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Treatments that do less harm ?

Posted by nycmusic @nycmusic, 4 hours ago

Is there an osteoporosis treatment that does not harm the GI system, the kidneys and/or the jawbone/teeth ?? These 3 areas are not my strong areas…would I be trading ‘’possible’’ help with bones only to start a whole other range of not-so-minor problems ?? …to be on OP meds of 1 kind or another for life ? At present, I am a healthy cancer survivor and do a careful / limited use of supplements (because of kidney function), PT. and osteopath directed exercises as well as walking— but I keep hearing that’s not enough …people/ docs say it’s flirting with life-changing fractures….this story is that of so many people trying to have some quality of life !!

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njx58 | @njx58 | 2 hours ago

Remember that bone density and bone strength are two different things. Dr. McCormick, who is often mentioned here as the author of "Great Bones", has a long history with osteoporosis including multiple fractures, even though he's an athlete. He's 70 or 71 at this point, and *still* competes in triathlons. Anyway, his spine T-score is something like -3.3. He uses nutrition and exercise to improve bone strength. When I asked him about his score, he said "I don't care if I have osteoporosis - I only care if I fracture."

It's useful to get a DEXA with TBS so that you can get a measurement of your bone quality.

The anabolics (Tymlos, Forteo, Evenity) are good because they are taken for a limited time. The problem is that you have to follow up with a biphosphonate to preserve the gains, and that is where you can have issues with GI, jawbone, etc. But, even that can be overblown. The jawbone risk is really for people who have taken it for five years. The current thinking is to take a drug "holiday" every so often so that you're not continuously on the drug year after year after year. Maybe that would work for you.

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green1 | @green1 | 2 hours ago

Same issues with me. So concerned I stopped Prolia after 3rd shot( 6 months apart despite warning use caution when stopping after 2nd shot

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nycmusic | @nycmusic | 1 hour ago
In reply to @njx58 "Remember that bone density and bone strength are two different things. Dr. McCormick, who is often..." + (show)
Profile picture for njx58 @njx58

Remember that bone density and bone strength are two different things. Dr. McCormick, who is often mentioned here as the author of "Great Bones", has a long history with osteoporosis including multiple fractures, even though he's an athlete. He's 70 or 71 at this point, and *still* competes in triathlons. Anyway, his spine T-score is something like -3.3. He uses nutrition and exercise to improve bone strength. When I asked him about his score, he said "I don't care if I have osteoporosis - I only care if I fracture."

It's useful to get a DEXA with TBS so that you can get a measurement of your bone quality.

The anabolics (Tymlos, Forteo, Evenity) are good because they are taken for a limited time. The problem is that you have to follow up with a biphosphonate to preserve the gains, and that is where you can have issues with GI, jawbone, etc. But, even that can be overblown. The jawbone risk is really for people who have taken it for five years. The current thinking is to take a drug "holiday" every so often so that you're not continuously on the drug year after year after year. Maybe that would work for you.

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@njx58 thanks …I believe protecting my kidneys could be the main thing to consider, though I really want to avoid GI problems, being a recent survivor of CRC !

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