Does anyone have osteoporosis?

[Seasha]

I just got results from my recent bone density scan to find out I now have osteoporosis.
It's not surprising as I am over 70, my mom had it and I have a small frame and with MS weakness I can't do any weight bearing exercises. But I eat healthy, calcium enriched foods and take supplements.

Dr wants me to start taking Fosamax, which I'm not thrilled about. Does anyone else take this med for osteoporosis? Side effects?
Are there better treatments out there?

Thanks for any information!

[502E79]

I just got results from my recent bone density scan to find out I now have osteoporosis.
It's not surprising as I am over 70, my mom had it and I have a small frame and with MS weakness I can't do any weight bearing exercises. But I eat healthy, calcium enriched foods and take supplements.

Dr wants me to start taking Fosamax, which I'm not thrilled about. Does anyone else take this med for osteoporosis? Side effects?
Are there better treatments out there?

Thanks for any information!

Hi Seasha,

Yes. I was tested, then dx'd with osteoporosis in 2006, I think. At the time I was 56, neither mom (small frame) or dad had it. The technician said something like "...you have the bones of an 80 year old." The physician was more tactful. 2 years later, in '08, I was dx'd with MS.

Doctor recommended exercise first, vitamins & supplements (Calcium etc) too. After MS dx I joined the gym. Using weight to maintain muscle (as best as MS allows) and bone density.

Using weight equipment properly and a little free weight should improve bone density. MHO only. I never got retested to see if I was "improved," MS is my main concern. Feel pretty good, still haven't broken a bone, less drugs, less anxiety, all for the better. Also MHO.

Never heard of a doctor nixing exercise. So at 71 that means I now have the bones of a 85 YO!

[502E79]

Seasha, I'm bumping this up.

It is hard to believe there isn't anyone in our community with osteoporosis.

[mandalababe]

Seasha, I'm bumping this up.

It is hard to believe there isn't anyone in our community with osteoporosis.

Hello Seasha, I'm 73, was diagnosed with osteoporosis some years ago (don't recall). I tried Fosamax but found that it gave me insomnia. I ended up taking it now and then. I did fracture my right wrist in 2016, going down some outdoor stairs with things in both arms, then fractured the same wrist in 2019, sitting on a high chair that I wasn't sturdily situated on. I decline to take Fosamax and hope I've learned from these past experiences. I'm not the most compliant of patients, as you can tell. I'm not going to say I won't get any more fractures, as making a claim like that seems like bad luck. Well, that's all from this end. Mandalababe.

[Seasha]

Hello Seasha, I'm 73, was diagnosed with osteoporosis some years ago (don't recall). I tried Fosamax but found that it gave me insomnia. I ended up taking it now and then. I did fracture my right wrist in 2016, going down some outdoor stairs with things in both arms, then fractured the same wrist in 2019, sitting on a high chair that I wasn't sturdily situated on. I decline to take Fosamax and hope I've learned from these past experiences. I'm not the most compliant of patients, as you can tell. I'm not going to say I won't get any more fractures, as making a claim like that seems like bad luck. Well, that's all from this end. Mandalababe.

Thanks for your feedback, mandalababe and sorry to hear of your 2 wrist fractures.

I don't think I'm going to even try this as I have insomnia already. I read you have to take it with water first thing in the morning before food and have to stand for 30 minutes after taking it. I can't stand for more than 15 min. and have to have my cup of coffee first thing, so it's a no-brainer for me.

Guess both of us are going to be extra cautious!

[Mamabug]

No osteoporosis here yet. I'd recommend Dr. Google. I always like to see if there are natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals. If you see a functional medicine doctor, I'd consult him or her for additional suggestions.

[Raceya]

I have osteopenia and take a calcium magnesium supplement liquid I love. Also high dose vitamin D. I’m only 56. I was offered Fosamax and decided to do my own thing.

[pennstater]

Also diagnosed with osteopenia, take Calcium and Vitamin D, get my Greek yogurt in daily and some milk. I started doing resistance training again, hoping it helps and work on balancing exercises, so hopefully can minimize risk of falling.

[agate]

Though this thread is older, maybe this will be of some use to somebody.

I've had osteopenia for years, and I kept saying No to the Fosamax recommendation. Then a presumed osteoporotic spinal fracture was found on an Xray a couple of years ago, and it's probably the reason I can't pick anything up from the floor without a reacher any more. I'm getting a little better about it: I can get something if I don't have to reach all the way down to the floor.

I had had a couple of bad falls at that time, and there was another fall a year ago where I learned I'd had a foot fracture. It probably wasn't osteoporotic in nature (nothing was said about it anyway) but about a year and a half ago I started on Fosamax and have been on it ever since.

At the 5 year point I'll be getting another bone-density test. The last one showed me at high risk of fracture. I like to think that the Fosamax is helping to keep this from getting worse. I also do exercises and take added calcium and vitamin D.

[Marco]

Hi!
Since Thanksgiving,
I've had 10 falls, so I requested a bone density scan. I was diagnosed with osteopenia just last week.

My mom had osteoporosis and I don't want that. The doctor wants me to start supplementing calcium. My vitamin D levels are already in the upper ranges.

I wish you well.

[agate]

Hi, Marco,

That's more than one fall a month, isn't it? There were probably some injuries? Did you get checked over for possible fractures? You can have a broken bone without knowing you have it, something I found out after a couple of them turned up on my Xrays.

Often doctors recommend one of the osteoporosis drugs even if you have "only" osteopenia that hasn't turned into osteoporosis yet. I was scared of those drugs for years but so far the Fosamax hasn't been difficult for me.

Hope you haven't lost any height. I was 5 feet 2.5 inches but am now down to 4'9".

[Marco]

Yes, I got sick and had 7 falls between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That definitely got my attention, and I wondered how much longer I could remain in my home.

Then, I was good until Memorial Day and have had 3 falls since.

Thankfully, I suffered only bumps and bruises.

My provider said my hip has mild osteopenia and believed, at this time, calcium supplementation was all that is necessary.

Thank you so much!

[agate]

Exercise is really pretty important for keeping osteopenia from getting worse, as I understand it.

Avoiding falls is at the top of my agenda these days. After my last fall, the neuro told me to avoid falls because, as she put it, "One more fall and you'll probably be in a nursing home."

Congratulations on getting by with only bumps and bruises, though. Maybe you know the art of falling? I've heard that it helps to know how to fall.