Treating Osteoporosis: What works for you?

I just joined Mayo Clinic Connect today and am glad to find you! My dexa test indicates I have progressed to Osteoporosis and because I'm not good at swallowing meds, I'm interested in the injection method. Wondering if others have used Prolia which involves just two shots a year.

I just joined Mayo Clinic Connect today and am glad to find you! My dexa test indicates I have progressed to Osteoporosis and because I'm not good at swallowing meds, I'm interested in the injection method. Wondering if others have used Prolia which involves just two shots a year.

Mohavegal, good your Dr. says OK. I know the lab range says up to 100. Is your primary care Dr. in an Integrative Care Practice or a Functional Mediciine Dr ? They usually want Vits in a much higher range then conventional Dr's.

K

I, too, am interested in treatments for osteoporosis at a younger (50) age; however, postmenopausal. I found Dr. Lani's Bone Health Guide book helpful. I'm wary of beginning medical treatments (Forteo for 18-24 months and then a bisphosphonate for 5-7 years) based on one BMD scan.

Blood tests should l be done to check for increased levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium, and alkaline phosphatase, and lower levels of phosphorous. A 24-hour urine collection test can help determine how much calcium is being removed from the body

The parathyroid glands are located in the neck, near or attached to the back side of the thyroid gland. They produce parathyroid hormone. This hormone controls calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D levels in the blood and bone.

When calcium levels are too low, the body responds by making more parathyroid hormone. This hormone causes calcium levels in the blood to rise, as more calcium is taken from the bone and reabsorbed by the intestines and kidney.

One or more of the parathyroid glands may grow larger. This leads to too much parathyroid hormone (a condition called primary hyperparathyroidism). Most often, the cause is not known. When a parathyroid gland is diseased, it causes calcium to be leached from the bones

The disease is most common in people over age 60, but it does also occur in younger adults. .
Women are more likely to be affected than men.
Radiation to the head and neck increases the risk.

Mohavegal,

Did the Dr. tell you to take so much Vit D ? My Endo said no one should ever take more then 1 or 2000 without a Dr's suggestion. I have never heard any Dr. say Vit D should be 70 and I have asked many Endo's and Internists. They all say it needs to be over 30. I just asked a University Geriatrician who works in Endo/Osteoporosis clinic and she said Vit D should not be over 50, they just do not know enough yet if it is safe when higher then 50. I would have to go back and check Dr Ott's website but I think that she recommends a Vit D level between 40 and 50. I read an article in Nutrition Action many years ago on a suspected connection between high Vit D and pancreatic cancer.

k