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Which doctor is best to treat Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis & Bone Health | Last Active: 2 days ago | Replies (39)Comment receiving replies
@naturegirl5 do you know if endocrinologists who specialize in osteoporosis are typically willing to see patients at risk of osteopenia/osteoporosis? I'm about a year into aromatase inhibitors and concerned b/c my bones are at high risk, but my current oncologist is more of the mindset of lets wait until you are at osteoporosis to do anything. I'd much rather try to get ahead of it and understand what my options are for preserving what I have rather than wait til its gone.
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@lilacs777 I expect that if an endocrinologist has openings and with a referral from another medical provider that they would see someone who is at high risk for osteopenia/osteoporosis. I agree with you that in your place I’d want to be proactive. I hope that your oncologist will refer you.
I know of a few people including my brother who was treated for prostate cancer and his meds contributed to bone loss. For this reason his doctor (not an endocrinologist) ordered a bone density scan and based on those results placed my brother on Tymlos. My understanding is that yes, with some treatments such as aromatase inhibitors that loss in bone density is a risk. So I’d sure push for that referral if I were you.
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@lilacs777 It might be good to keep in mind that Reclast and other bisphosphonates have a recommended limit of 3-5 years.
I was not able to do Reclast during my 5 years of letrozole even though I already had osteoporosis, because my endo was afraid of triggering afib (I already had it every once in awhile, and this risk has been disproven since) and kidney disease.
I did lose bone and did fracture- after treatment was done, mainly because COVID interfered with going on Tymlos in time. I did two years of Tymlos and my bones are now better than before cancer, but that may be an unusual gain.
I think the answer will depend on your DEXA scores. Doctors aren't prescribing for osteopenia anymore and some people aren't doing meds for early/mild osteoporosis. All the meds have time limits and they add up so that those of us who have done a lot of them run out!
The other concern with not doing Reclast or Zometa (both zoledronic acid) is that they are not thought to be beneficial for preventing spread of cancer. That is something to discuss with your oncologist.