Osteoporosis treatment or strontium citrate?

Hi @judiruss, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You ask a great question about whether supplements can be used in conjunction with prescribed medicines. I can understand your wanting to give your bones the best chance. However, it is important to know what works, what may have negative interactions, etc. So I went on a search for evidence-based articles.

Strontium comes in several forms: strontium citrate, strontium chloride, strontium ranelate, etc. None have been approved in the U.S. The forms of strontium available over-the-counter in the U.S. or on the Internet are usually strontium citrate or strontium chloride. These forms are different from the ranelate compound and there have been no studies showing that they are safe or effective. Strontium ranelate was authorized in the European Union in 2014 to treat severe osteoporosis, but was approval was withdrawn in 2017 and is no longer be recommended to treat osteoporosis because of data demonstrating serious negative side effects. This article explains in greater detail.
- Why Strontium Is Not Advised for Bone Health https://americanbonehealth.org/medications-bone-health/why-strontium-is-not-advised-for-bone-health/

With all the treatment options out there, Mayo Clinic researchers set out to do a comparative analysis. "There are too many drugs that are used for osteoporosis," says M. Hassan Murad, M.D., an internal medicine doctor and a clinical epidemiologist in the Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery. "We wanted to compare them so that patients and physicians can make informed decisions." The studies they reviewed, conducted around the world, tested one or more of the following interventions: various bisphosphonates, teriparatide, selective estrogen receptor modulators, denosumab, abaloparatide, romosozumab, estrogen with or without progesterone, calcitonin, lasofoxifene, strontium ranelate, tibolone, PTH 1-84, calcium, or vitamin D. You can read more about their findings here:
- Finding what works best to stop osteoporosis in its tracks https://advancingthescience.mayo.edu/2019/06/17/finding-what-works-best-to-stop-osteoporosis-in-its-tracks/

Judi, are you currently taking Forte? or Prolia?

In reply to the comment that there are no studies showing strontium to be safe or effective. Here are two studies with comparisions from the excellent blog by BoneLady. It is probably best to be very careful when using absolutes in terms of no, never, none.
http://strontiumforbones.blogspot.com/2017/02/mots-and-comb-study-comparison.html

@kathleen1314, I completely agree that one has to keep an open mind with a healthy dose of skepticism and thorough evaluation. Thanks for correctly my statement. The blog post to which you refer was written in Feb 2017 and reviewed this Jan 2017 study (Mayo Clinic also participated in this study):
- Melatonin-micronutrients Osteopenia Treatment Study (MOTS): a translational study assessing melatonin, strontium (citrate), vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 (MK7) on bone density, bone marker turnover and health related quality of life in postmenopausal osteopenic women following a one-year double-blind RCT and on osteoblast-osteoclast co-cultures https://www.aging-us.com/article/101158/text

It's important to keep asking questions and pushing researchers to continue to find answers for a condition that affects 200 million people worldwide. Bone health is so important to our overall well-being.

@colleenyoung Thanks, this is of course a subject that I am keenly interested in. One thing that caught my eye was that it said "melatonin, strontium (citrate), vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 (MK7; MSDK) on bone mineral density (BMD)". I am taking vitamin D3, and K2 along with a calcium supplement to make up for the deficit in my daily consumption of calcium but I take then during the day. I wonder if nightly actually makes a difference.

I will not take strontium. The medical authorities that I have trust and faith in do not seem to recommend it. I am also a bit horrified that people take borax! Boron may be helpful but Borax is not meant for consumption.

@lioness With my lack of immunity and wanting to once again be able to go out and be with people, I will be at the front of the line for the vaccine. I read that the first group will be health care workers and people in long term care facilities, and the second group will include the immunosuppressed. I hope and pray that it will not be a live vaccine or one that supports the immune system so that I will be able to have the vaccine.
JK

I have osteoporosis and am afraid of the treatments for it have been trying strontium citrate not sure about my decision.

I am 73 and have been using strontium for a couple of years. The results are remarkable. My teeth were transparent before taking this and my nails were soft. Now my teeth are white and my nails are hard. After taking prolia and having difficulty walking, I would not take it again and decided to go with strontium and glad I did.

I am 73 and have been using strontium for a couple of years. The results are remarkable. My teeth were transparent before taking this and my nails were soft. Now my teeth are white and my nails are hard. After taking prolia and having difficulty walking, I would not take it again and decided to go with strontium and glad I did.

I am 73 and have been using strontium for a couple of years. The results are remarkable. My teeth were transparent before taking this and my nails were soft. Now my teeth are white and my nails are hard. After taking prolia and having difficulty walking, I would not take it again and decided to go with strontium and glad I did.