Good luck to you! I think the prescriptions are more effective than nutrition alone and more effective than the non-prescription supplements.

My first Dexa scan, at age 67, showed lumbar spine -3.7 while both hips had low osteopenia. After 2.5 years of alendronate, plus eating more calcium rich foods, continued vitamin D supplementation and continued exercise (walking plus lifting weights), my lumbar spine stayed at -3.7 and hips improved to -1.9. Now I’ve taken Tymlos for 5 months, added physical therapy targeting spine fracture prevention, increased weight training, added 15 mg 3 times a day of vitamin K-2, and hope to schedule another Dexa in less than a year and a half.

So alendronate probably helped my hips improve and did not change my spine. I have not had any side effects from Tymlos or from alendronate.