Osteoporosis treatment or strontium citrate?

Before I say anything, I want to say you should discuss everything with your doctor - I am NOT a doctor. I am a social worker with a strong science and medical background. I have very severe osteoporosis - my DEXA scan came back at -5.7 (severe osteoporosis begins at -2.5). So I have been talking to doctors and reading everything I could get my hands on. I DO have an extenuating circumstance in that I had a pituitary tumor that caused my endocrine system to kind of drop off - my thyroid and adrenals stopped working and I had zero Human Growth Hormone (HGH). The tumor has been removed and I am now taking thyroid, cortisol for my adrenals (to keep me from going into a coma), and I am getting HGH to inject nightly. There are so many options for reversing my bone loss, but it is a bit of an emergency as I have had fractures. So my doctors and I decided to put me on a very low dose estrogen and progesterone regimen and I have a reference paper for that if anybody is interested. I researched all the bone growth prescription drugs, talked to a lot of women who had used them, and decided to not use them. The side effects were worrisome and some women said their side effects were irreversible. Also, doctors told me that when you stop using the bisphosphonates, all the bone growth you gained is lost. The way those drugs work is they prevent your bones from losing the old bone. Usually your body gets rid of old bones and makes new bones, but the bisphosphonates prevent those old bones from going. That old bone shows up on scans and makes it look like you have new bone growth, but it is dead bone. One of the risks I could not accept is osteonecrosis or bone death, which usually begins in the jaw. Doctors will tell you this is rare. Rare though it may be, after talking to four women who have it, I decided it just wasn't worth it. Besides, I want new healthy. bone. So I began studying vitamins and minerals, and how to build bone naturally. I quickly dismissed strontium after talking with several researchers and doctors. It's another case of giving you the appearance of new bone, but it goes away the minute you stop taking it. This is what my scientist/doctor friend told me about strontium: "Strontium is a basic metallic element like calcium, for which it substitutes in bone. It's the reason that air nuclear testing was stopped in the 1960’s, because the radioactive isotope of Strontium (Strontium 90) accumulated in children’s bones while they were growing - from drinking milk from cows who’d eaten grass that had absorbed it from the air. The non-radioactive isotopes are probably fine, and are the only ones that could be sold for osteoporosis."

So I moved on to studying the vitamins and minerals. It is best to eat foods high in calcium. If you think you are falling short, you should supplement with calcium. I use a food-based calcium and there are several brands on the market. You can search for it on Amazon - I get most of my supplements there. You also want to take a good magnesium. Everybody's magnesium needs are different - if you get diarrhea, take a little less. Since magnesium and calcium frequently come together in pill form, you should know that your body can only absorb 500 mg of calcium OR magnesium TOTAL in a four-hour period of time, and calcium should be taken two hours away from other prescription meds or vitamins. So I am taking half of my calcium/magnesium medicine and taking it four times a day instead of two. The vitamins I need and DO take at the same time as calcium and/or magnesium are Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 (MK4 and MK7). While it is possible to eat. enough vitamin K in food - you need K2 (MK4 and MK7) for the human body - so I supplement. There is no hypervitaminosis with Vitamin K, so you won't overdose on it. Vitamin K2 tells the body to send the calcium to the bones, not to the kidneys or arteries - it is a very important vitamin. I add to this 3 mg of boron. Some people add silica, but it can cause kidney failure, so I do not. In addition to all of this, I take a good food-based multivitamin, a good B-complex, and a good vitamin C, and zinc (50 mg max).

Many people take beef collagen (from grass fed cows) in their tea or smoothie. I have to start doing this on a more regular basis. Someone pointed out an NIH study that shows it will help with bone growth.

Further, there is proof that a diet that includes sugar OF ANY KIND is not good for bones, and if someone wants me to look up a citation for this, I will. I have gone completely off sugar (well, I get 1 gram of sugar in my celery). For the past five years I have done the diet found in the book "The Candida Cure" by Ann Boroch. I realize going off sugar is not something most people want to do - but since I MUST take that small dose of steroid daily for my adrenal function, I had to go off sugar to avoid candida overgrowth. And in the end, it worked out good for my bones. The diet is dreaded by most people - but as someone who has done it a long time, I have to say I would never go back to eating sugar. More and more I see people are starting to realize how bad sugar is for us. I had precancerous metaplasia cells in my gut before I went on the diet - they are gone! My teeth have never been better. My inflammation in joints, bones, everywhere has reduced drastically, and a life-long horrible skin disease has abated. I sleep like a baby, my anxiety is gone - there just isn't a bad side to that story.

So these are all the things I have started doing for my bones. I don't think exercise helps, but I do it anyway. I do not smoke cigarettes and I do not consume alcohol. I will give references as time permits and where I have them. I encourage everyone to do their own research and try to find your own truth. I will be getting a bone density DEXA scan sometime near early summer. I wanted to wait another year, but doctors are pushing me to get it done. There are three endocinologists that are hoping I will see the error of my ways and will take their bone-building drugs but that isn't going to happen. The side effects are too great for me, and knowing that the minute you stop, all that old bone vanishes and you are back to where you started or worse is enough for me to know I can't do it. I want real bone growth. I'm sure that there will be some improvement as I have not had another fracture in the past year and a half.

Of all the things I am doing, I think the Vitamins D3, K2 (MK4 and MK7), food-based calcium, magnesium, and boron are the most helpful. There is some great online information available for free regarding Vitamin K2, and there are some good books out about it now. As I said, most doctors do not know very much about Vitamin D3 and many know nothing about Vitamin K2. I expect this will change over time.

My main goal is to educate. Please discuss any changes in your regimen with your doctor, as I am not a doctor.

I have been treated with bisphosphanates, forteo, prolia and I had 11 non-traumatic spontaneous vertebral compression fractures during treatment. I now take 680 mg strontium citrate without side effects and the fractures have stopped. Do not take it within 2 hours of ingesting calcium -- so I take it at bedtime. My teeth are really strong and it feels like my bones are too. Most people who take strontium citrate report their fractures STOP. They won't do any studies but the END OF FRACTURES SAYS IT ALL!
IT was a 9 year nightmare until I started the strontium citrate. Good luck to all of you.

Welcome to Connect, @clarkedu. It looks like you've done your research. I applaud you for seeking out experiences of others add to your evaluation of which drug might work for you. @lioness is right that much can be done without drugs, but sometimes progression is such that drugs are required in conjunction with lifestyle changes.

To continue your research, you may be interested in reading and asking members questions in these discussions:
* Forteo vs. Tymlos https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/forteo-vs-tymlos-1/
* Reclast Infusion https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/reclast-infusion/
* Prolia treatment for osteoporosis https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/prolix-treatment-for-osteoporosis/
* Side Effects of Prolia https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/side-effects-of-prolia/
* Treating Osteoporosis https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hi-im-new-to-the-site-and-am-interested-in-treating-osteoperosis/

I am actively and urgently in the process of deciding which osteoporosis treatment I want to "pitch" to my doctors. Fosomax is the formulary for my HMO, but that does not appeal to me at all. I feel that I need something that is shown to rebuild bone (15 lumbar and thoracic vertebral compression fractures). Initially Forteo was top contender (refrigeration requirement is an issue) until I came across Tymlos (refrigeration being easier to manage is one of several benefits over Forteo). Can and should treatments such as these be used in conjunction with strontium citrate, about which I know nothing by the way? Any feedback to help me through this maze will be highly appreciated

I am in the same situation ... researching and studying my options for treatment of my osteopenia. I was on Fosamax long-term. Throughout the past 15 years I have had four doctors retire. I believe I may have been on Fosamax too long. I was not aware of the need to take a vacation from the use or being taken off of the drugs after X number of years. Research indicates that rare but serious Fosamax femur fractures are associated with long-term use. ... Furthermore, the Fosamax femur fractures occurred in patients who had been taking Fosamax for an average of five or more years. Well, I was one of those who had the femur fractures. One of the fractures occurred last year because I fell on a broken sidewalk in September, 2018. I fractured my right leg, pelvis and hip... I had an IM Nailing.On August 28th,2019, After 51 weeks...I had to have that IM Nailing surgery redone because the wrong size rod was used. When I was nearly finished with my physical therapy for the re-nailing it was discovered that I had a stress fracture in my left femur. On November 13, I had surgery on the left leg. After the re-mailing in August my orthopedic doctor took me off of the Fosamax. I understand that it’s a difficult to find the best treatment.... I know there are three major treatments.... Of course all of which have side effects, not to mention the cost. I am still researching and will be meeting with an endocrinologist in the first quarter of 2020. This is just my story ...I’m not saying that everyone who takes Fosamax ,or other drugs in that same class of drugs, will have femur fractures... I’m just one that did.

Does anyone take Forteo ? My Dr wants me to start taking this. My fear is the cost. Injecting myself daily. and I don't hear much about it.

I am in the same situation ... researching and studying my options for treatment of my osteopenia. I was on Fosamax long-term. Throughout the past 15 years I have had four doctors retire. I believe I may have been on Fosamax too long. I was not aware of the need to take a vacation from the use or being taken off of the drugs after X number of years. Research indicates that rare but serious Fosamax femur fractures are associated with long-term use. ... Furthermore, the Fosamax femur fractures occurred in patients who had been taking Fosamax for an average of five or more years. Well, I was one of those who had the femur fractures. One of the fractures occurred last year because I fell on a broken sidewalk in September, 2018. I fractured my right leg, pelvis and hip... I had an IM Nailing.On August 28th,2019, After 51 weeks...I had to have that IM Nailing surgery redone because the wrong size rod was used. When I was nearly finished with my physical therapy for the re-nailing it was discovered that I had a stress fracture in my left femur. On November 13, I had surgery on the left leg. After the re-mailing in August my orthopedic doctor took me off of the Fosamax. I understand that it’s a difficult to find the best treatment.... I know there are three major treatments.... Of course all of which have side effects, not to mention the cost. I am still researching and will be meeting with an endocrinologist in the first quarter of 2020. This is just my story ...I’m not saying that everyone who takes Fosamax ,or other drugs in that same class of drugs, will have femur fractures... I’m just one that did.

I was diagnosed with osteoporosis several months ago, but haven't started treatment. My Dr. doesn't want to put me on bisphosphonates because I have GCA and digestive issues. Someone on another forum posted this study and I'm going to run it by him. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221793012_Combination_of_Micronutrients_for_Bone_COMB_Study_Bone_Density_after_Micronutrient_Intervention