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Has anyone improved bone density without meds?
Osteoporosis & Bone Health | Last Active: Nov 25, 2023 | Replies (487)Comment receiving replies
Thank you so very much for your insightful response. You have obviously educated yourself thoroughly on this topic. I did ask my endocrinologist if I could go back on HRT and he said they don’t give it to anyone past 60, so I understand your point about openness. I was on HRT right after my initial diagnosis for three years and they suggested I go off it because my mammogram showed calcification in one of my breasts. I then tried oral bisohosphanates but they didn’t agree with my GI tract.
I haven’t heard of Forteo until your post and I’m wondering why it wasn’t offered to me as an option, since my spine density is much lower than my femoral neck and hip. I’ll have to investigate Prolia’s effectiveness on the spine more before deciding which one is better for me. I don’t have any autoimmune diseases that I know of, so I’m guessing I don’t have the same issue as you did with Prolia. Good for you, btw, of figuring that out!! Personally, I’m most comfortable with trying HRT again to postpone any injections, even though I did experience calcification in one of my breast after 3 years on it! Maybe not smart on my part, but that’s my instinct.
Are you comfortable sharing your lumbar spine T-score before and after the Forteo with me? And also after the HRT? If not, maybe a few more comments would help:). This is a huge decision for me, and unfortunately my doctors don’t seem to want to take the time to hash it out with me.
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Unfortunately, most doctors pull from their limited toolkit and prescribe bisphosphonates first as that is what insurance pays for. Since you've already been on an oral bisphosphonate and your loss is predominantly in your spine, you can push for Forteo (or similar) if that is your preference. Forteo is never offered as a first option though it should be for many of us. Some insurance companies won't pay for it and it can be expensive. The pharmaceutical manufacturer has a reduced cost program that you might be able to get. I don't remember exactly what I paid but it was inexpensive. Tymlos is another drug that works similarly to Forteo. It is newer than Forteo and has a higher dose (though adjustable, I hear from posts on this forum). I believe you can achieve slightly higher gains with Tymlos but my preference is the lower dose Forteo along with the comfort that it's been in use for decades. Good to explore all of the options before making the decision on what works best for you.
If you decide to go on Prolia, just know that you must be on a rigid schedule every 6 months. If you are late a month or go off it with no substitute medication, you are at very high risk of fracture almost immediately. Best to go on an anabolic (bone builder) drug first like Forteo, Tymlos or Evenity (anabolic and antiresorptive) and then go on Prolia or Reclast (if that is your preference) to maintain the gains. Or HRT . "They" do prescribe HRT over 60 and even with former calcifications (i'm loaded with them), you just have to get the right "they"! 🙂 It has to be someone trained as a menopause specialist and well versed in the use of HRT like the physicians I mentioned above. Otherwise, they often just go by the WHI risk data which is misleading at best.
I would highly recommend getting Dr Keith McCormick's book, Great Bones. It's research driven with great information that you can use as a reference. It doesn't, however, address HRT very thoroughly as an option. McCormick seems to be more open to that option as of late and I'll bet his next revision will include much more on HRT.
Happy to share my dexa numbers (and anything else that might be helpful). My spine went from -3.2 to -2.9 on Forteo and has maintained on HRT for 5 years since.