Currently, I’m not on meds but I did take bisphosphonates for approximately 2.5 yrs. From late January 2020 through mid-July 2021 (so a little less than 1.5 yrs) I took alendronate. The alendronate caused digestive tract issues so I quit taking it the week of my 2nd DEXA which was done in July 2021. I took a 4 month bisphosphonate holiday and in mid-November 2021, I received one zoledronic acid infusion. My endocrinologist really pushed meds and told me my bones were “horrible” and unfortunately, I didn’t start doing my own research until after I’d had the infusion. My endocrinologist was expecting me to have another infusion in November 2022 but I chose not to have it and I’m currently not taking any meds.

Regarding your question about if my t-scores have improved, the answer is yes, but not a great deal.

Bisphosphonates work by slowing bone resorption (bone turnover). Because my endocrinologist failed to test my BTMs prior to prescribing bisphosphonates, I don’t have a true baseline for my BTMs. When I learned about BTM testing in 2022, I requested the tests and had the bloodwork done one year after having had the zoledronic acid infusion (bisphosphonates have long half life and may still be effecting my BTMs but there is no way to know this for certain).

My BTMs are not elevated so bisphosphonates don’t seem like the right option for me. Bisphosphonates don’t build new bone, they just slow down resorption and also interfere with bone growth, which is another this my endocrinologist failed to mention to me. I specifically asked him about not taking meds way back in January 2020. I asked how I could improve my bones naturally. When he whipped out his prescription pad he failed to tell me that the bisphosphonates would work against my building new bone naturally.

Note, I also have hypothyroidism and hypothyroidism slows bone down almost every single function in your body, including building new bone. My endocrinologist was already treating my hypothyroidism when I was diagnosis diagnosed with osteoporosis, which is one of the reasons I trusted him then. I been looking for a new doctor but until I find something who can order my thyroid labs and who is willing to write a prescription for levothyroxine, I stuck with my current endocrinologist.

The only t-score I know without looking it all up is for my total lumbar spine. In July 2019 it was -3.9 and in December 2022 it was -3.6. You may be thinking an increase of .3 is good but that was over 3.5 yrs. Also there is a chance that my improved t-scores aren’t improvements at all—on my very 1st DEXA my left hip number was off and when I had a DEXA 2 yrs later it showed my left hip had improved by 10% which is complete hogwash—the more likely scenario is that my 2019 DEXA was wrong. Also because I started taking levothyroxine in 2017, my bones might have already been improving a little because the levothyroxine helps gets everything back on track.

Note, I’m not anti-osteoporosis meds, but I do think doctors rush to write prescriptions and I also think that most doctors who claim to treat osteoporosis have no clue what they are doing. I asked my endocrinologist and another endocrinologist where I could get a DEXA with TBS, neither had a clue. I really don’t get how an endocrinologist doesn’t know where PT’s with osteoporosis can get DEXAs with TBS—it means they are NEVER looking at the full picture. Also, when I had my BTMs done I went to corporate lab, meaning my blood wasn’t drawn at my doctor’s office. The phlebotomist had to hunt for the codes and make few calls, which again tells me know doctors in my area are ordering these tests.