← Return to Prolia treatment for osteoporosis: What is your experience?

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@cherriann

I sure understand your worries and trying to figure out whether to continue taking this drug or not. Doctors and research community do not know enough about "any" of the osteoporosis drugs. Very, very hard for patients to decide whether they are going to receive enough of a benefit from these drugs versus the risk, or will taking them make things worse over time. I read reviews from those on all sides of this issue, plus staying on top of the medical research that is on-going, but after taking Fosamax for several years with unsatisfactory results and their side-effects - I am waiting for better and safer drugs to become available before using any of those currently on the market.

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Replies to "I sure understand your worries and trying to figure out whether to continue taking this drug..."

I agree that no one knows the long-term effects of these drugs. I stopped Prolia after three injections due to a number of side effects, and regret not doing enough research before starting. My internist had been telling me for ten years that I HAD to do something and that the choices were Prolia and Forteo, so I rather blindly agreed to Prolia. I was not told about the potential for rebound fractures when stopping, hence, the need to stay on it forever or switch to another drug. I had extreme fatigue, a persistent cough with mucous, episodes of vertigo, acid reflux, joint pain, itchy skin, and hair loss, with most setting in after the third injection. I saw specialists to rule out other causes for those conditions before deciding to stop Prolia. All of those conditions have improved since stopping. If I were fracturing, I would be more willing to endure side effects, but I am not willing to endure a dramatic loss of quality of life otherwise. And I am now taking my chances that I will be one who suffers rebound fracturing, because I didn't go on another drug. I feel that I am worse off than when I started. I am also one of those who was prescribed Fosamax in the mid-90s when it first came out as a preventative measure, and I didn't even have osteoporosis. It was prescribed to me year after year for nearly 15 years. I just recently learned through my extensive research on these drugs that Fosamax taken for that long can permanently alter the structure of the bones, and is now prescribed for only a very short period of time. All of that said, I know that there are people who take Prolia with no side effects, and that it can be a godsend to someone who is fracturing.