osteopenic. Have lost 2 inches of height which is very upsetting. Am so confused as to which drug to take. Gnynecologist wrote script for Boniva but am unsure if I want to take it or Actonel. Boniva is quite expensive, more than the Actonel or Fosmax. My PCP suggests not taking anything yet and just doing the weight bearing exercies and walking. Im concerned about waiting and think I should be starting on a med. now because of the height loss. It also concerns me that my periods have not completely stopped so I am not in full menopause yet. I was always under the impression it was better to wait until periods were stopped for one year to be taking the osteoporosis drugs. There are so very many negative comments online from people who take them, it is a little worrisome. Thanks to anyone who can give me some input.
- Find
Q: Im a 55 yr.old who is still having periods every few months. Have had 2 dexa scans and am definitely
Hi char, welcome...You're correct that all these meds are for post-menopausal women, but that said some Drs will rx them anyway. If you are osteopenic then I can see why your pcp said to wait on meds. Your height loss is unusual since normal age-related loss isn't in the 2 inch range. If you could get another opinion maybe then you could decide what to do. There are a lot of negative things on the Internet about these drugs, because there are many who have negative side effects. Some don't have any problems, it just depends on how you tolerate the medication.
Sorry I can't tell you what to do. You'll have to decide, but I would look for another opinion based on what you've said.
Good luck with this...
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Hi char, I had another thought. Have you had an x-ray to see if you height loss is from a compression fracture? Some of these types of fractures cause very little to no pain and people don't find out about them until the get an x-ray. That would be another thing you might look into. If you'd a fracture in the past and didn't know it, this would be a reason to take something (med wise) to prevent further frax's if that's what caused the height loss.
Ask about this and see what the Dr says. If you want to let us know what you find out because I'm always interested in people who have silent frax's since they can be more prevalant that you might expect, and you wouldn't want anymore. The height loss isn't a absolute indicator of a fracture (frax) but it is a marker that is used to determine this when there's no other explanation.
Good luck with this...