Treating Osteoporosis: What works for you?

I have lost so much bone, no longer feasible to see if non pharma treatments would do anything. As a walking fracture waiting to happen, not willing to go au naturel. Calcium and VitD were not doing the trick. Also, I have celiac disease misdiagnosed until my early 20's so never reached optimal bone density. Osteoporosis is a disease and needs to be treated.

I ran across this article when looking into vitamin K as a “partner” to vitamin D. She warns about adding vitamin K unless you consider other factors and suggests which foods provide either K1 or K2. Worth a read.
https://suzycohen.com/articles/vitamin-k-with-d3/

There is a wide variety of severity on these boards. I took a natural approach through 14 years of osteoporosis, and you only have osteopoenia. That is why you are writing about supplements and some of us are writing about drugs.

My lowest score recently was -3.9 and one stupid movement eventually caused some vertebral compression fractures. In cases like mine, side effects become tolerable only because the only other choice is pain and disability.

I did tai chi for years. COVID interfered with that and I do think that was a factor in my fractures. But once our scores get that bad, fractures are inevitable. And I did cancer drugs that affected my bones as well.

I think COVID was also a factor in my fractures because I would have started Tymlos a year and a half ago-before my fractures-but was afraid of ending up in a hospital with infected folks.

Bottom line: with osteopoenia, it is very appropriate to use natural methods. Some docs are prescribing meds way too early. (Read Keith McCormick's book.) When fracture risk is high, many of us have no choice.

Everyone needs to keep an eye on changes in bone density and get on meds when fracture risk is high. Then again, would I have gone on Tymlos and braved the side effects without the fractures? Probably not. I just wish I had one fracture, not 7 (3 traumatic, 4 osteoporotic).

One other thing: the bone growing meds like Forteo, Tymlos and Evenity are possibly not as effective after Fosamax/Reclast type drugs or Prolia. Yet insurance won't cover the bone-growing drugs until the others are tried. This needs to change.

All the osteoporosis drugs scare me. "...only the three in my jawbone..." How can a dental implant be anywhere else? I have 5 and a 6th in process. I'm hoping to keep osteopenia from progressing with a Japanese approach: calcium, magnesium, boron, zinc and K2. I'm recovering from back surgery right now, but the surgeon says I've healed and can safely return to strength training with free weights. Why do we not talk about non-drug approaches?

Thanks so much. I do have other implants that remain firmly intact. Only the three in my jawbone were affected.

I also have existing pre-Prolia implants (hopefully they will hang in). Glad to hear your issues are finally resolving.

Thanks for your kind reply. Due, I think, to the six month period of the prolia shot being up, my dental issues are slowly resolving. I had expected to replace the original implants, which had been in place for twenty years, with new ones, but I am having serious second thoughts now.

So sorry to hear about these awful dental issues. This is a serious drawback re Prolia. My oral surgeon has me waiting until the six months are up to do an extraction (& endocrinologist as well) in order to ensure proper healing. I will need an implant later. Hard to juggle the dental work while on this medication.
Hope everything settles down for you soon. (Also hope this is not what I have to look forward to!)
I do find all of the osteoporosis drugs a bit scary.

Copied from Wikipedia: see near bottom. Might be worth asking your doctor and trying.
Vitamin K refers to structurally similar, fat-soluble vitamers found in foods and marketed as dietary supplements. The human body requires vitamin K for post-synthesis modification of certain proteins that are required for blood coagulation or Vitamin K2 for controlling binding of calcium in bones and other tissues. Wikipedia

Hello All, I discovered this group after joining another Mayo Clinic group for polymalgia rheumatica. I have been following some of the posts for several weeks and have found them helpful, since I was diagnosed with osteoporosis a year ago at age 74. In the past, I have taken fosamax and boniva, but had to discontinue those drugs because of Barretts esophagus. My rheumatologist recommended Prolia and in May of 2021 I received the first injection. Two months later, three dental implants in my jaw failed suddenly and were surgically removed. The surgical site did not heal well and there was exposed bone, which resulted in infection and constant pain in the jaw and even into my ear. I remained on antibiotics and used the prescription rinse chlorhexadine for two months, at which point the exposed bone loosened and was removed by the surgeon. Following that procedure, the site became less painful and I was able to discontinue the antibiotics although I am still using the chlorhexadine. The oral surgeon advised me not to take any more prolia treatments until he decides the jaw is healed. I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience or has any thoughts or ideas about it. Any comments or advice will be appreciated.