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Is a dexa every 2 years enough?
Osteoporosis & Bone Health | Last Active: Jun 6 9:05am | Replies (55)Comment receiving replies
@elisabeth007, others will chime in, I'm sure, but for me, these bone marker tests are not more valid than DXA scores - that is comparing apples and oranges.
If you get the baseline blood tests before you start meds, you can retest in 3-4 months (and beyond) and the results of those blood tests will inform you as to whether or not the medication is actually doing what it's supposed to be doing. I'd hate to spend 2 years on Forteo or Evenity etc. to find out at the end that they didn't work. If they aren't working, there is an opportunity to change the treatment plan.
My first MD would not order them because he said the results would not change his plan and that made zero sense to me.
Replies to "@elisabeth007, others will chime in, I'm sure, but for me, these bone marker tests are not..."
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it’s very important to have a Dr you are comfortable with. However, I have been repeatedly informed that the most specialized osteoporosis drs base their decisions of what to prescribe factors including the severity of the T scores, the location of the the worst osteoporosis sites and alot of other diagnostic tests like the ones i had at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC. I would not have confidence that in three to four months on Evenity or Forteo that the ultimate effect of treatment could be determined—but that’s how my mind works. I’ve had the good fortune to have extraordinary physicians whose judgment i trust. With me, the issue is will i develop an auto-immune reaction severe enough to need to stop whatever treatment.
A totally separate topic but one of curiosity……has anyone here been successfully in getting their insurance company to approve switching say from forteo to eventity based upon bone marker tests?