Osteoporosis DX and Overwhelmed

@beachbabe

"You can't have PHARMA without HARM."

This is an absurd blanket statement. You said in your initial post "I am 73 and taking Anastrazole following a breast cancer dx and lumpectomy 2 years ago."

Why are taking Anastrazole (a PHARMA) for breast cancer? Did u get a "lumpectomy" without any help from PHARMA too?

You also said "I will do what I feel is right for me and it doesn't involve taking dangerous drugs." What dangerous drugs are u referring to???? The majority of patients on OP drugs have reduced their fracture risk with no side effects. Do some research on large scale clinical studies on the most popular osteoporosis drugs. You are entitled to do whatever u like. But you are not entitled to put out incorrect misleading alarmist statements.

I totally understand the concerns with the osteo medications. I'm not anti-medication and take medications for other issue. But the potential side effects for the osteo medications, was just an issue for me. And even with the potential being low that the side effects would an issue for me, I didn't want to take the chance.

I deal with episodic migraines, and its doesn't take much to trigger one. So I'm very careful about any medication.

One thing you could consider is getting a DEXA scan with TBS. The TBS (TRABECULAR BONE SCORE) can measue the quality of your spinal bone.
I had this done and even though I had TScore of -3.5 in my spine my TBS was still in good quality range. That helped me with my decision on what to do next as I felt i had more time to try other options.

Figuring out what to do is not a simple thing .

Have you talked to your doctor about taking tamoxifen instead of an AI? It's supposed to have more of a protective rather than detrimental impact on your bones if your are postmenopausal. It's not as effective as an AI, but it's still pretty effective. I'm at high risk for breast cancer and I have osteoporosis already so I've been researching what I'm going to do if I develop breast cancer and I think I would opt for Tamoxifen over and AI, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

I too was reluctant to take medication. I have always lifted weights and taken the right supplements. Several years ago I fell and fractured my wrist. In the following years I had 2 stress fractures in my feet. Then I had a stress fracture in my ankle. I was 67 at the time. My doctor who treated my ankle looked at my dexa scan and said you have severe osteoporosis you need to do something. That was my wake-up call. I'm active and travel a lot. There is so much I still want to do. After a lot of research I choose Tymlos and sought out the top osteoporosis doctor in my area. I also requested to be put on hrt and she agreed. I am starting month number 9 and doing great. I just got my P1NP at month 8 and it's still up 300%. I have an increased heart rate for a few hours and that's it. Many people on this site have gone from severe osteoporosis to osteopena on anabolic drugs. Yes, it's scary, but maybe you'll have no or minimal side effects and grow lots of bone! Excercise and supplements are important, but sometimes medication is the only thing that will really do the job.

@roseincalifornia
I have to agree with you,I am 74 and had my first fragility fracture of T5 a few months back when I was 73. I waited for many years to say yes to the OP meds. I really was hoping that a healthy lifestyle would be my answer.
Unfortunately we all get to old age,and do have to begin taking meds. I have had some side effects,but they have been manageable. My advice is similar to yours, educate yourself,so you can avoid getting a fracture,if I had done it a little bit sooner, maybe I would not have had one. Fear is not the answer. Good luck to everyone on this OP journey.

@mabscholl1

Love "fear is not the answer".

@lbrown742

Thank you so much for sharing your story. It is so valuable for others to hear this so they might avoid having a life-altering fracture.

Unfortunately, the probability of a repeat fracture spikes so sharply right after the first event, doctors often emphasize starting protective interventions (such as bone-building medications) promptly to break the cycle. See the peer-reviewed paper "Timing of Subsequent Fractures after an Initial Fracture" - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2902743/#:~:text=The%20risk%20of%20a%20subsequent%20fracture%20is,after%20the%20initial%20fracture%20%5B4••%2C%205••%2C%206–8%5D.

I am glad to hear you are on Tymlos. It is a very effective safe drug, that is well tolerated by the majority of people who try it. It also works extremely well. At 60 I was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis -3.1 t -score. After 12 months of Tymlos, my t-score increased to -2.4, and I am hoping for more gains this year too.

In clinical trials (primarily the landmark ACTIVE trial), Tymlos demonstrated significant reductions in fracture risk compared to a placebo over an 18-month treatment period:

Vertebral (Spine) Fractures: Reduced relative risk by approximately 86%.

Nonvertebral Fractures: Reduced relative risk by approximately 43%.

I hope you let us know your before and after T-scores, and I hope you continue to share your journey on this forum. Good luck!

@mabscholl1

Thank you so much for sharing your story.

I am so glad to hear you are seeking medical treatment to stop the cascade of fractures that
many untreated people with OP experience.

I hope you share your story more on this forum. As you said, there is too much fear and misinformation.

Best wishes to you on your health journey.

@njx58 a history of fractures is exactly why I am taking Prolia…I have had several among a bunch of other issues. I can’t imagine going through that again!

I'm in agreement with beachbabe and arozer and I'll add my own 5 cents: I'm 79 yrs. old and in November 2025 was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis. Some of you already know my story from other chats about spine health, spinal fusion. Long story short, it's now August 2026 and my severe osteoporosis reversed to osteopenia--thankfully due to Tymlos. We cannot expect to protect our health, quality of life--and life itself--without the assistance of medication for osteoporosis. Different degrees of osteoporosis require different medications. Some people experience side effects, others don't. I happen to fall in the first category. Side effects are unpleasant, but I'm willing to put up with them if the end result is improvement. Please get the help that you need because osteoporosis is a silent killer and that's a fact. Your doctor(s) are correct--you are not doing enough; and you are correct about leaving your health up to chance. Depending solely on diet, supplements, hormone replacement therapy, or exercise, will not bring about the desired health outcome. You have a complicated health history in addition to the osteoporosis. Find an endocrinologist who could give some guidance on how to move forward with protecting yourself from further osteoporosis damage without compromising your cancer care. My heart goes out to you, and I wish you well in this health journey.