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Alternatives to Fosamax?

lenora

Senior Member
Messages
4,913
I've been on Fosamax for probably 30 years due to severe osteoporosis....I have a lot of extra illnesses. I've broken a few things, but all in all the big breaks have been protected. My bone density is in the lower percentile and a fall could really harm me.

I also have two different types of epilepsy (black out from them, but are controlled by meds), so falls can and do happen.

My internist now tells me that I have to take a vacation from Fosamax (taken in pill form once/wk.) in April. Her recommendation: A shot of Prolia which lasts for 6 mos. or a year, I forget. All of the other meds are in the same category....except that if you start Prolia you're on it for life. All, including Fosamax have the added risk of a fractured thigh bone.

Has anyone been on any of the drugs that are different than Fosamax (that was the first discovered)? I personally know two people who had bad reactions to Prolia....severe pain being one of them. I deal with a lot of pain as it is, and really don't want more. I have FM and their problems sounded like FM on steroids.

Any suggestions or input would be most appreciated. For me this is serious business. I hope you're never a victim of our friend, osteoporosis. Yours, Lenora
 

lenora

Senior Member
Messages
4,913
May I request that the Moderator place the question above (mine) in the proper place? I really do need some answers re: osteoporosis.

If not, I thank you for trying. Yours, Lenora
 

Tammy

Senior Member
Messages
2,181
Location
New Mexico
I know this doesn't answer your question as far as prescription drugs are concerned but if you are looking for an alternative with no side effects, Silica is one of the best minerals for bones hands down. I like Orgono G5 Siliplant.
 
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Tammy

Senior Member
Messages
2,181
Location
New Mexico
My internist now tells me that I have to take a vacation from Fosamax (taken in pill form once/wk.) in April. Her recommendation: A shot of Prolia which lasts for 6 mos. or a year, I forget. All of the other meds are in the same category....except that if you start Prolia you're on it for life. All, including Fosamax have the added risk of a fractured thigh bone.
Risk of fractured thigh bone? I just don't understand. The drug that is to help with bone support puts you at risk for fracture.:(
 

lenora

Senior Member
Messages
4,913
I know @Tammy.....crazy, isn't it? That's why I really don't know what to do since they all seem to have the same side-effects.

Funny how you think of osteoporosis as an illness of old age, but in many women (particularly) it can be lifelong or start in much younger years. I really could use some ideas here and no, I'm not getting the injections....what for? I've been on Fosamax for all of these years and NOW they want me to take a vacation? No one knows how long, though. Boy, those genes! Yours, Lenora
 

lenora

Senior Member
Messages
4,913
Thanks @Rebecca Re.......Helpful, as always. Have you returned to your classroom yet?

Well, it's almost time for a new pair of moose pj's, isn't it? New slippers to go with them? Probably.

I hope I receive some feedback about these osteoporosis drugs...it's all so complex. Who am I kidding? I'm one of the oldest on here and I couldn't possibly help anyone.

I'll say one thing though....I've had more falls than imaginable and it was until I fell in Jan. and fractured my pelvis and a vertebra (for probably the 3rd time) that I had a significant break...and it just missed the hip. So I feel that to some extent Fosamax has helped.....so, with that in mind! (I'm still confused.) Yours, Lenora
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,334
Location
Southern California
@lenora - I strongly believe we have to research any prescription drug we're given. We can't rely on our doctors. A few years ago I read about how Fosamax and related drugs actually increased fractures. See this info:

“Many of these women will tell you they thought the bone broke before they hit the ground,” study author Dr. Dean G. Lorich told The New York Times.

Researchers say that the fractures occurred because alendronate [generic Fosamax] stops the body from breaking down bone. This creates thick, but brittle bones.

Fosamax use may also make fractures more difficult to heal. Mark L. Prasarn and colleagues found patients treated with bisphosphonates had more fractures that occurred during fracture repair surgery and had more complications after the surgery. They published their results in the journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research.

Brett A. Lenart and colleagues wrote about safety of long-term use of alendronate in a letter to the editor in The New England Journal of Medicine. The letter said, “Bone biopsies in these patients showed evidence of severely suppressed bone turnover and fracture healing that was delayed or absent.”

This was from a study of 13 women who had femur fractures while on Fosamax: Subtrochanteric insufficiency fractures in patients on alendronate therapy | The Bone & Joint Journal (boneandjoint.org.uk) There's lots of evidence out there about the dangers of Fosamax (including dead bone in the jaw), but either doctors don't know about the dangers or think the benefit outweighs the risk.

However it is quite possible to keep your bone mass up without the dangers of Fosamax and other drugs. A few years ago I read a lot about this but can't remember much :( However, I do remember a few things - many people recommend the product Bone Up by Jarrow - you can find it any health food store and on-line.

Also, @Tammy 's right about silica being important too. A common herb used to provide silica is horsetail. However, I've read that it can cause liver damage but know very little about that. Another good source of silica is bamboo. I've been taking a bamboo supplement from Swanson's with no problem, plus most of the items contained in Bone Up. Here's a bamboo product by Now which gets good reviews. My nails are stronger since starting the bamboo, and I take that as a sign that's helping my bones etc. also.

I urge you to look at the "side effects" of Prolia in this article: Prolia: Side Effects, Alternatives, How It's Administered, and More (healthline.com) It doesn't look any safer to me than Fosamax does.

It is possible to rebuild bone that has been lost through nutrition and supplementation so I urge you to look into this. And I know we have members who will be more than happy to share their knowledge about rebuilding bone without Fosamax or Prolia :nerd:
 

Crux

Senior Member
Messages
1,441
Location
USA
Hi @lenora ;
I've been taking a PTH analog, teriparatide , Forteo, for about 5-6 months now. You inject it once daily and it comes in the mail, must remain in refrigerator.

Yeah, that's a hassle, but since I have severe osteoporosis, the endo. insisted. I don't know if it's building bone, but I'm hopeful. Will get tested in the future.

I don't know if the teriparatide would be suitable for you, but it's possible.

Osteoporosis is a pain, but I haven't broken anything yet.

Best to you.
 

Tammy

Senior Member
Messages
2,181
Location
New Mexico
I agree that silica is great for bone health, but the Orgono Living Silica made my stomach hurt really bad. Does it bother yours at all?
Not at all. I notice they have different silica products. The one I use is called Orgono G5 Siliplant. ON the label it also says Original Formula. In my above reply (which I will edit) I said Orgono Living Silica but that is not the one I take. (had a brain frt)
 
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LaurelW

Senior Member
Messages
643
Location
Utah
I thought long and hard about taking one of the bisphosphonates because I had osteoporosis, and I can't exercise due to PEM. (I had been on bio-identical hormones for a few years, but went off of them because I started minor bleeding again at age 65). Coincidentally, when I was discussing this with my doctor, a pharmacy professor from the related University was in the clinic that day. I had a talk with her, and she said that if I went back on the bio-identical hormones and took good supplements, it would do me as much good as the drugs. So after a three-year hiatus, I started the hormones again (at a lower dose this time), and take a supplement called Vitamin Code Grow Bone System. (You take calcium twice a day and strontium once a day). It was also recommended by a friend who had osteoporosis in his 40s and healed himself that I take Coratin from Metagenics (a type of red yeast rice). After three years of this regimen, I have gone from osteoporosis back to osteopenia. I don't know which of the three things I'm doing is helping, or maybe it's synergistic with all three, but it worked for me. The downside is that you have to find specific practitioners who will prescribe bio-identical hormones, a compounding pharmacy that will make them, they are almost never covered by insurance, and they're not cheap (I pay about $60 a month). But compared to breaking a bone, it's totally worth it.
 

perchance dreamer

Senior Member
Messages
1,691
So after a three-year hiatus, I started the hormones again (at a lower dose this time), and take a supplement called Vitamin Code Grow Bone System. (You take calcium twice a day and strontium once a day).

I take the Grow Bone System, too. It's are much kinder to my stomach than the Jarrow Bone Up. However, I tried Bone Up some years ago, and it has probably been reformulated at least some. I glanced at some product reviews, and it seems to have a lot of fans.

@Tammy, thanks for the clarification about the Organo silica products.
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
Messages
16,047
Location
Second star to the right ...
The drug that is to help with bone support puts you at risk for fracture.:(
It's one of the half-truths that are put out by pharmaceutical companies. It's true, bisphosphonates do more or less grow bone, but it does that by interfering with the body's natural cycle of bone production and bone resorption. It inhibits the cycle of osteoclastmediated bone resorption, so your body is constantly producing more bone, but it's brittle and porous and extremely prone to fractures, particularly the large bones like the femur.
I agree that silica is great for bone health, but the Orgono Living Silica made my stomach hurt really bad.
I use combo of MSM in small amounts two times a day (more than 500 mgs at a time produces a sulfur reaction), horsetail (really rich in silica), powdered bamboo extract (also rich in silica, I use BulkSupplements), calcium, magnesium (separatd from the calcium by a couple of hours becasue of the relatively high amounts of both), and Twin Labs tri-boronPlus (contains all the constituents necessary for bone replacement).


But since I havent had a bone scan til just after they put me on a bisphosphonate (which I fortunately reacted poorly to and took myself off of, hence all the natural supplement substitutes) I cant swear for it. Except I've taken a couple of pretty serious spills down the long stairs here when my muscles did that odd seizing up thing they used to do fairly regularly, without breaking anything. So it mght be worth some googling and then maybe a trial run?
So I feel that to some extent Fosamax has helped.....so, with that in mind! (I'm still confused.) Yours, Lenora
It is confusing and Drs seem reluctant about giving out any meaningful information on bisphosphonates and how they work, or the damaged bone they produce. You're not alone in that confusion.
I assume you already take Vitamin K2 with Vitamins A & D?
Church !!! Those are absolute essentials in fight bone loss, among many other things.


EDIT .... to add brand names .....
 
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