What's the evidence on Calcium and Vitamin D for bone density?

@moni54 You are so right, the people who are most apt to post are those who have problems. The serious problems from these drugs are very rare, like 1 in 10,000. I believe that is lower than the problems from a hip fracture when you are older. Older people who fracture a hip may end up in a wheelchair for the remainder of their life, and 20% of those people die within a year.

I struggled with deciding on a pharmaceutical but after doing all of the right things for a year my DEXA scan was worse so I will be starting on a therapeutic drug this month. I will probably start on Tymlos and after two years I will have to go on something else to maintain the gain I have achieved. I'm not happy with this, I tend to often get "rare" side-effects but I think I have to do it. At this point, I can't afford to have my osteoporosis continue to worsen.

Boron is still not considered to have been tested enough for doctors to recommend it but the tests that have been done do seem to show a slight improvement and it has caused no serious side-effects. Just do not use Borax, it is not food grade and there is no guarantee what is in it. It is used as a poison for rodents.
JK

You are so right: sugar is our enemy and the less of it the better. Do you avoid pasta and potatoes as well as beans? I'm not diabetic but a high protein low carb diet works well for me. We all have to find the best path for our treatment and osteoporosis is a serious concern for those of us with PMR who take prednisone.
For self treatment lately I also take 3mg Boron and have taken vitamin K2 Mk4 (Japanese women study showed increased bone density on 45g per day). I also take 5000 IU of D3 per day (I live in northern Ohio right on Lake Erie - not enough sun!). I try to help myself all I can.
In 2014 my lumbar spine was -3.3 (boy did I freak out) and in 2018 it was -1 (osteopenia). I do credit 2 years of Boniva monthly followed by 2 years of Forteo. Forteo (teriparatide) was the only anabolic bone-builder out there until Timlos came along. It builds actual new, healthy bone and the mechanism of action is nothing like the bisphosphonates (Boniva) which slow down the loss. Many are afraid of the black box warning about osteosarcoma but Forteo has a remarkable safety record over 15 years of tracking and study. PubMEd Central: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6778993/ "Update on the safety and efficacy of teriparatide in the treatment of osteoporosis" and, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research: https://asbmr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jbmr.4188 "Teriparatide Did Not Increase Adult Osteosarcoma Incidence in a 15 Year US Postmarketing Surveillance Study." (study partly funded by Eli LIlly).
I put this info out there for those who wish to pursue it and I do understand anyone's hesitancy to go the drug route. These are powerful drugs, but they also work.
I found good osteoporosis info at inspire.com from the National Osteoporosis Foundation. It's a forum with 2 great contributors you can do a search on: "windblown" and "hocadobi." The latter I became email friends with and she is a wealth of info. "Windblown" is a moderator and a nurse as well.
Well, I wish everyone good health and good bone health. And Happy New Year!

I have really good news. The black box warning has been removed from Forteo per Eli Lilly, apparently in 11/20. This is a result of the 15 year safety study I cited in my previous post, most likely. Here is a link to Lilly's PDF:https://pi.lilly.com/us/forteo-pi.pdf. The black box change is under the heading : RECENT MAJOR CHANGES. Under DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION talks about being treated with Forteo again. I am relieved. This drug (anabolic, builds real, healthy new bone, not a bisphosphonate) did wonders for me.

Thanks for the information. I have polymyalgia and have too take prednisone. My Dr. has been wanting me to take flosamax and I don't want too because of possible jaw disease. Does forteo have this problem? I went to website but couldn't get to information. Thank you for any info. Sue

Have you looked into AlgaeCal as an osteoporosis treatment? Highly effective nutritional supplements with no long or short term side effects. There is a forum on FB The AlgaeCal Community, and lots of info at AlgaeCal.com. Users report very impressive results. Also see Dr. Lara Pizzorno's book, Your Bones. More information can only help you!

Send me a bottle and I'll give it a try.

No, it does not because it is not in the same class of drugs as Fosomax, Boniva, Actel, and others. They are bisphosphonates and have a totally different mechanism of action. Forteo builds bone and does it safely according to the latest study (15 yr study). The biggest concern was the black box warning of osteosarcoma - a warning that has been now removed. Here is a link to the study: https://asbmr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jbmr.4188. There is also no concern for atypical femur fracture with Forteo. A newer drug that is similar to Forteo is called Tymlos. They both work the same way. I gave myself a daily shot of Forteo in my thigh for 2 years and it was the best thing I could have done. I never gave myself shots before but these had no pain, hardly felt it. However, unless you actually have osteoporosis that warrants taking Forteo you will probably not be able to get it prescribed. It is also expensive.

I am on Boniva monthly now and it should help stop some of the bone loss from prednisone (for PMR).

Thanks so much for answering! Very helpful! Sue

Thanks very much for information! Will check it out!