Forteo or Evenity - which to take?
I was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis last year and am still unsure about whether to take Forteo or Evenity. I fractured my pelvis from a fall several years ago. I consulted with 3 bone experts - two suggested Forteo and one suggested Evenity. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and experiences with both success and side effects from these medications. Thank you so much!
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Hi Again Chris, I think that Fosomax would be a problem for me because of a "tortuous esophagus", a hiatl hernia: so doctors worry about the interaction of some of these medications in this regard. I am still weighing the benefits/problems of Evenity and what it will be followed up with. I must decide before October 4.
I must decide by October 4 when I'm scheduled for the first Evenity infusion. I will ask what is the follow up medicine after the year of Evenity.
@lashu I was told, and have read, that follow up is either Reclast or a bisphosphonate (taken a month after the last Evenity shot) or Prolia (which will eventually also mean a bisphosphonate).
Thank you. Your words have helped me to decide to ask my doctor tomorrow what I will be taking at the end of an Evenity year, and, if so, why can't I just take that now.
When I asked if I would be starting a lifetime of medications if I agreed to Evenity, this is the unacceptable reply I received.
"As for follow up treatment. Medication is recommended after Evenity. We want to save the bone you would have built over the course of the year long process. We can discuss the next options once you begin therapy. "
Obviously, I pushed for more information BEFORE starting.
My doctor was pushing Evenity hard because he'd just had a visit from the Amgen rep. When my insurance denied coverage for Evenity, he started me on Prolia. No other options were mentioned. I keep reading personal success stories with Tymlos, and am going to ask my doctor about it.
Some of you have mentioned using a weighted vest. When diagnosed, I thought that might help. When I asked my Orthopedist, he said there's no evidence to show that it works. My thought is that, if it doesn't cause harm, why not try it, so I plan to get one asap.
@lashu @normahorn after Forteo, Tymlos or Evenity (bone builders) you have to "lock in" your gains with anti-resorptives, either a bisphosphonate (Reclast IV or alendronate oral, usually) or Prolia. Picture bones growing and then needing to be coated to keep those gains in.
If you do Prolia, and need to get off, it can be very tricky. You would need to transition to Reclast with careful attention to blood tests to determine the best time to start the other drug.
I have been told that after one or two (?) Reclast infusions I might be able to take a medication break. This is not a possibility with Prolia.
@normahorn it is a better sequence to do Evenity first, then lock in gains with Reclast. Doing Reclast first may mean future bone building meds are less effective. Doing Evenity first gives you gains that can then be maintained using an anti-resorptive.
Yes, I do know that, but perhaps there is a low dosage I could tolerate.
Windyshores. You obviously Missed the point of my post. I commented that the practioner did not want to tell me the commitment until AFTER I started taking Evenity. Hiding information from me. That contributed to my losing any confidence in her.
@normahorn sorry I still don't understand. Do you mean commitment to a follow-up drug? If Reclast, it isn't necessarily a long term commitment. Maybe you can explain why the doctor's note was unacceptable.