Cortisone shots

janines, yes you can have additional cortisone shots https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2819336
Local injections don't have the same effect because they don't usually enter the bloodstream. If you have a choice of osteoporosis medications ask about Forteo. It speeds the healing of the fracture and can reduce the pain involved. Your interventional radiologist might advise vertebroplasty. That procedure can also alleviate pain. Calcitonin can be prescribed in addition for pain from the fracture. I hope you get some relief soon.

Thank you so much. I’m starting Tymlos as soon as approved by my insurance. Will I have to take different types of osteoporosis meds the rest of my life?

janines, you'll want to continue to take meds with intervals to maintain bone strength. Current protocol with osteoporosis is a sequence between some the basic four medications.
The medication I like the least (Prolia) is once every six months. And the one I personally like second least (Reclast) is once a year or once every two years.
I know that feeling, though. Even though I have to take food for the rest of my life and water which is now loaded with more chemicals that the medications, I don't like the idea of needing to take a prescription medication for the rest of my life.
Tymlos won't drive you below baseline like Prolia does when/if you stop taking it.
Tymlos may be an even better medication than Forteo. I hope it helps with the pain.
It sounds like you have a good doctor.

For what it’s worth, I had severe side effects - pains - from Tymlos. At the time, I didn’t know the pain was caused by Tymlos. My rheumatologist recommended a pain management visit as he seemed to feel the pain was caused by OP and/or arthritis (which I had never been advised about previously). I had several pain injections in my lower and mid-back and magically the back pains disappeared. I should note that these pains felt more like horrible muscle spasms than a skeletal problem.

However, in a visit to the ER one cold winter night because of shoulder and chest pains, the ER doc discovered a “burst” fx of T12 and recommended a spine specialist. I asked the specialist about kyphoplasty for my previous frx - his reply was that once the healing begins it’s really too late for that type of surgery. He also told me pretty much I shouldn’t have been referred to him as I wasn’t a candidate for surgery and his job was to repair sudden fractures (like those sustained in a bad fall, auto accident). He also said that some meds in the steroid can have adverse effects in OP patients.

Now, the reason for this tome: The spine specialist advised avoiding pain injections because steroid drugs do have side effects: more is required after prolonged use and use can cause diabetes and general weight gain that’s hard to get rid of. Another tidbit is that once I stopped taking Tymlos, at my request, the back, shoulder, chest and many other side effects stopped completely within days.

Verify what ramifications pain injections may have now and in the future to safeguard gains and prevent future issues. If I could’ve made my doc believe those horrible pains were caused by Tymlos, I could’ve avoided about a year of recovering from the treatment.

Stay warm and take heart my northern friends; spring should be right around the corner.

Peace out!

Regarding cortisone injections for pain, my endocrinologist has told me to refrain from getting them as she said they seriously lower bone density and increase the risk of fractures.
I have been on Forteo for 4 months now, with no discernible side effects. However, the steroid injection I had for my severe shoulder pain really helped and I was disappointed that I couldn't get this relief from injections any longer. I am now consulting with my doctor about other possible pain relief for my arm/shoulder rotator cuff tendon inflammation and now thumb arthritis to add to my aging body issues!