-3.5 lumbar, just started 1mg estradiol. Been doing exercise, taking vit D & calcium, vit k2 plus many vits and minerals. Eating prunes. Can I go through rest of my life without breaking a bone?
65 yr female, 65 yr endometrial cancer survivor
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11/27/09 6:20pm
Hi mazie, your t-score is low and puts you in the established osteoporosis category. Some people use HRT for bone loss as long as they don't have any of the contraindications that go along with estrogen/progesterone. Your supplements sound great, so keep that up and prunes should help too. I sure wish I could tell someone if they'd would be safe from fractures, but there again that's something that I don't think anyone could answer. Some people with much better t-scores than yours fracture and some don't, so we can never guess on something like this. It's like trying to figure out the future ahead of time and no one can do that.
If you're tolerating the estradiol well and don't have any cancer issues, history of stroke, heart disease or blood clots you can increase your scores with this type of treatment, but it takes time.
Keep up the exercise and supplements those will help a lot, and ask your Dr. if this approach is a good one for you with this low t-score. If your looking to take something different, let us know. But if your doing well on what your taking you'll have to give it time to work. Bone loss/gain occurs at a very slow rate, so it takes time for any medication to work, it doesn't happen overnight.
If you have another question just post again. And I sure hope that you do well on what you are taking.
11/27/09 8:34pm
Hi mazie, thanks soo much for your kind response, it is appreciated more than you know!!
The main drug that gets recommended for scores like this is Forteo. That said, Forteo--like all other meds--comes with it's own risk/benefits and some rules about who can or can't take it. If you've ever had radiation to the bone, you can't take it. The is a slight risk of getting bone cancer from this drug. It's also a daily injection that you take for 2 years, which can be oft-putting for some.
Here's an article on it from the Cleveland Clinic you can read to see if it's something to consider. It's also very expensive, apprx $1,000.00 a month, and some insurance companies cover it and some don't. I took it and did really well without any side effects, but since we all react differently it's impossible to say how'd do. However, Forteo is not a bisphosphonate like Boniva, Fosamax, Actonel and Reclast.
Here's another link from our Question of the Week on Forteo where you can talk to others taking it. You can also put Forteo in the search box above and pull up all the Shareposts I've written and those of our other writers on it, from our web site.
Also look at the list of "Top Osteo Drugs" on our home page here (bottom left of screen), and read about the other options. It's impossible to tell what you might be able to take without knowing your medical history and your Dr. is the only one besides you that has this. Just be sure to decide on something that YOU feel is right for YOU.
If you decide to switch treatments for some reason be sure to read and read, education is your best tool in dealing with this and also pay close attention to "all" the drugs varying side effects even though they aren't universal for all.
Good luck and let us know if you need some other help. We'd love for you to join our weekly discussion on the homepage (link above) any time you want to.
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By mazie— Last Modified: 12/16/10, First Published: 11/26/09
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What a wonderful site this is! I thank you for the generosity of your time and for your
thoughtful response.
I have been on the 1mg estradiol just one week today.
So, if I were to take something different, what would you suggest besides Fosomax?