Strontium citrate (Algaecal) and fractures

I have been taking it for a few months. My dexa scans were dismal. Really bad. I should be on medication but everytime I got on a med (Prolia, Forteo,..) I had intollerable side effects. Shortly after getting off, I broke bones. Each time, I lost more bone. After getting off Forteo I lost another full 10% on top of already really bad scores. My doctor yells at me and demands I start Tymlos, which I'm told by another doctor is worse. And the yelling doctor tells me it's a life long committment because you can never just stop without starting something new. So far, every new thing is worse than the one before. So I started taking Strontium. I haven't had a bone scan and won't for many months BUT very quickly after starting I noticed my bone pain was gone! And I felt more steady/stable. Don't know why. Everytime I get off for a bit the pain and unsteadiness returns. My main side effects have been sinus problems (headache) and difficulty breathing (huffing and puffing). That came down to a kidney issue because I do have kidney disease, but I'm a rebel. What can I say. To me, it's mostly worth it and I believe it works. We will see. I do feel a lot stronger on it.

@surah05 did you stop Prolia without a follow up drug? My docs and every resource, book, video I have seen says that stopping Prolia causes a rebound with drop in bone density and dramatic rise in fracture risk. I have seen some scary statistics. I have not done Prolia myself so don't have any experience.

Strontium will distort your DEXA scan because strontium replaces calcium and is denser. Some radiologists have a formula to fix this distortion but I don't know how many in the field do this.

I have trouble with meds and foods and tried for years to get on meds. Tymlos was my godsend. The injection pen is adjustable and so you can start at a low dose and move up as your body adjusts. I got up to 70mcg out of 80 for full dose and had impressive gains.

I have a lot of spinal fractures so I post here because the effects of fracture in terms of pain and disability make side effects that I have suffered look like a picnic! My fractures happened at a time when I was feeling fine and three in one moment. Unfortunately osteoporosis is symptomless.

Hi
Thanks for sharing that info on Tymlos Because I do zoldronic acid and I have had three infusions now . The third one was horrible.I'm still not well and I had it in june. So I want to switch. How often do you do the injections? I have a compression fracture in my T7 Which happened when I rolled over in bed jan 22/22 . I can't imagine having more than one.The pain sometimes is bad somedays.I have none I think it's nerve pain

Hi
Thanks for sharing that info on Tymlos Because I do zoldronic acid and I have had three infusions now . The third one was horrible.I'm still not well and I had it in june. So I want to switch. How often do you do the injections? I have a compression fracture in my T7 Which happened when I rolled over in bed jan 22/22 . I can't imagine having more than one.The pain sometimes is bad somedays.I have none I think it's nerve pain

@sue417 Tymlos injections are daily.

I have 7 spinal fractures, some from a traumatic fall in 2006 and three from one unwise movement. I am sorry about your T7. Some of my pain is muscles because the spine is now shorter and I think my poor muscles are confused!

Hi
Have you ever tried a prescription muscle relaxer? I don't want to do it daily. Did you have any side effects on zoledronic acid. It's really messed up my bowels. Didn't on the either 2. I fo massage and reflexology once a mth and my chiro does muscle release every 2 weeks

I did only massage at PT and it felt great when I was there. Incredibly tight everywhere.

I have tried various meds and the only one I can tolerate is clonazepam, which is addictive so I don't take it often. I also have the MS drug baclofen as needed, which cuts communication between the spine and muscles.

Biofreeze and Ben Gay and capsaicin patches.

I have been taking it for a few months. My dexa scans were dismal. Really bad. I should be on medication but everytime I got on a med (Prolia, Forteo,..) I had intollerable side effects. Shortly after getting off, I broke bones. Each time, I lost more bone. After getting off Forteo I lost another full 10% on top of already really bad scores. My doctor yells at me and demands I start Tymlos, which I'm told by another doctor is worse. And the yelling doctor tells me it's a life long committment because you can never just stop without starting something new. So far, every new thing is worse than the one before. So I started taking Strontium. I haven't had a bone scan and won't for many months BUT very quickly after starting I noticed my bone pain was gone! And I felt more steady/stable. Don't know why. Everytime I get off for a bit the pain and unsteadiness returns. My main side effects have been sinus problems (headache) and difficulty breathing (huffing and puffing). That came down to a kidney issue because I do have kidney disease, but I'm a rebel. What can I say. To me, it's mostly worth it and I believe it works. We will see. I do feel a lot stronger on it.

This paper tells you all about strontium ranelate and includes that it should NOT be taken with osteoporosis medications such as bisphosphonates, e.g. alendronate (Alendro, Fosamax, Fosamax Plus), risedronate (Actonel, Actonel CombiActonel Combi D) and zolendronate (Aclasta); or denosumab (Prolia), raloxifene (Evista) or teriparatide (Forteo). Source: https://drlisacarroll.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/strontium_2016.pdf

This video makes a comment about strontium ranelate versus strontium citrate:
Go to minute 16:30 on this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9gw8wB5Loo

A study comparing three strontium formulations and their effect on bone density:
The three types of strontium salts studied are, strontium ranelate (SrR), strontium citrate (SrC), and strontium chloride (SrCl)

The administration of strontium salts led to a significant increase in trabecular and cortical tissue mineral density (TMD) in all experimental groups.

Among the studies, the SrC (strontium citrate) group exhibited the smallest increase in TMD.

These results may indicate that the administration of strontium significantly increases the mineral density of bone tissue, which is independent of bone mass, as it is converted into surface area.

Although some other studies have shown that Sr is more strongly incorporated into the trabecular bone compared to cortical bone, in our study, TMD increased similarly in both the cortical and trabecular bones.

Specifically, in the trabeculae, TMD increased by 36.9%, 16.5%, and 44.0% in the SrR, SrC, SrCl groups, respectively.

In the case of compact bones, TMD increased by 35.6%, 22.6%, and 40.0%, respectively.

These results are consistent with the findings of other researchers.

Our results revealed a positive correlation between the content of strontium in bone and TMD in both trabecular and cortical tissue.

Additionally, a positive correlation was observed in old (not producing hormones anymore) hens supplemented with strontium for 11 months for bone mineral density and bone mineral content.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11012416/
Here is another source https://blog.algaecal.com/strontium-ranelate-vs-strontium-citrate/