I have been using Forteo for way longer than I had expected, about 3 1/2 years. After the recommended “no more than 24 months in your lifetime,” my endocrinologist wanted to me to continue using it. My bone density had improved some, but not as much as he or I had hoped. He said quite a few doctors have been having their patients use it longer, and he feels like it’s fairly safe to do that. Also, I can’t take any of the oral osteoporosis medications because I have a rare, serious, incurable esophageal disorder.

I haven’t felt any side effects except occasionally bruising & pain at injection sites, but my calcium level in my blood has been elevated
(10.8 when normal range goes up to 10.0). My doctor isn’t concerned about it. My alkaline phosphatase is also elevated, but additional blood tests have confirmed that it’s “bone specific,” not the kind that would happen with poor liver function, so the doctor is not concerned about it either.