alendronate and no progress

My labs (PNP1 I think) showed that I was absorbing the alendronate, but for some reason it just stopped working. I don't think it was about caffeine.

Amen. My PCP could not understand why I was so concerned about my osteoporosis diagnosis. Her words were "why are you so concerned? Everybody is going to get it".

@hillclan
How did you get a telehealth Mayo Clinic consult and how did you chose the right expert to meet with? Thank you.

This was two and a half years ago, so not sure if this would still be available. I called Mayo and asked if I could have a telehealth visit with an endocrinologist. I think I was advised by someone to see an endocrinologist, but don't remember who.

That response is insulting and shows a lack of understanding of the disease.

I totally agree. An endocrinologist or a specialist should be in charge of monitoring bone medicines. It is super complicated. There are many protocols available and the endocrinologist or bone specialist. Will change up your medicine if they find that some aren’t working. No one should get up give up they just need to advocate for themselves learn for themselves about the bone medicine protocols and make sure their doctors are giving them the attention they need. I have often called the bone medicine manufacturers themselves to get help and to apply pressure on my medical team. I am on a two front protocol, one for slowing down bone breakdown and one for making the bone denser. After the first two years, I am seeing scores that are trending in the correct direction and exactly what is supposed to be happening. Next month I get my first DEXA with TBS score to match last year’s for comparison. I’ve had DEXA’s every year for 25 years but I learned that only the DEXA with the TBS score measures apples to apples.

You are so right about being proactive about this disease. My PCP wanted to put me on Fosamax after my DEXA scan showed Osteoporosis. Thank goodness I said no, I would like to see an endocrinologist before taking any meds. While I have not seen an endocrinologist yet, I have read a lot and watched and listened to a lot of podcasts. The best and most educational book has been Great Bones by Keith McCormick. It is tough to find, but he does have several interviews on youtube. I am including the link below to a podcast he did about the various osteoporosis meds. I have also been listening a lot to Dr Doug Lucas. I especially like his podcasts about nutrition. They both agree that it is possible to slow down and even reverse Osteoporosis by the right diet, weight bearing and resistance exercises. They also both say that there is a time when a person HAS TO GO ON medication. I would advise everyone to go on YouTube and listen to Dr Keith McCormick and Dr Doug Lucas. I believe they have our best interest.
Keith McCormick and OP meds: https://youtu.be/zD4sAllkoRs

Doug Lucas on nutrition: https://youtu.be/2lENp65QL7A

Education is power! Educate yourself before starting on any of these medications. At least you will know the right questions to ask.

Thank you for including the links. I agree, education is key, although I've run into conflicting approaches and so not sure who to put trust in.

Here's a tip for taking Fosamax. If you wait 2 hours before eating breakfast, you can gain an extra 40% absorption as compared to only waiting 30 minutes. This is called out in the Fosamax medication insert. One other thing to consider would be only drinking low calcium water (reverse osmosis or distilled) for those two hours to avoid calcium in the water.

Somewhat. I took Boniva for 2 years. My spine stayed the same but my hip decreased slightly. Going the natural route now.