Can Prolia be safely and reasonably discontinued?
My wife is 85 years old, taking Prolia, and has recently moved to an assisted living facility. It is very difficult for her to travel from the ALF, and she does not wish to do so for any reason. Is there a point at which it is reasonable to discontinue Prolia infusions? (Note: The ALF will not do infusions on site.)
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I joined this very helpful group because I had such severe side effects from my second injection of Prolia and I was trying to gather all the wisdom that I could to help me decide what to take next to avoid the rebound effects from stopping Prolia. I received my first infusion of Reclast on March 23, 2022. This was the only medication that all of my doctors could agree would be the next best step. I want to thank all of you who gave me such helpful information. I asked my doctor if she would please order the infusion to be given more slowly than the recommended 15 minutes. She agreed and my infusion was for one hour. I also drank 64 ounces the day before, the day of and the day after the infusion. So far I have some joint pain and I have had a few episodes of foot bone pain, but nothing like the severe pain I had with Prolia. I hope that I continue to be free from the severe pain I had with Prolia. I have a bone density scheduled for next month. I am so grateful for your advice and support. I will keep you posted as to my progress. If you are considering Reclast. I strongly recommend you have a slow infusion and drink more water than they recommend.
Thank you for the info on slow infusion and hydration. Did you take any meds, like tylenol or benadryl? Reclast is in my future, after Tymlos, and my doc also mentioned a partial dose as a possibility, and after one infusion said I could be monitored and take breaks. Good luck and again grateful for the info on effectiveness of those strategies.
I really feel that the slower infusion and hydration are important and
Yes !
my allergist did recommend that I take Claritin, Pepcid, and Zyrtec the day before, the day of and the day after the infusion. I consulted my allergist because I had such a severe reaction to the Prolia. I did not mention these medications in my earlier post because I did not know if it was OK to recommend this "Pre-treatment" for Reclast. I would only do this if my doctor told me to. I trust my allergist and I was looking for all the help I could get. Now I have to try to gather all the wisdom that I can about when to take the next recommended Booster. My doctors told me to just wait six weeks after the 2nd injection of Prolia to get the last Booster and clearly this was not long enough. The Booster and the Prolia symptoms were exacerbated to the point of severe joint, bone and muscle pain. All of my symptoms from the Prolia became more severe after I had the Booster. I share my experiences to try to be helpful, but please be sure to get approval from your doctor's about the best course for you. If anyone has information about how long one should wait to get the Booster(when they had severe reactions with a previous Booster) please let me know. Interestingly, I had no problem with the First two Pfizer vaccinations. Thank you !
A study (European, I believe) has shown that stopping Prolia likely causes fractures, and it is recommended to stay on the treatment forever. Has anyone any experience with stopping Prolia?
Welcome, @jennjam. I moved your question asking members if anyone has experience with stopping Prolia to this existing discussion:
- Can Prolia be safely and reasonably discontinued at a certain age?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/can-prolia-be-safely-and-reasonably-discontinued-at-a-certain-age/
I did this so you can read previous posts and connect with members like @artscaping @hlp123 @windyshores and others
Jenn, has your doctor suggested stopping Prolia?
Thanks, I missed that thread! I will check it out.
No, my doctor told me about the study and indicated it could dangerous to go off this medication and the rheumatologist agreed. (the study mentioned that people that had been previously on bisphosphonates seemed to have less issues). Note I have recently moved to another province so I no longer have those doctors available to me. I am planning to see a doctor that is familiar with osteoporosis in my new location.
I would like to try to discontinue as I have been on it a long time, so interested in anyone that has done so and also diet/exercise information.
Thanks for sharing this information. Much appreciated. I too have been on Prolia for a long time, and would like to discontinue but know it isn't an easy decision.
I am wondering: when you tripped over the potting soil 6/5/21, were you still on Prolia at that time?
I have been on Prolia for 3 1/2 years. I was not told once you start you can never go off. I would love to get off of it. I am an active 87 year old and now have several back pain. In reading all the side effects, just don’t know what to do. Not getting any help from my doctor. Would like to fine a doctor who has dealt with this..
I would love to know of some safe way of getting off Prolia
@salisbury2491 according to my doc you get off by having an infusion of Reclast. If you cannot tolerate Reclast, another bisphosphonate orally may be used, according to my doc, but Reclast is better. However the timing is very important. Keith McCormick writes about using blood tests to determine the right time to do the Reclast. If done too early it may not work as well, and if done too late, the drop off in bone density might have already happened. The book is "Great Bones" and it goes into detail on this. (The book also says not to go on Tymlos afterward, which I did not know....)