Hi Geni: This is a very interesting question with 2 different answers.
I took Forteo and had greatly improved scores. I finished the 2 years on Forteo and went from severe osteo (in the spine) and improved to normal bone density at that area.
My hip score improved to osteopenia, with a score close to normal. I realized that doesn't answer your question, but if you read the links below, it mentions that some patients don't see an improvement until the second year of treatment, and some see improvement right away. So I'm wondering at what stage you are in, in your 2 year course, and if it's possible that you are just one of those who's response won't occur till the second year or sooner.
If you are in the first year, it's not that unusual to only get a small improvement and then see much greater improvement in the second year. There will always be some who don't get the results that I did, or many I know, but hopefully you will.
I hope this helps, and below you can read about this topic of varying responses to Forteo, and how some other medical probs can cause the increase to occur at a slower pace. If you can, try and make sure that there are no other health problems causing you bone loss, because if there are, they need to be treated for the Forteo to work properly. These other problems would be secondary causes of osteo, which youu can google.
Good luck and I hope you do as well as I did, and BTW, I have had 6 fractures (spine) and no additional frax's since I started and completed Forteo. I'm now on Evista, because I personally don't want to take a bisphosphonate, and am hoping Denosumab will be approved by the FDA soon, so I can consider switching to that.
Cleveland Clinic on Forteo (very easy to understand medical study):
http://www.ccjm.org/content/70/7/585.full.pdf+html?sid=9e07cee4-b325-4378-af70-e4b2c0b570f2
FDA on Forteo:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/foi/label/2002/21318_forteo_lbl.pdf
Our Expert Dr Gonter on Forteo:
http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/73/2677/forteo-risks/?ic=4004
Bone Marker test that will tell your Dr if you are building new bone on Forteo:
http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/43897/bone-turnover
**This bone marker test is a simple blood or urine test that will tell your Dr if you are building new bone even if you dxa scores haven't changed.**
Best of luck to you, and I hope you can gain some insight from my response, and the other links. Hang in there, an improvement could be just around the corner.
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