Osteoporosis has no symptoms. I felt fine and was doing sword tai chi classes when I fractured three vertebrae (not in the class, just one unwise movement at home).

If your DEXA score is low (and FRAX score is high) I hope you can get a prescription and authorization for a bone builder like Forteo, Tymlos or Evenity. Primary care doctors often prescribe Fosamax or Prolia. It can help to see an endocrinologist.

Forum posts tend to be negative because people with bad experiences tend to post more. Tymlos literally saved my life and I have also done some Evenity and Reclast. You may need less treatment than I do with several fractures, but wishing you good luck in starting!

Hello @2me, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.

I moved your discussion and combined it with an existing discussion started by @monkhhi titled:

"Evenity worked for me: Why I chose medication for osteoporosis"
- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/evenity-worked-for-me/

I moved your post to this discussion so that you could read @monkhhi's experience that sounds very similar to yours. It can be easy to get caught up in reading many experiences of side-effects and delay treatment as a result. @monkhhi started this discussion to highlight the same concerns on delaying treatment from reading the bad experiences but having some regret on waiting because they are doing well on osteoporosis treatment. It can be important to read about the positive experiences as well.

@naturegirl5 shared their positive experience with osteoporosis treatment as well.

@2me, you ask a great question about trying to get informed for upcoming appointment to try and make the best treatment choice possible for yourself. Discussing the potential side-effects is a good start and what you should be looking for and alternatives moving forward should you experience unpleasant side-effects. Another would be balancing the pros and cons of potential fractures while delaying treatment vs. risking starting treatment to improve your bone health. @2me, if you are comfortable, have you been diagnosed with osteoporosis or are you still in the osteopenia phase?

I am going to do the Echolight Scan that so many people have talked about, as it seems that it gathers more information on the bone and the integrity of the bone. I dont know if my insurance will cover this, but for me it is $240.00. I am then going to get with my doctor regarding this, and ask alot of questions. Ask what every option available is. I tend to be medication resistant so, my options seem limited. Ask questions, do research, talk with your doctor, pick peoples brains on here, and then make a decision, that is best for you.

I reversed Osteoporosis back to Osteopenia on diet and walking alone. Almost all women over 50 have osteopenia according to drs and literature i have read, thats normal. As long as you are walking, doing a little bit of weight bearing exercise and have a great diet with a calcium supplement you probably never will develop osteoporosis and if you do, it can be reversed naturally. The affects of the meds can be extreme.