Tymlos at 70+ - Pros & Cons with severe osteoporosis

You have to be very careful with Rela and those types of drugs because they can cause necrosis of the jaw and that’s terrible! It doesn’t grow new bone, but it slows down the shedding and you have as much chance of getting a fracture on recalled as if you didn’t have it. It happened to my friend..

I take tymlos and have not had problems with it. I will follow it up with reclast. I also eat well, do a strength class and walk everyday. I’m trying to check all the boxes. Just turned 70.
Best of luck to you and I hope things will get better.

I am 62 and just had my first DEXA scan. My result is also Severe Osteoporosis. I'm in shock.
My insurance denied the Evenity which would have allowed me to go to an Endocrinologist and get injections from the provider once a month. It approved Tymlos, but I too do not want to self-inject every day and have very little body fat making it even more difficult. I have yet to start it and now I'm reading all the adverse effects and I'm terrified. The provider I saw had no compassion nor gave me any idea what this diagnosis entails. I feel for you. Let's try to keep each other posted as we learn more.

@bozley Stop reading about side effects. You're assuming (1) the side effects will be horrible and (2) you'll definitely get them.

The truth is that the majoriy of people have no or mild side effects. Plenty of people have posted on this forum that they took Tymlos and it was fine. Do you not believe them? Also, the *potential* side effects from Evenity are worse; that didn't bother you?

You can inject with "little" body fat. You can get the shorter 5mm needle if that helps. It's not a big deal, it becomes routine.

You know what's worse than possible side effects? A fracture in your spine or hip.

Please, make the sensible decision for yourself and at least try Tymlos.

The injection is so simple. It doesn't hurt at all. I also have had no side effects from Tymlos, with the exception of a slightly raised heart rate for an hour or so. If you've never taken ant other medications you'll likely see great gains on Tymlos.

@njx58, we should look at every possible side effect of any medication we are considering.
There are very few places, like the eyelids, that don't have enough fat to accommodate the tiny Tymlos needle.
Tymlos can be an amazing medication for most, not all, though.

@njx58 Thank you so much for talking some sense into me.
I guess I am still in shock with my "Severe Osteoporosis" diagnosis after being asymptomatic and since this was my first DEXA scan.

Also, the self-injections for 2 years sound daunting right now.

@bozley I get it. I went through the same thing. The morning injection just became a routine, like brushing my teeth. I kept it on a nightstand and did it sitting on the edge of my bed.

If this is at all motivational, my T-score went from -3.4 to -1.9 in less than a year. It's now -1.7. Try it! I know you can do it.

@lbrown742 I, too, have been taking Tymlos daily injections. Using the 5mm (31g) needles, I have infrequent bruising and no other side effects. I find that it helps to not push too hard on the needle, as deeper penetration can cause the bruising.

@bozley At 60, I got a DEXA scan and they found severe osteoporosis in my spine. Like you, I was in shock and extremely upset. I never thought I could do it - but I have been giving myself daily shots. In 12 months my spine t-score went from -3.1 to -2.4.

After reading about a lot of other peoples experiences I really believe giving yourself these shots is nothing compared to fracturing your vertebrae. Fracturing vertebrae is very very bad - 2/3 are "silent" so you won't even know about it. Then you will get a "bad" one, get an xray, and discover u have really fractured multiple vertebrae! After fracturing a vertebrae, some people are in chronic pain the rest of their lives, others end up in wheelchairs, others have to severely restrict their activities for daily living. My doctor said every unmedicated patient she has ever met who has fractured regrets not being on these medications.

I am very thin too,. The needle is very short. The nurse will show you how to do it. btw I have had no side effects from tymlos.

Good luck to you.