Elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH): How is it treated?

All of you: Go see a licensed holistic doctor, nutritionist, or health care practioner. Diet is behind osteopenia and osteoporosis, and only THEN consider surgery AFTER trying tuning up your fuel intake first!
Story:
My semi-vegetarian health nut (yoga, bicycling) sun-screen wearing sister in MN at 40 yrs old had her Vit D level at 8 & severe osteoporosis. She broke bones every time she fell or tripped. Her doctors gave her 50k IU D2 weekly. Surgeons removed 3-1/2 parathyroid glands. She still had issues.
Her doctor's medical practice finally added a nutritionist to their staff. My sister then found out it was all caused by a mineral and vitamin imbalance, and NOT her parathyroids suddenly going wonky.

Bone Building:
Calcium: Magnesium: Phosphorous HAS to be in a 2:1:1 ratio to build bones, and my sister had too much phosphorous and too little magnesium.
Almost all Americans have high calcium (and excess belly fat) due to our love of cheese, milk, yogurt, and ice cream.
Eliminate all dairy for a few months and see what happens (....besides your post nasal drip and a few lbs going away). Use Avocodo or Olive Oil instead of butter whenever possible. It is worth a try.

Synthetic D2 is poorly converted in many older people (due to their low stomach acid), and so my sister switched to (natural) 5000 IU Vit D3 a.m &pm, got outside to garden more (and tan), then Vit D numbers started to climb. Now 57, she is not 100%, but doing a lot better than when she was 40.
Poor digestion:
If you have digestion issues (or a missing gallbladder), your absorption of fats, proteins, certain minerals, and fat-soluble vitamins (like A, E, D, etc.) will be poor. You may have acid reflux and burp a lot (SIBO). It is another good reason to consult a nutritionist, and increase your celery and cucumber intake (for their chloride and special electrolytes).
Vit D is actually a hormone complex with little known about it, so chemical precursors like D2 are a poor approximation. Keep a light natural tan, but no burning. Tan arms is not enough.
...Just remember our ancestors wore loin cloths (if that) all summer!

Vit K2 is what drives calcium into the bones and keeps it out of the soft tissues, causing osteoarthritis, cataracts, hardened heart valves, etc. K2 comes from fermented foods, which are eaten daily in most European and Asian cultures, but not in the U.S.
LifeExtension did a lot of research on K2, and won in court against the FDA after they got caught publishing 'health claims' for an essential vitamin. (Duh!).
Vit K2 is different than K1, which helps with blood clotting.
Statins block Vit K , and just look at all the listed side effects. Statins also increase all-cause mortality; just ask your prescribing doctor if they have ever read the actual original 3rd party research. Unless they are somehow medically necessary, any statins should be discontinued with your doctor's help.
Instead, keep triglyceride (fat globules in the blood) levels low (

Thank you for the information. It has been very informative.

I've just received the results of my follow-up tests for intact PTH and blood calcium. The initial tests were done in late November 2018. Calcium continues normal at 9.2 but my PTH decreased from 82 to 59. While 59 is within normal limits, I've read (bless you/curse you, internet) that wonky readings indicate abnormality, not just a one-off high reading. I see my doctor on Tuesday and will post again after that.

Another thing - does anyone else have bone/muscle/joint pain with your elevated PTH? For the last year I've had miscellaneous aches that I can't account for. I'm going to ask the doctor about these, but am curious about personal experience from this group. Thanks in advance.

Hello @crankyyankee

We do have a lot in common. My PTH and calcium level goes up and down as well. I do have bone pain but I'm also losing bone mass.

I also have a very low Vit D level, do you have your Vit D level checked periodically? If not that would be a good thing to request at your next appointment.

Here is some information about hyperparathyroidism (high PTH) and if you look at the article there are a number of symptoms listed including bone and joint pain.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyperparathyroidism/symptoms-causes/syc-20356194
What is the status of your bone mass? Do you have a bone density test done periodically?

Yes, I had severe, debilitating bone pain in my hips mostly. It had gotten so bad that I could barely walk. Once I had my surgery that pain was gone. The surgery did not help with the muscle, tendon and joint pain from fibromyalgia, degenerative disc disease and osteopenia.

My Vitamin D is low normal at 40. I guess your doctor isn't inclined to recommend a parathyroidectomy. I read (somewhere!) a study in which that surgery helped even patients who did not have consistent hyperparathyroidism. I'm going to see if I can find that again and will post a link.
My bone density has decreased but I'm still only osteopenic, especially in the hip and spine. Here are my numbers:
Femoral Neck: BMD 0.612 g/cm2. The T-score is -2.1
Total Hip: BMD 0.736 g/cm2. The T-score is -1.7.
Lumbar Spine L1, L4: BMD 0.848 g/cm2. The T-score is -1.7.
Forearm: BMD 0.579 g/cm2. The T-score is -1.8.

@cindyt63 - did your bone density increase after the surgery? Were you taking meds for it previously? I'm pretty uneasy about taking bisphosphonates Fosamax, etc. I know about those "small risks" from certain medications. My husband took a fluoroquinolone (Cipro) and was the rare statistic: his Achilles tendon snapped and really altered his physical health greatly.

@crankyyankee

My Vit D level is at 17, no matter how much supplements I take. We have talked about the surgery, however, I have one paralyzed vocal cord and the risk of surgery could be having the other vocal cord harmed, which would put me on a trach for the rest of my days - not a good option. My osteopenia is worse in the hip and forearm and OK in the spine.

I have not had a follow up bone density test yet. I will have one in a few months. I will be interested in seeing if it increases.@ I have been on Fosamax since my diagnosis of osteopenia. I have not had any problems with the Fosamax so far. I generally don't have reactions to medications with the exception of statin drugs and Mobic. I'm sorry to hear about your husband's reaction to Cipro.