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@triciaot

I think you may want to consider what @gently has posted. I am 70, started an oral alendronate at 67, couldn’t tolerate it (stomach issues and conjunctivitis) and switched to Reclast. I was in mild osteoporosis and now am at osteopenia. While that has worked for me, you have a different family profile.

My mom had osteoporosis but never a broken bone. She had fallen 3x before going into assisted living and had not broken anything. Her mother, my great grandmother, lived to 100. My mom passed away at 92 it would have lived longer with better care. My two older sisters have also been treated, 5 years each, for osteopenia - never osteoporosis. They have never broken a hip, neither of them had spine fractures. One sister did break her wrist, but the type of fall she had would have broken anyone’s wrist.

With a family history of hip replacement, you’ll want to consider your own health as compared to your mom. Perhaps because of lifestyle choices you aren’t headed down that road? But if it’s a possibility, you might want something more like a bone builder.

Doctors usually start with something like Prolia or alendronate but I believe that is because insurance companies have their hands tied. They may not pay for a direct route to a bone builder. But if your doctor does agree that a bone builder would be beneficial then a well written request to the insurance company might include your mothers hip replacements, your life expectancy, your age - in that your will lose precious time messing around with Prolia and probably costing the insurance company MUCH more by the later treatments you might need. And, what every insurance fears, that you will be some incapacitated and require nursing care (very expensive). It’s unfortunate that insurance companies use actuarial tables to figure life expectancy and at 70 we are expected to only live 15.72 more years. That is a number they use in figuring out whether they will pay for treatment. They have a tough time approving treatments that will carry us through age 100, when they think we’ll be gone at 82. Sad, but true.
We just have to convince them to look at each of us as individuals - and you’re going to be here until 100 they better keep you healthy for a loooong time! It saves them money.

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Replies to "I think you may want to consider what @gently has posted. I am 70, started an..."

Interesting, I am in a similar situation but only 64 … so, which meds build bone again?