Treating Osteoporosis: What works for you?

@contentandwell That,s my problem also is that I,m on prednisone at times so this does,nt help the bones as for osteoporosis . My last dexa scan said I have glucocorticoid I am interested in hearing about this Evenity also That,s what happened to my girlfriend who was on Fosamax at first her jaw starting to hurt her so she went of it before it got bad . Now its been 10 yrs that she has gone just with the minerals vitamins and strength training and so far she is fine . I,ll have to ask her about her Dexa scan . This is what her Endocrinologist gave her at first . Her Vit d was very low so he gave her a high dose of D to take for a couple of months till her labs where normal . Now she only takes 5000 and does the exercise , calcium high dose .

@gailb @artscaping @sue225 @lioness and anyone else who I may have missed who is searching for answers about osteoporosis and the best course to take. I am reading a Harvard Health Publication about Osteoporosis and finding it very helpful (this is something that you do have to purchase), but there are also great answers here to many of the questions:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/topics/osteoporosis
and here from Mayo:
https://shareddecisions.mayoclinic.org/decision-aid-information/decision-aids-for-chronic-disease/other-decision-aids/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351968
It sure is not an easy decision but it sounds to me as if the problems from the medications are fewer than the potential problems of trying to battle it with diet and exercise. Diet and exercise are great preventative measures, in fact I have purchased a book about it for my daughter who is in her late 30s. Bones start getting less dense at around 40 so the best time to start is early. I wish I had realized that myself, but part of my problem is that I have to be on prednisone which is bad for bones. From what I have been able to determine, exercise and diet may help to maintain your current bone numbers but rarely improve them.
JK

@gailb I forgot to tell you my dexa scan showed my L.Hip was T score was then -1.3 still osteopenia been this for 10 yrs .I,ve always gone the naturel route . Seen to many people with side effects and my girlfriend had a serious reaction to a reclast shot so that,s when I decided to not have any of these drugs. Good luck to all of us on this journey

@lioness @artscaping

Thanks for your responses to my post. I've been struggling with my choice to not take medication for Osteoporosis, which is why I posted it here. I want to do the things that will maintain my bones and joints. I had a laminectomy on my L5-S1 about 4 years ago due to it pressing on my spinal cord. It was successful. I still have a problem with my L4, which has slipped over my L5. I don't want major surgery for it, so my chiropractor uses Active Release Technique (ART) to keep me going pretty much pain free.

Since I had bariatric bypass surgery 6 years ago, I have been taking double the multivitamins that one would normally take. In addition I take 5000 units of D3 daily and a new liquid Calcium supplement that I found online. My iron runs low so I take an extra 45 mg each evening. I have fallen a couple of times in the last year with fortunately no broken bones. I did break the radial head on my left elbow in a fall 14 years ago, but it healed quite nicely. My bones have tended to dislocate rather than break.

I was surprised to learn here that once you start Prolia, you must continue taking it. I'll be curious to learn about the other medications, especially Evenity, and their side effects. My mother-in-law's femur (thigh bone) broke when she turned to get her mail at the box outside her house. She had been taking Fosamax. Another friend developed cancer in her jaw and she had also been taking Fosamax. Both have affected my choices. Thanks for letting me share.

Good morning @arlene7: great to hear from you. I have Evenity on my list. I will get back to you.
May you be happy and free of pain today.
Chris

Hi Chris,
After months of denials from insurance company, I was finally approved for Evenity and will hopefully start injections next week. Of course, as with all medications, there are side effects however I’ve made the choice to take in hopes that it will help build bone, especially in my spine, where I need it the most.

I will also be taking a diuretic, Hydrochlorothiazide, (since I also was diagnosed with idiopathic hypocalcemia), along with D3 once a day. The diuretic contains sulfa, and since I had an allergic reaction 40 years ago to a sulfa drug I will need to go to visit an allergist to verify if I still have the allergy....ugh!

It saddens me that there are so many struggles in trying to get better, however I will not give up! I want to be strong to be able to play with my grandchildren for years to come without the fear of damaging my spine!

In your email it mentions that you will find out some answers...could you please let me know if there is any information on Evenity? I know it’s a new drug, but hopefully there is some information.

Also, if anyone could share some online videos, or other information regarding exercises.....would like to start this as well.

Thanks so much,
-Arlene

Thank you for your kind words! We are all on unique, interesting life journeys. Be well❤️

@migizii It is good to hear a positive Prolia story. That is the unfortunate aspect of Prolia that the bone loss is so rapid after discontinuation. What's interesting and great is that you lost bone but didn't get those rebound fractures which apparently can happen quite soon after stopping. Thanks for sharing.

@gailb I don't want a hip fracture and I don't want that hump. It's so unattractive and when the spine gets curved like that it pushes up on the lungs and it just sounds like not a good thing. Your grandmother was lucky. Not everyone recovers nicely from a hip fracture. (Wheelchairs maybe forever). And hip replacement surgeries have risks as well. My aunt had a hip replacement. The surgery as they say was a success. The patient, sadly died in recovery from the anesthetic . I have an older husband and no children so no one really to push me around in that wheelchair. I also have a long history of reacting badly to medications. For me taking these potent pharmaceuticals causes lots of anxiety and worry, lots, but that fear of fracturing also terrifies me (maybe more).
These decisions are difficult for so many of us to make. I hope that in the next five years, researchers will come up with better options for this bone disease. Wish you well.

@migizil, Oh no.......so it was in your year off medication that you the injury. Now you are starting over with Prolia. Please don't criticize yourself too much. Each of us has some.....do overs that just serve to remind us to continue to make the very best decisions that we can. Thank you so much for your contribution. Stay in touch here.

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris