Wife New to Osteoporosis - Treatment Concerns

O

Olden Dazed

New Member
Hello again. Hope everyone's well.

Last year, my wife began taking Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, and was at the maximum dose of 15 mg once a week on 10/15/2025, when she got results of "lowest T-score of -2.4 at left femoral neck" on a DEXA axial scan. She lost a total of 97 pounds on Mounjaro, and her blood sugar has never been better, but at no time did the prescribing doctor warn her about the onset of severe osteoporosis as a result of her bones bearing so much lighter a load.

She had a recent consult with an endocrine specialist, who wants her to jump straight onto Forteo. The doc gave her the impression that she was in serious enough condition to be at death's door. Forteo scares her due to her family history of Alzheimer's, and she's not a candidate for Tymlos due to her cardiac history. Plus, the bisphosphonates all scare her. Meanwhile, in our town, where all the healthcare providers are overburdened, she can't get in for a physical therapy evaluation until July.

So she has some questions about osteoporosis treatment:

(1) At no time did anyone tell her how serious (or not) the above score is. We're told the success of any treatment can depend heavily on how the news of the diagnosis is broken to the patient. (For example, a diabetes diagnosis can be presented as a near disaster, and the patient's fault ... or the doctor/nurse can be decent enough to reassure the patient that a blood sugar level is just a number, and not attach any baggage about the patient's character to it.)

(2) Are there any reputable, honest sources of information on conventional and alternative treatments? So far, from what we've seen online, the MD's hate the holistic practitioners, and the latter hate the former just as much. (And of course, she doesn't want to become a cash cow for Big Pharma.)

At present, she's started wearing 2.5-pound ankle weights and is contemplating the use of a 12-pound weighted vest (if she can start safely at that weight). She's also begun taking calcium citrate supplements.

Any advice on how to navigate this maze is greatly appreciated. Any good books would be especially helpful.

Thanks -- Olden Dazed

P.S. If anyone wants to beat the price of full-brand Citracal, Wal-Mart's Spring Valley brand is $9.63 for three hundred 600-mg tablets.
 
You're correct in that more load on her skeleton will stimulate bone deposit, so I'd be going in that direction first making sure she has all the building blocks for bone in her bloodstream, calcium and whatever associated minerals are required. She should be more afraid of breaking a hip and dying than side effects from bisphosphonates, and get this turned around before there is a broken bone to deal with. There is substantial reductions in bone breakage to the tune of 40-50% when using bisphosphonates.

My wife finally got the message when her osteopenia diagnosis came a couple months ago. I've been begging her to get some weight over her head for 10 years. I don't think 2.5lbs on each ankle is going to do squat; it's too low on the skeleton and the weight is very light. Is she capable of a modified push-up, planks, weighted squats or an overhead press?


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againstthegrain said:
She should be more afraid of breaking a hip and dying than side effects from bisphosphonates, and get this turned around before there is a broken bone to deal with. There is substantial reductions in bone breakage to the tune of 40-50% when using bisphosphonates.
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That’s basically what my doctor said to me and that convinced me to take bisphosphonates. My mother died after a fall.
 
I was diagnosed with osteopenia in 2021, and may or may not have crossed into osteoporosis. I've mostly shrugged this off but am increasingly fretting over it recently. My (northern European ancestry) mother broke first one hip and then the other year or more later (I forget the timing). I'd prefer to avoid taking that particular adventure with my own boy.

Problem is, there are no simple answers.

Taking calcium supplements is a risk in and of itself. Some studies show damage to cardio vascular system and an increased rate of heart attacks. I break them in half and take them with meals or snacks.

I ordered a weight vest that can be adjusted from 6-12 lbs. It's supposed to arrive tomorrow so will report back after giving it a little tie. I expect to wear it while working out and perhaps other times during the day.
 
I have osteoporosis. When I was diagnosed a few years ago I decided to take bisphosphonates for eighteen months to "jump start" bone building.
I also started a full body weight training workout that I do faithfully twice a week.
Next I started taking a bone supplement that has calcium hydroxyappatite, D3, and K2.
My scores improved at two years but not by much. The next test will tell if the improvement was from the drug or the weight training and supplement.
 
Olden Dazed said:
Hello again. Hope everyone's well.

Last year, my wife began taking Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, and was at the maximum dose of 15 mg once a week on 10/15/2025, when she got results of "lowest T-score of -2.4 at left femoral neck" on a DEXA axial scan. She lost a total of 97 pounds on Mounjaro, and her blood sugar has never been better, but at no time did the prescribing doctor warn her about the onset of severe osteoporosis as a result of her bones bearing so much lighter a load.

She had a recent consult with an endocrine specialist, who wants her to jump straight onto Forteo. The doc gave her the impression that she was in serious enough condition to be at death's door. Forteo scares her due to her family history of Alzheimer's, and she's not a candidate for Tymlos due to her cardiac history. Plus, the bisphosphonates all scare her. Meanwhile, in our town, where all the healthcare providers are overburdened, she can't get in for a physical therapy evaluation until July.

So she has some questions about osteoporosis treatment:

(1) At no time did anyone tell her how serious (or not) the above score is. We're told the success of any treatment can depend heavily on how the news of the diagnosis is broken to the patient. (For example, a diabetes diagnosis can be presented as a near disaster, and the patient's fault ... or the doctor/nurse can be decent enough to reassure the patient that a blood sugar level is just a number, and not attach any baggage about the patient's character to it.)

(2) Are there any reputable, honest sources of information on conventional and alternative treatments? So far, from what we've seen online, the MD's hate the holistic practitioners, and the latter hate the former just as much. (And of course, she doesn't want to become a cash cow for Big Pharma.)

At present, she's started wearing 2.5-pound ankle weights and is contemplating the use of a 12-pound weighted vest (if she can start safely at that weight). She's also begun taking calcium citrate supplements.

Any advice on how to navigate this maze is greatly appreciated. Any good books would be especially helpful.

Thanks -- Olden Dazed

P.S. If anyone wants to beat the price of full-brand Citracal, Wal-Mart's Spring Valley brand is $9.63 for three hundred 600-mg tablets.
Click to expand...
Sun or vitamin D3 supplements? Ankle weights should be avoided! --substitute a backpack or weighted vest?
 
StarSong said:
Taking calcium supplements is a risk in and of itself. Some studies show damage to cardio vascular system and an increased rate of heart attacks. I break them in half and take them with meals or snacks.
Click to expand...
Well...taking calcium supplements was a short experiment. Revved up my PVCs to a disturbing level. Ugh... Didn't seem to matter that I was taking small doses along with magnesium and vitamin D.
 
StarSong said:
Seems a damned if I do, damned if I don't scenario. I don't take calcium supplements and don't eat dairy.

So broken bones or cardiovascular disease. Talk about being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. :(
Click to expand...
Hot peppers and lemons help to keep the pipes open. But for strong bones and general health, I think lots of raw vegetables (as well as cooked) are the best thing, my opinion. And carefully chosen protein. And lose the poisons and toxins.
Loss of production of hormones due to menopause is a big driver of depleted bone density.
 
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