Thanx for the UTube cites. I have a high regard for Cleveland CLinic, but have no idea who this other guy might be. In any event, my own preference for learning is the written word.....I do not absorb info as well when it is given in lecture form. And especially when it is in science-speak.
Nonetheless, these videos have given me some ideas about discussing whether to continue or stop the Alendronate after one year when I see my doctor about it next May.
I too failed to do sufficient research about Prolia before beginning it. I am retired and travel a lot....precise timing of Prolia injection was my biggest concern initially and for that reason alone, Prolia was not a good fit. Of course I was not told anything about the need for exit strategies which would likely have made me more hesitant to start it. Nor told that my DEXA score might not even be low enough to warrant Prolia or that bone-building meds might also be an option...the doctor was simply concerned with how long I had been on Alendronate, never mentioning a possible drug holiday because my DEXA scan put me into osteoporosis territory, (FYI: the doctor who first prescribed Alendronate was a very good doctor of mine for 25 years....my understanding is that he hoped to keep me from slipping into OP after my ovarian cancer treatment eliminated any sliver of natural estrogen production.)
In retrospect, I personally feel that the Prolia recommendation may have been driven by insurance guidelines more than by good medicine. Are you Medicare eligible?
I had no side effects with either Prolia or Alendronate, either pre-Prolia or post.
I hope there is a typo in your post about taking only 2 oz of water after the alendronate. The instructions that came with my meds direct 8oz of water before the med and another 8oz after the med. That may be difficult for some people but not for me as I am familiar with hydrating because I play tennis primarily in hot weather.
As to your concern about the present usefulness of BTM tests if there is no baseline, I too have never had either of these tests. However, there is a reference in the NIH survey material that a European medical society recommends absolute values for both CTX and PNIP in determining 'adequate response' to whatever post-Prolia med is taken.
I will certainly also be taking this up with my doctor in May....of course there was also never any mention about these tests in determining possible treatment options.
You seem very concerned about your situation because you took 3 Prolia injections before transitioning to alendronate at the time when the 4th Prolia was due. I do not see how that is so different from my situation after only 2 Prolia injections. It seems that Prolia's effectiveness is not cumulative and that that is why there is not a lot of flexibility about the timing of each injection. Or am I missing something?
I believe my doctor was not even aware of the need for an exit plan for Prolia as he had assured me that I could switch to oral biphosphonates at any time
My concern with the transition is that the longer one is on Prolia, the harder it is to mitigate the rebound effect. Don't quote me on this but if I remember correctly, Prolia works differently from Alendronate. Unlike Alendronate which kills the osteoclasts (the ones that break down bones), Prolia only puts them into a state of suspension. The longer you are on Prolia, the more of such "suspended osteoclasts" accumulate and once you stop Prolia, the brakes are taken off and these osteoclasts come back with a vengence!
Once you are on Prolia for 2 or more years, Alendronate may not be sufficient and you may need a stronger anti-resorptive like Reclast. And if you are on Prolia for even longer say, 7 years, it may not even be possible to prevent the rebound effect. So basically you would be stuck on Prolia for life which is worrying given that there is safety data for only 10 years
On the liquid intake for Alendronate, it's not a typo. My understanding is that you need to take the tablet with 6-8 oz of water. Other than that, there is no mention of further liquid intake in my Alendronate leaflet. The recommendation for the additional 2oz of water during the 30 min fasting period was in some other material I came across. I have not read anything about needing to take 8+8 oz of water but there certainly wouldn't be any harm (and probably a lot of benefit) in doing that
Oh, do you have the link for the NIH study that mentioned absolute values for BTMs? I have only come across 1 article which states that, if no baseline BTMs are available then we should target the lower half of the relevant reference range (not very helpful as I understand the reference range is very large) - see link below:
https://www.ccjm.org/content/90/1/26