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Treating Osteoporosis: What works for you?
Osteoporosis & Bone Health | Last Active: Sep 2 10:11am | Replies (1085)Comment receiving replies
Hi. Thanks. I called a pharmacist, but she didn't seem to even absorb my question. I asked "Is there a medication that just builds bone, without *also* preventing resorption? I am thinking I want a med that's like what Restasis does for tears, producing tears, except for bone....and not have the anti-resorption aspect. (The anti-resorption, I am afraid, is what might cause the extreme fractures -- "atypical femoral fractures" described starting at spot 10:35 in the Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MripZTWMBQ). The pharmacist replied: "I don't think there's a medication that make your bones reproduce to the point where ... <she didn't finish her thought>... but there are medications that can make your bones healthy, and that's why they ask you to take calcium and vitamin D." Her reply was just a rambling mess; seemed medications wasn't her wheelhouse.
PS -- Seems my first link in my main post above was right, and I haven't been able to locate the right link, sorry.
Replies to "Hi. Thanks. I called a pharmacist, but she didn't seem to even absorb my question. I..."
Here's a quick overview from Harvard Health on the different drugs currently used to treat osteoporosis. The side
effects and risks vary widely so this is just a survey of what's currently on offer. I've read studies looking at which alleles on which genes seem to be most prognostic of osteoporosis so hope that genetic testing might also offer some guidance in the near future.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/osteoporosis-drugs-which-one-is-right-for-you
@catluvr999 Tymlos and Forteo do not affect resorption the way the other drugs do, and works with the parathyroid. Do you have a doctor?
They may have some minimal impact:
"Tymlos acts like PTH, binding to one of the PTH receptors in your bone. The type of receptor it binds to and the way in which it binds promotes bone formation and minimizes the other function of PTH, namely bone resorption, and calcium release."
Anabolics like Tymlos and Forteo work mainly by building bone, whereas biphosphonates and Prolia work by affecting resorption. Tymlos and Forteo do not cause the dental/ONJ issues or atypical fractures that may happen (if rarely) with the other drugs.
Evenity does both and does carry the risk of ONJ or atypical fractures but is only used for one year.
It might reassure you that anabolics like Tymlos and Forteo may be used to heal the atypical fractures caused by biphosphonates (or PRolia).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4691592/
Background
"Bisphosphonates (BPs) are the most commonly used anti-osteoporotic drugs, which have been proven to reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures. However, use of BPs, particularly for long periods of time, is associated with an increased risk of atypical femoral fracture (AFF). Healing of BP-associated AFF is usually delayed because of suppressed bone turnover. Teriparatide (TPTD), a recombinant form of parathyroid hormone (PTH), enhances bone healing in patients with delayed healing or non-union."
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There are a handful of choices with respect to drugs for osteoporosis and, regrettably, none of them perfect or free of thought-provoking side effects and potential side effects. If there is one that does "make bones healthy" as the pharmacist mentioned, I've not heard of it. Unless she was referring to the few drugs that seem to trigger the growth of new bone?
I've wondered too why and how bisphosphonates can induce those longitudinal fractures of the femur (or osteonecrosis in rare cases for that matter). I suspect as you do that there's something else happening when old dead bone cells aren't being slouched off?