of these, My doctors use Reclast (or Fosamax/alendronate if Reclast is not tolerated) to "lock in" gains.

I did not. I had/have osteopenia and chose the yearly infusion (as I dislike taking pills) to help prevent osteoporosis. Won't be doing that again.

I will be very interested to hear how you do on Evenity. The endocrinologist has recommended that for me and i am resisting.

I am not excited about it — but I feel I have no choice. I do trust my doctors recommendation— he spent an hour with me discussing it. I worry about side effects of any drug — but I know my bones are not going to get better unless I take action. Should I just do hard core weight bearing exercising — I don’t know. I’m just going to move forward with this — I’ll keep you posted

@sandrajhunt curious why you are resisting. Do your DEXA scores show a need for a potent treatment?

@lbtw I hope you are careful about weight-lifting. Speaking from experience!

Did either of you get offered Tymlos or Forteo as an alternative to Evenity? Just wondering since so many doctors seem to be recommending Evenity these days.

My 8th Evenity shots are coming up and I have had noticable side effects. I hope your journey with evenity is easy and effective.

I did not. I have osteopenia, not osteoporosis. My mother suffered so much with osteoarthritis, numerous fractures in her spine etc. , I was afraid I would end up like that was my reasoning for choosing to do something to prevent it.

I hesitate to say anything about my reluctance because i know i sound like some kind of anti-drug wacko. They apparently work well for a lot of women. On others….not so well. Some women have little to no side effects. Others have awful side effects. Doctors don’t seem to know anything for sure. I talked about my osteoporosis to three doctors and they all urged drugs. It struck me as very odd that they all said the exact same thing..”you could have a fracture just sitting down too hard in the toilet.” I would assume those are words they heard from a pharmaceutical salesperson. I know they urge drugs as well. They make 14 billion dollars a year from osteoporosis drugs. My Dexa scan showed -3.3 in my lower spine so i know that’s bad. The decision is extremely difficult for some reason. But we each have to decide what is best for each of us. You mentioned caution with using weights. Can you elaborate?

@sandrajhunt I fractured making one unwise movement- three lumbar vertebrae, months of pain (I had natural child birth and this was up there) and disability (could not cook, do laundry, etc.). Not doing medications is Russian Roulette in my view. At the time I felt strong and was even doing sword tai chi and other martial arts. That's the problem with osteoporosis: we feel fine.

A friend of mine broke a vertebra coughing and her scores were better than ours.

I would fracture lifting weights. I really only lift something equivalent to a seltzer bottle or detergent bottle. Another consequence of fractures. But since you have not fractured, I would limit weights to a total of 7-10 lbs. Margaret Martin is an expert at melioguide.com. I am just talking through my hat since I can't lift at all!

You do not sound like an “anti-drug wacko” and you are not alone in your reluctance to go down that path. Like all of us, you are trying to roll the dice and make the best decision for yourself. I have paralysis by analysis at the moment, reading everything and listening to all views. When/if I do start medication, I know there is phenomenal advice here, and the resources are priceless. I saw the life-saving benefits of drugs when my husband nearly died from leukemia 14 years ago, and what would we do without antibiotics and other amazing drugs. It’s difficult when you haven’t yet fractured and can’t see the evidence of disease. Windyshores is wise here. I highly value your opinion. You are blazing the trail for us. Thank you! For now, as foolish as it might be, I choose to wait a bit longer, roll the dice a few more times, continuing to read and over-analyze, always keeping the drug option on the table. I won’t close any windows And as for lifting weights, that is different for each individual. It is probably best to work with an experienced personal trainer. This is the best decision I have made so far and worth every penny.