Treating Osteoporosis: What works for you?

Hi there @windyshores, unfortunately, insurance did not cover Tymlos significantly.......at least not as you received. I think it ended up averaging about $200-$300 a month. Also, there was no wrist fracture.....it just didn't score well. I have titanium boxes in my cervical spine so....Dexa scans cannot be done there.

I sure was surprised to hear the comments from my Mayo endocrinologist about not having significant enough evidence to begin medication. However, being positive.......we just move forward.
Thanks for your response.
Chris

Good evening. Thank you for seeking understanding. Your attention to this situation was really appreciated. And you were spot on. I am updating my Mayo endocrinologist this evening and letting him know of your comment about his decision being "good medicine".

Chris

Thanks for the explanation. It's bothersome to see that earlier doctor was, shall we say, overly aggressive in basing an osteoporosis diagnosis on wrist numbers but I'm glad you got to Mayo and are in good hands now!

I am not sure I would medicate at -2.5, but at -1.5 definitely not. @artscaping did insurance cover Tymlos because of the wrist fracture? I have a friend who fractured her wrist with a score of -2.9 and she is not on meds. I think once folks are osteoporotic, meds should be considered but if not severe there is an argument to wait. For osteopenic scores like -1.5 I am surprised any doc would prescribe meds.

Hi there.......let me see if I understood your request. Yes, that is the issue. I was only osteopenic and my Mayo endocrinologist would not have begun any medication. I think that I need to take the meds, i.e. Fosamax, now to prevent fractures and reduce reabsorption even though there wasn't a lot of bone-building done during the two years on Tymlos. I cannot look back, I can only look forward.

Thanks for clarifying things in your posts. That is vary helpful.
Chris

Those fractures, even if traumatic and not clearly osteoporotic, plus your scores, make you eligible for Forteo, Tymlos and Evenity. I chose Tymlos, as I have written before, because I could start at a partial dose of 2 pen clicks out of 8 and work my way up, which I did. Also, you can take Evenity after the other two but not the other way around. Good luck!

This Dexa scan was done 2020. I am due for another and assume the new endocrinologist will order one.
Results of 2020:
Spine:
L1 -2.8
L2 -3.2
L3 -3.1
L4 -3.5
Femoral neck (Left) -3.2
Femoral neck (Right) -3.0
I was in a bad boating accident when I was 35 yrs. old and fractured my spine.
Region L2, L3, L4 were fractured. It's all healed.
As suggested by Chris, I will call the companies of Tymlos, Forteo and Evenity and ask questions. Other than what I have in mind to ask ... any suggestions of further questions to ask? Anything and everything helps me to make a decision. Hopefully my new endocrinologist allows me the time and offers truthful and educated answers to my confusing state of mind on how to address my treatment.
Have a peaceful evening,
Toni

Hi @artscaping. I probably missed something you wrote about your case triggering drug therapy. I thought t-scores like what you stated....hip -1.5 and -1.2....mean only low bone mass and typically don't trigger a doctor to suggest drug therapy. Yours seems to be a case when your doctor was being proactive, and I'm sure also that your story, as is everyone's, is more complicated than I am aware of/remember, not helped by my continuing inability to smoothly trace our thread backward. I simply have to stop trying to correlate peoples' scores to their treatment. Thanks again.

Thank you for the resource information!

This article lists drugs that might not be bones' best friends. Some surprised me. As did a study suggesting SSRIs are a problem because affecting serotonin levels.

Medicines That Can Be Bad for Your Bones
https://americanbonehealth.org/bone-health/medications-that-can-be-bad-for-your-bones-2/