Choosing Our Poison

You’re correct on Evenity
BUT
cardio/aerobic exercise while it WILL NOT remove current plaque buildup in arteries
it WILL prevent buildup from happening
I say get plenty of heart pumping fast walks, dance etc during the year and after on Evenity

@windyshores, Instead of saying I wish I knew:
I'm thinking less than a month. The only available testing is the bone markers, assuming they are reliable. The duly dilligent, but unfortunately test-stifling black box on forteo has left us without information.
There is a degree of (contrived) evidence in the every other day Forteo studies and the weekly Forteo trials.
My only experience is in one month without Forteo. The markers changed appreciably.
There are a number of unknowns. We don't know the best ratio of osteoclasts to osteoblasts. Nor do we know if a higher set of a best ratio bone markers are better than a lower set.
Salmon calcitonin isn't very effective at slowing bone loss. It impedes the activity of osteoclasts without the protective coating of bisphosphonates. It is used to lower serum calcium.

I was diagnosed with Osteoporosis 2 years ago and immediately started Fosamax prescribed by my General Practioner. After a very short time my joints ached so badly (feet, ankles, knees, hips, neck, hands) and my fibula ached horribly. After 8 months my doctor took me off the meds (symptoms improved) and sent me to a specialist who I waited a year to see. The specialist is recommending Tymlos but my Medicare Part D insurance only covers a small portion of the monthly cost. I would be responsible for over $2000 per month and even though I'm not well off at all, I do not qualify for assistance. Forteo is less expensive but would still be hard to manage payments and Prolia (a completely different drug class) I could afford. After spending 2 months researching and reading all the pros and cons on each of these I feel just and inept as when I started. I understand that Tymlos, Forteo, and Prolia build bone and the alendronates maintain the gain. I can't take the alendronates and honestly I'm terrified of the potential side effects of all of them. I have never taken any sort of maintenance drug and I have a very low tolerance for anything prescribed for illness (pain meds, steroids, etc). That makes me that much more concerned about the side effects. I had no idea that Osteoporosis was something I would need to be medicated for, for probably the rest of my life. I have been reading about prunes being helpful in bone building and also kale. I've also read that you need to take K2 with Calcium to help direct the Calcium to your bones and that you should not take more that 500 mg of Calcium at once because you body cannot adsorb more. So spread your Calcium intake out. All of these things I am finding out by research. I am always careful to check my source. I apologize if I'm considered venting or complaining but I'm searching for every nugget of advice or direction from the gals already walking this walk. I honestly had no idea there were so many women (and men) battling this disease and my heart goes out to you all.

hopefulheart,
I'm hoping that the layer of plaque a lack of sclerostin allows in the epithelium in our cardiac valves is temporary, and that the layer of bone the lack of sclerostin allows to be deposited between the epithelium and periostium in our bones is permanent.
Cardiac events from the deposition of cardiac plaque wouldn' t occur until many years after accumulation.
I'm not hopeful enough that exercise can mitigate the deposition from the lack of sclerostin.
I so like your hopeful heart.

@hopefulheart I believe there is research indicating that exercise improved all cause mortality or maybe heart related events even though it did not improve coronary calcium scans. I would have to go hunt for the actual research and I haven't time now but I'm pretty sure I got the take away right. Exercise helps protect heart health even though you may have previously had plaque buildups. I'm with you on exercising!!!

You are reinforcing what this thread is about. The whole person must be taken into account and not just the bones. Some of us are not able to engage in vigorous exercise. That does not make the effect of medication irrelevant.

@berniebrooks3 you wrote this: " I understand that Tymlos, Forteo, and Prolia build bone and the alendronates maintain the gain."

Tymlos and Forteo are anabolic bone building drugs that build new bone. Prolia and bisphosphonates are ant-resorptives that do actually increase bone density but by targeting bone turnover. Evenity is anabolic for the first half and anti-resorptive for the second half.

I hope you can find a way to take Tymlos Forteo or Evenity. (I took Evenity for 4 months since it builds bones in the first half of the year's treatment...maybe that could save on cost though it is not yet a protocol- it is being studied w/Reclast coming in at 6 months).

…and avoid artery clogging ( fried food, processed food etc)

Eat real food…lots of healthy vegetables and fruits

Does anyone else recall the poster, I believe it was a woman, who was unaware that Prolia suppressed the immune system? She learned the hard way as she had a couple of respiratory illnesses while on it and possibly permanently did further damage to her lungs. That is the type of knowledge I would love to see more available to help prevent further instances.

Osteoporosis drugs are complicated but sometimes a necessary "poison". A natural approach is pretty risky as you can lose bone that is very difficult to rebuild. That's what happened to me and I wish I had gone on a pharmaceutical sooner. By the time I did, I wasn't able to rebuild all of my loss.

It's surely important to choose what fits best for your personal health status. After Forteo, my endocrinologist wanted to put me on prolia. I argued that I have autoimmune issues and didn't want something that would further mess with my immune system. He had never made that correlation but recognized the contraindication and agreed to prescribe HRT for me which has worked well to maintain my Forteo gains.