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Bisphosphonates

fgprattcom
0 Recommendations

Because of Barretts Syndrome I cannot take a bisphosphonate. What's left? I have osteoporosis in my lumbar spine, left hip and left forearm.

Explore topics in this discussion:

Heart disease Cancer Arthritis Hormone replacement therapy Surgery Scoliosis Boniva Forteo Teriparatide Fractures Stroke Breast cancer Raloxifene Pain Osteoarthritis Osteoporosis Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) Evista

30 replies

rmchavin

Dear fgprattcom:

Your profile says that you are a 62-year old woman in Georgia (U.S.A.), so that would eliminate Protelos (strontium ranelate), which is only available in Canada and Europe. The following drugs are not bisphosphonates but are approved by the F.D.A. for U.S. prescriptions: (1) Forteo (teriparatide), which costs $666 per month, (2) Miacalcin (salmon calcitonin), which is an economical nasal spray, and (3) Evista (raloxifene), which is the best tolerated osteoporosis drug, the only osteoporosis drug friendly to people with arthritis, the only osteoporosis drug that lowers your risk of breast cancer by more than 50%, and economically priced at only $3 per day. You might also consider (4) strontium citrate (no guarantee it'll work as well as strontium ranelate). BoneLady has become something of an expert on various strontium compounds: http://www.inspire.com/groups/national-osteoporosis-foundation/member/BoneL ady/ If you are poor and suffer from hot flashes, you might consider (5) estrogen plus progestin, also known as Hormone Replacement Therapy, which medical doctors are now reluctant to prescribe too often because of the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Finally, don't forget to do what the Chinese do in Taiwan and mainland China. They have incredibly low rates of bone fractures despite their low calcium intake of only 300 mg per day and their high-risk Asian body frame. The Chinese who live in the U.S. have high rates of bone fractures comparable to U.S. whites. How do the Chinese (in China) do it? They drink lots of green tea, they eat lots of soybeans and soy products, and they eat lots of vegetables. They are too poor to afford cola drinks, dairy foods, and burned (blackened, grilled, broiled, barbecued) meats high in osteoblast-oxidizing free radicals.

April995

I think the Asian Women that do not live in the Usa, might also have healthier bones, from all the hard work they do. Lifting, carrying large idems on there heads while keeping there backs stright, heavy gardening, being in the sun allot (Vit-D3), not eating pre-packaged salty foods etc.
They eat more fish, and veggies. No soda, no sugary foods, although I notice they do smoke, which is very bad for your bones, plus everything else.
The only plus to eating red meat, is the vitimin B-12. Although you can get some from Whole Grain Brown Rice.

That all said, now that they have American fast foods, they are not as healthy as they use to be, unfortunatly.

April

debbie59

I'll let you in on a little secret about the chinese and korean diets. They love a dish called kagogi. That would be dog. They are also quite fond of a wide array of insects and bugs. My husband was stationed in S Korea and they even like dog. During the last olympic games in China the government made them take the dog off the menu as westerners wouldn't understand. Good sources of protein though. LOL On the serious side a lot of us have had a lot of good results with Forteo, with little or no side effects. My insurance covers it but there are other programs to help if you qualify. Are you seeing a rheumatologist or endocrinologist? You should and listen to their advice.

huessysignoret

What are the known side effects of Evista?

fgprattcom

Thanks rmchavin, I'll check out your suggestions. You've given me alot to consider.

fgprattcom

No specialty doc as yet but am researching for the best one here in Savannah, GA. I don't think I ever want to go to China or Korea. I would get into a huge fight and land in jail. I'm an animal activist.

fgprattcom

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I have degenerative scoliosis, having my first surgery last January, and osteoarthritis in my spine and other places. Guess that needs to be taken into consideration as well.

debbie59

The japanese idolize their dogs. Just go to your Dr. and follow his advise. Your other two conditions shouldn't effect your ability to take forteo. You will almost definitely be told to take large amounts of vitamin D3. As far as all these research abstracts, they're confusing as you can find anything to support your idea and visa versa. They really are irrelevant to the lay person and even my son who is a researcher says they should be taken with a grain of salt. As far as other peoples lifestyles in other parts of the world, interesting as a study in anthropology, but again irrelevant. If you check out anything, check out your Dr.'s credentials.

sharonusa

I used Miacalcin (salmon calcitonin), which is the nasal spray for osteoporosis, By the end of 30 days I had developed first time symptoms like rhuematoid arthritis pains in hands, hips, feet.......I do not have arthritis! I felt dispair from pain for the first time ever. When I stopped all symptoms except left hip went right away. it took months for the left hip pain to leave. I do have cane sugar and gluten food intolerance so that might have had a specific influence on the reaction to that medication.
See my profile for link for food intolerance risks related to osteoporosis

fgprattcom

Thanks all for replying. You've given me lots to think about and consider.

RocknRoll

My mom once asked a Vietnamese woman if they also ate cats. She replied, " Noooo, Cats too stringy!!!" Ha! Guess cats are safe at least.

rmchavin

Please don't forget that one reason the Chinese (in Taiwan and in mainland China but not Hong Kong or Chinese-Americans in the U.S.) have such incredibly low rates of bone fractures is that their total consumption of animal-source protein is low relative to the wealthy nations. So although the people of mainland China can afford soy protein foods, animal-source protein foods like fish, pork, beef, dog, and cat are infrequently eaten delicacies and some people can't afford them at all. Here is a study that confirms the extremely low rate of bone fractures in Taiwan and mainland China but not Hong Kong: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19415374 Here are 3 web addresses that tell us who among the Asians is eating cats: http://yellow-menace.com/2008/12/okay-so-chinese-people-do-eat-cats/ http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081016042045AAN3XUs http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090111231811AAKVfoZ Finally, here's BoneLady's blog on strontium citrate: http://strontiumforbones.blogspot.com/ and here's an excellent link on strontium citrate side effects first shared on NOF Inspire by nathji: http://www.healthdiaries.com/blogs/hot/archives/osteoporosis/dexa_tscores_a fter_strontium_citrate.html

Cheryl46

I have heard Silica is excellent for bone density. I researched Diatomaceous Earth (only Human Grade-please) and it is 84% silica. Please read on: EarthHealthworks.com and Wolf Creek Ranch about bone repair claims etc. A tea or soup base would be: Nettle leaf, Oatstraw and Horsetail (Shavegrass). Internet: Bone densi tea.

debbie59

Oh! I forgot gimchi. It's the asian version of sauerkraut, only HOT HOT HOT! The koreans make the best and we would sit at the table and eat this stuff till we turned bright red and sweat like a pig. Talk about detox!! My present husband of 30 years, was stationed in Korea so we both enjoy it too. Kind of hard to find the good stuff in Ohio. If anyone knows on-line where I could get some I'd really appreciate the site.

marfakid

I'm new to here and I appreciate all the chatter and suggestions of meds I've never heard of. I'm taking a break from Fasomax right now and was diagnosed with osteoporosis last year at age 66 even after taking Faso for three or four years. My Dr. switched me to Boniva and I had a reaction to that. So I'm looking for options and you've given me a lot of think about and arm myself with when I go see a Dr. Perhaps an osteoporosis specialist would be better able to assess my situation. Oh, by the way, has anyone hears of EZorb? I've been taking that for about three months but won't know if it helps until I have another Dexa. Thanks all.

rmchavin

For those who are fascinated by fatty acids with unusual omega numbers, up to 20% of the fat in whale meat, seal meat, herring, and capelin and up to 7% of fat in menhaden, anchovetta, and cod contain the omega-11 (monounsaturated) fatty acid, cetoleic acid. This is in addition to the omega-3 (polyunsaturated), omega-6 (polyunsaturated), and omega-9 (monounsaturated) fatty acids found in all fish. Many PubMed studies say that people who have osteoporosis have a much, much higher risk of death from heart disease and stroke than people who don't have osteoporosis. I strongly recommend increased consumption of high-fat fish, fish oil pills, and/or krill oil pills for the omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which have been shown to greatly reduce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk.

Char42

Hey Osteomike, you are taking Xianling Gubao, how do you know it is pure?

Unless purity is proven I would be very reluctant to take any herb made in China. Products from China can contain anything.
At least we know the chemicals in toxins such as the Bisphosphonates.

OsteoMike

Hi Char42,
I understand your concern. Xianling Gubao is made by a highly respected Chinese Herbal Medicine company that goes to great lengths to prove the efficacy of their products through expensive clinical trials, thus giving credibility to the herbal medicine industry (TongjiTang Pharmaceutical Company). I feel good about that, but have no real proof of the purity of the product, other than that it seems to work for me, with no side effects. They list the ingredients too.
Best regards,
Mike

rmchavin

Dear OsteoMike and Char42:

I'm concerned about the pollution in China getting into the frozen edamame, green tea, canned mandarins, dried plums (prunes), and many other food products that we import from China. Poor nations tend not to be able to afford anywhere near as much environmental protection as wealthy nations. China knows that if they invest too much in industrial pollution control, they might slow down their rate of economic growth and job creation. Fortunately, the Chinese are very smart people (Asians tend to have above average IQs) and I'm confident that they are selling to us only the best (cleanest) food that they have and allocating their slightly lower-grade food to themselves. However, it might be a good idea to mention to the Chinese our concern about their failure to adequately control their industrial pollution.

rmchavin

Dear OsteoMike:

There are numerous scientific studies that say that the phytoestrogens in soybeans and soy products definitely protect bone health. The soy isoflavones genistein, daidzein, and glycitein are frequently credited for this fracture-preventing benefit of soy. However, the few scientific studies that exist on Xianling Gubao were not as reassuring. This study says that either Xianling or Xianzhen Gubao probably protects bone health in rats: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10743220 And this study says that Xianling Gubao probably improves semen quality in humans: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19157240 However, this study says that Xianling Gubao probably does not protect bone health in humans: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19366101

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