Forteo vs. Tymlos: Which did you choose?

Posted by suze317 @suze317, Oct 17, 2018

I have to make a decision on Forteo vs. Tymlos and am not sure what to choose. Forteo has been around a lot longer, but has to be refrigerated. Tymlos only around 1 1/2 years but is shelf stable and seems to have less side effects and less issues with calcium. Can anyone offer their perspective? Thank you!

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That's the way I read it too. That 6 months is shown to provide benefit and a longer time on the drug was even better. Which is always good to see even further corroboration of.

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@callalloo

That's the way I read it too. That 6 months is shown to provide benefit and a longer time on the drug was even better. Which is always good to see even further corroboration of.

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What I liked about the study is that it looked at multiple variables of bone health and renewal, not just density, in measuring the gains.

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Hello everyone,
I recently had dexa scan and have very bad osteoporosis, from -3.7 to -4.7. I am tall and thin and in my late 60s. I haven't had any symptoms. I also have lung infections which I'm being treated for and a history of ulcerative colitis. My rheumatologist wants to put me on Forteo, which you inject . Has anyone had any experience with Forteo? I am a little nervous about any side effects. Thanks so much for any advice.

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@mj20

Hello everyone,
I recently had dexa scan and have very bad osteoporosis, from -3.7 to -4.7. I am tall and thin and in my late 60s. I haven't had any symptoms. I also have lung infections which I'm being treated for and a history of ulcerative colitis. My rheumatologist wants to put me on Forteo, which you inject . Has anyone had any experience with Forteo? I am a little nervous about any side effects. Thanks so much for any advice.

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Hello @mj20. I wanted to bring you into an existing discussion on Forteo and Tymlos, so you will notice that I have moved your post here to help connect you with other members more quickly: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/forteo-vs-tymlos-1/

Members such as @windyshores and @jmanj may be able to come in and share what they know about Forteo.

Which side effects are you most concerned about?

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@mj20

Hello everyone,
I recently had dexa scan and have very bad osteoporosis, from -3.7 to -4.7. I am tall and thin and in my late 60s. I haven't had any symptoms. I also have lung infections which I'm being treated for and a history of ulcerative colitis. My rheumatologist wants to put me on Forteo, which you inject . Has anyone had any experience with Forteo? I am a little nervous about any side effects. Thanks so much for any advice.

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Hi mj20, I've been on Forteo for just over a year. Side effects for me are minimal. There was a slight bit of pain at times during the first 10 days or so and then nothing after that. I can't even say it was a side effect, as it could have been coincidence (I have Primary Imundeodeficiency and began antibody infusions 6 days after I began Forteo. Some of it could be related to that.) I would choose Forteo again.

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@mj20

Hello everyone,
I recently had dexa scan and have very bad osteoporosis, from -3.7 to -4.7. I am tall and thin and in my late 60s. I haven't had any symptoms. I also have lung infections which I'm being treated for and a history of ulcerative colitis. My rheumatologist wants to put me on Forteo, which you inject . Has anyone had any experience with Forteo? I am a little nervous about any side effects. Thanks so much for any advice.

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I did Forteo for two years (age 65-66) and experienced 12.8% increase in spine and 5% in hips. I had no side effects, but also have no complicating health issues (except the quintessential thin, white woman who was on birth control pills for way too long). Forteo does need to be refrigerated, but I found a very cool wide mouth thermos on Amazon that could keep in cold for 36+ hours when I traveled. It is always difficult to choose the best path. Much luck to you!

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@lkel

Hi mj20, I've been on Forteo for just over a year. Side effects for me are minimal. There was a slight bit of pain at times during the first 10 days or so and then nothing after that. I can't even say it was a side effect, as it could have been coincidence (I have Primary Imundeodeficiency and began antibody infusions 6 days after I began Forteo. Some of it could be related to that.) I would choose Forteo again.

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Thank you for your reply. I was worried about continuing pain that some people have talked about. I really appreciate your response. Thanks!

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@jmanj

I did Forteo for two years (age 65-66) and experienced 12.8% increase in spine and 5% in hips. I had no side effects, but also have no complicating health issues (except the quintessential thin, white woman who was on birth control pills for way too long). Forteo does need to be refrigerated, but I found a very cool wide mouth thermos on Amazon that could keep in cold for 36+ hours when I traveled. It is always difficult to choose the best path. Much luck to you!

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Thanks so much! I'm glad no lingering side effects. I'm also concerned about the injections. Are they painful? I've had to give myself infusion antibiotics, but never a direct needle. Yikes! Thanks for your reply!

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@amandajro

Hello @mj20. I wanted to bring you into an existing discussion on Forteo and Tymlos, so you will notice that I have moved your post here to help connect you with other members more quickly: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/forteo-vs-tymlos-1/

Members such as @windyshores and @jmanj may be able to come in and share what they know about Forteo.

Which side effects are you most concerned about?

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Thanks so much for your reply. I had read about lingering pain, so I was nervous about that. I am also uncomfortable about giving myself a shot every day, but I'll do what I have to do. Thank you so much for your help.

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@mj20

Thanks so much! I'm glad no lingering side effects. I'm also concerned about the injections. Are they painful? I've had to give myself infusion antibiotics, but never a direct needle. Yikes! Thanks for your reply!

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Honestly giving yourself the shots is just about painless. The needles are hair-fine, meaning extremely tiny. I gave myself the shots in my abdomen … just bunched up a “pinch” of tummy and administered the shot. The most I had over two years were a couple of tiny bruises at the injection site. The first couple felt a bit strange, and then it was easy.

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