Spine Doctor and hip doctors opinion .. scared to start taking them

So did that Dr think the bone meds offered benefits that outweighed the risks?

I never took oral meds. Went from Forteo to Tymlos to Evenity and now Reclast.
I’m on Medicare. While I’m here, I should say that I never had any side effects from any of them and went from osteoporosis to osteopenia.
I know that I am very fortunate.

He left it for me to decide and suggested I ask an endocrinologist if he would permit a year of diligent walking and supplements and have another dexa.
I am consulting a second endocrinologist to see his opinion..
Thank you!, I will keep you posted.

@albertklein

Did your hip doctor and other doctor
say that the osteoporosis meds that are offered to us,
at this time, are poison?
The questions of - does the risk outweigh the
benefits, keep buzzing in my head.

I am of the opinion that these meds are powerful drugs
and we do not know if they will help, who they will help.
And we do not know the future side effects.

Many doctors don't include TBS, and don't include
CTX P1NP blood test to gauge if the drug they are
recommending are working - at 3 months or so, instead of
waiting the full year to see results.

It appears to me to be more like Russian Roulette -
The information doctors rely on is mainly based on pharmaceutical
clinical trials, and then Health Department protocols:
if you have A then do B.

Feedback from side effects of real live patients are not
taken seriously enough. Therefore data is not being updated.
Government bodies have no interest in validating clinical
tests done by pharmaceuticals.

Unfortunately there are few options for
treatment, aside from pharmaceutical meds.

Even if you're interested in knowing more about
collagen, strontium calcium, melatonin, or tocotrienols
plus many others that show promise, in initial stages, to slow
down resorption or increase osteoblast activity -
these will not be tested by pharmaceutical or Health
Departments. No profit incentive here.

For those of you on MayoConnect that have been helped
with any of these treatment, I say Great! am happy
that you have positive results.

After a year, I have positive results with standard exercize
and .. as good a diet as I can. The gains are as much as if
I would have obtained on a drug;
but I am far from getting to good numbers.

The question I wrestle with is, do I want to start and be on
drugs the rest of my life...
Yes, it might depend on age: how young or old you are when you start.
And them, my attitude is balancing quality of life vs feeling
unwell, nausea/dizziness and so on. For what gains?
People with osteopenia can also experience
fragility fractures from minor trauma, such as a low fall.

Thank you for your reply , lately I lost my second husband to cancer , I saw how medicines make you feel unwell , I had the worst experience with the Covid vaccine , never felt so bad in my life . I understand all risk of not having it and risk of having it . I just do not want to feel side effects , can’t afford to feel unwell . And I am very scared . Went today with a renowned acupuncturist . His view was to try his method and then have a Dexa . He said he has had success in turning osteoporosis to osteopenia . My question is should I try just a year one more year without medicines ?

@albertklein

Did your hip doctor and other doctor
say that the osteoporosis meds that are offered to us,
at this time, are poison?
The questions of - does the risk outweigh the
benefits, keep buzzing in my head.

I am of the opinion that these meds are powerful drugs
and we do not know if they will help, who they will help.
And we do not know the future side effects.

Many doctors don't include TBS, and don't include
CTX P1NP blood test to gauge if the drug they are
recommending are working - at 3 months or so, instead of
waiting the full year to see results.

It appears to me to be more like Russian Roulette -
The information doctors rely on is mainly based on pharmaceutical
clinical trials, and then Health Department protocols:
if you have A then do B.

Feedback from side effects of real live patients are not
taken seriously enough. Therefore data is not being updated.
Government bodies have no interest in validating clinical
tests done by pharmaceuticals.

Unfortunately there are few options for
treatment, aside from pharmaceutical meds.

Even if you're interested in knowing more about
collagen, strontium calcium, melatonin, or tocotrienols
plus many others that show promise, in initial stages, to slow
down resorption or increase osteoblast activity -
these will not be tested by pharmaceutical or Health
Departments. No profit incentive here.

For those of you on MayoConnect that have been helped
with any of these treatment, I say Great! am happy
that you have positive results.

After a year, I have positive results with standard exercize
and .. as good a diet as I can. The gains are as much as if
I would have obtained on a drug;
but I am far from getting to good numbers.

The question I wrestle with is, do I want to start and be on
drugs the rest of my life...
Yes, it might depend on age: how young or old you are when you start.
And them, my attitude is balancing quality of life vs feeling
unwell, nausea/dizziness and so on. For what gains?
People with osteopenia can also experience
fragility fractures from minor trauma, such as a low fall.

I feel the same way.

I agree. I'd never have risked any of these drugs, without having seen the pain of the fractures in others. Thanks and best luck to everyone. Bless our bones.

@gently
@maryandnans
I understand fractures are very painful,
but fortunately most if not all heal eventually.

Potent drugs, any of them, that we
ingest, will to a certain degree leave some
sort of cumulative lasting side effects.
Take as a quick example, overuse or negligent
use of Tylenol affecting your liver.

These drugs have not been on the market that long.
What do we know about cancer risks or other serious
conditions 20 years or more after treatment.
Any data being kept on this?

The point I would like to make:
why are we - women who are suffering from osteoporosis,
not standing up, forming a strong demand
for more clarity, more investigations into
diet or supplements, or other avenues to help
this condition, aside from here take this pill
or injections.

I am not normally an actively outspoken person
for any cause.
But I am angry.
I am angry that I have to do all this research on my
own, the best diet, aside from get your dairy and
take your Vitamin D, which some research is
telling us does not prevent fractures.
Or - too much dairy adds calcification to heart health.
What is the best exercize according to our bone strength,
and so on.
Everytime an article pops up: take prunes, or whatever.
Off we go, searching, trying it, in the hope it might
help.
This is not good health care:
government health department make decisions
by off loading their responsibilities onto Big Pharma

For those of you who have been helped taking meds
I am truly very happy for you.
However, the stats aren't available to see how many
are helped, to what degree, and conversely how many are not.