I too was afraid to begin Forteo but after 3 compression fractures I finally gave in. After 1 year my Dexascan showed that my lumbar spine score improved 22%! It went from -3.5 to -1.9 do I would recommend it. I was originally going to do a full 2 years but will stopped at 18 mo. and did a Reclast infusion to "lock-in" my gains.
Side effects were afternoon fatigue, some cramping in my feet and belly fat. I took it at night but some take it in the morning. I would recommend staying hydrated, make sure you're getting enough Vit D (it is fat soluble so take it with your fattiest meal), magnesium (competes with calcium so don't take them at the time), calcium (spread out through the day), K2 and protein.
I was able to get copay assistance from Lilly which brought my cost down to $4/month with private insurance. You need to renew annually. Go to their website.
I hope you have good results.