Hesitant to begin drug treatment for my osteoporosis

My hip has very mild osteopenia, and it has gotten a little better on medication. It's never been an issue - just my spine. My doctor isn't concerned at all about my hip. Also, I run and do hip exercises, so that helps.

You'd have to determine with your doctor the best course of action. Unfortunately there are never any simple answers with osteoporosis.

What exercises do you do for your hip?
I do a lot of squats. Bridges with some weights on my stomach .
My femoral Neck is my lowest bone density of -2.2

Thanks mayblin. I used the frax calculator and if I filled it out correctly, the ten year probability of a hip fracture is 2.4 and major osteoporotic is 11. I don’t know if those numbers are alarming or not.
My endocrinologist was set on getting me on meds: the first time I saw her, I told her that I was reluctant to take osteo drugs since I walk and lift weights/take multivitamins, calcium, k2, d3/eat healthy/on HRT everyday. She said I should be on meds and gave me a choice of 3—Fosamax, forteo or reclast. Then she wanted bloodwork (that’s another nightmare horror story about the phlebotomist at Labcorp) so at my next appointment, she prescribed Fosamax. I asked her if going on Fosamax was necessary because I showed bone growth and an improvement in my Dexa since I’ve been on HRT. She was adamant about taking the Fosamax. I haven’t started taking the Fosamax.
When I see my gyn, I will ask her if there’s an HRT she could prescribe with a natural form of progesterone.

Hi mic1953. I sympathize with you as I was diagnosed this past April with osteoporosis. I'm still recovering from the shock but have and will be taking the more holistic approach, as you are doing. (diet geared towards bones, strength training/impact exercises) I had to reply because you have EVERY RIGHT to request YOUR DEXA report and UNDERSTAND it. It's YOUR body! Just FYI, the DEXA scan looks at the Femoral Neck of each Hip and the Lower Spine. They do this because these are the areas of the body that over time have shown are most prone to fracture as bone density decreases with age (as it does with EVERYONE!). The DEXA I had didn't include the wrist, but I've heard some do.

For the lower spine, they list it as L1, L2, L3, L4 and then provide a TOTAL #. Each lumbar spine is followed by a BMD number (Bone Mineral Density) and also includes a T-score. You should ask your osteoporosis specialist to show you the report and EXPLAIN it to you. I find it rather confusing and even confounding, as they come up with this score based on the HEALTHY BONES of a 30-year old! Then, they calculate how far you "deviate" with that standard deviation from the NORM. That's the T-score part. When I asked my doctor for the score to show how you compare to those your OWN age, as in, also the aging population (!!), she asked the radiologist, who scolded her for asking! They only give that out (I think it's called the Z-score), if you do NOT have osteoporosis. No fair! In any case, my lower spine is bad -- I do know I have some disc degeneration, so I often wonder if that's related. My doctor didn't know. I've done all sorts of core and spine exercises over the years, so the muscle will protect the bone. That is critical. Make sure you add strength training to your routine, 3 times a week. I went to a physical therapist and she put me on a program with 11 different exercises. I highly recommend you explore that. I lost my confidence at the gym after my diagnosis. I was so afraid I'd break a bone. I'm not afraid any more. In fact, I had a good workout today at the local YMCA fitness center. Muscle protects the bone. Balance exercises are good for you, too.

I wish the DEXA scan considered all the other bones in the body. Some bone experts say that bone density isn't the same as bone quality. The TBS, also known as Trabecular Bone Score analyzes the bone for bone quality using software. So you also will get a TBS score.

I wish you all the best with your bone and muscle strengthening program and lifestyle. I know it's not an easy diagnosis to deal with. I've been upset about it. My world has never been the same, but I'm coping with it. My doc said I have two years to turn this around without turning to medication. She believes I can do it! (she's such a supportive doctor!). Maybe because I'm on the younger side of "elderly" at 65 she's giving me this time? She knows I've been going to the gym for over a year - had taken a break from it during the pandemic - but before the pandemic, worked out fairly regularly for many years. I have to get another DEXA two years from now, and then we go from there. I have some other issue that may have contributed, but I won't get into here. I will say it relates to whether or not the calcium from my diet & supplementation was reaching the bones. After many months of research and even taking the CTX and P1NP bone marker tests so I know where I stand NOW, at the beginning, I finally started taking Vitamin K-2 on July 1st. That's a whole different topic. Check out that topic online. Vitamin K-2 as M-7 helps direct the calcium to your bones and not to your arteries. (another topic!) I did a lot of research on that before I made my purchase and started taking it. We'll see if that's been part of my problem. . . jury it out!

All the best to you. Check back and let us know how you're doing! Try to stay positive. I hope you found this helpful in some way? I've put so much time & energy into all of this, I like to share what I've learned with others in the hopes I can help. We're all in this together! You are not alone! 🙂

Gosh, I have been taking drugs for OP for 20 years. I got it from having a tumor on one of my Parathyroid Glands.

I’ve never had any issues with any kind of medication.

Hi mic1953. I sympathize with you as I was diagnosed this past April with osteoporosis. I'm still recovering from the shock but have and will be taking the more holistic approach, as you are doing. (diet geared towards bones, strength training/impact exercises) I had to reply because you have EVERY RIGHT to request YOUR DEXA report and UNDERSTAND it. It's YOUR body! Just FYI, the DEXA scan looks at the Femoral Neck of each Hip and the Lower Spine. They do this because these are the areas of the body that over time have shown are most prone to fracture as bone density decreases with age (as it does with EVERYONE!). The DEXA I had didn't include the wrist, but I've heard some do.

For the lower spine, they list it as L1, L2, L3, L4 and then provide a TOTAL #. Each lumbar spine is followed by a BMD number (Bone Mineral Density) and also includes a T-score. You should ask your osteoporosis specialist to show you the report and EXPLAIN it to you. I find it rather confusing and even confounding, as they come up with this score based on the HEALTHY BONES of a 30-year old! Then, they calculate how far you "deviate" with that standard deviation from the NORM. That's the T-score part. When I asked my doctor for the score to show how you compare to those your OWN age, as in, also the aging population (!!), she asked the radiologist, who scolded her for asking! They only give that out (I think it's called the Z-score), if you do NOT have osteoporosis. No fair! In any case, my lower spine is bad -- I do know I have some disc degeneration, so I often wonder if that's related. My doctor didn't know. I've done all sorts of core and spine exercises over the years, so the muscle will protect the bone. That is critical. Make sure you add strength training to your routine, 3 times a week. I went to a physical therapist and she put me on a program with 11 different exercises. I highly recommend you explore that. I lost my confidence at the gym after my diagnosis. I was so afraid I'd break a bone. I'm not afraid any more. In fact, I had a good workout today at the local YMCA fitness center. Muscle protects the bone. Balance exercises are good for you, too.

I wish the DEXA scan considered all the other bones in the body. Some bone experts say that bone density isn't the same as bone quality. The TBS, also known as Trabecular Bone Score analyzes the bone for bone quality using software. So you also will get a TBS score.

I wish you all the best with your bone and muscle strengthening program and lifestyle. I know it's not an easy diagnosis to deal with. I've been upset about it. My world has never been the same, but I'm coping with it. My doc said I have two years to turn this around without turning to medication. She believes I can do it! (she's such a supportive doctor!). Maybe because I'm on the younger side of "elderly" at 65 she's giving me this time? She knows I've been going to the gym for over a year - had taken a break from it during the pandemic - but before the pandemic, worked out fairly regularly for many years. I have to get another DEXA two years from now, and then we go from there. I have some other issue that may have contributed, but I won't get into here. I will say it relates to whether or not the calcium from my diet & supplementation was reaching the bones. After many months of research and even taking the CTX and P1NP bone marker tests so I know where I stand NOW, at the beginning, I finally started taking Vitamin K-2 on July 1st. That's a whole different topic. Check out that topic online. Vitamin K-2 as M-7 helps direct the calcium to your bones and not to your arteries. (another topic!) I did a lot of research on that before I made my purchase and started taking it. We'll see if that's been part of my problem. . . jury it out!

All the best to you. Check back and let us know how you're doing! Try to stay positive. I hope you found this helpful in some way? I've put so much time & energy into all of this, I like to share what I've learned with others in the hopes I can help. We're all in this together! You are not alone! 🙂

Nor have I Susan.