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Asked by Pat Schulte, Seattle, Washington
I am a healthy and fit 55-year-old woman. My bone density test showed that I needed to be supplemented. I cannot take hormones as I had a blood clot, so the doctor prescribed Fosamax. I had awful side effects: muscle pain, joint pain, etc. He has now prescribed Forteo. Is this a good alternative?
Conditions Expert
Dr. Otis Brawley
Chief Medical Officer,
American Cancer Society
Dear Pat:
Osteoporosis is a loss of calcium in the bone. Weakened bones can break. It is a leading cause of broken hips. Postmenopausal women are at risk. Very thin women are at especial risk. It is common for doctors to get a bone density measurement on women age 50 and older to assess risk for osteoporosis.
Mild osteoporosis can be treated with oral calcium supplements and exercise. More severe osteoporosis will need drug therapy. Forteo is the brand name for teriparatide. It is very useful in treatment of osteoporosis.
Other drugs called bisphosphonates are used to prevent osteoporosis or to treat bone loss. Some of these drugs are oral pills; others are given intravenously every month to several months. These drugs include: alendronate (Fosamax); etidronate (Didronel); pamidronate (Aredia); risedronate (Actonel); tiludronate (Skelid); zoledronic acid (Zometa). We are fortunate in having a number of effective drugs and if someone has side effects from one drug, another can be tried.
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