Osteoporosis and Osteopenia

Big drug companies that make drugs like Fosamax, Boniva, Evista and Actonel are marketing to women who are in perimenopause and menopause because these women don't have the bone making hormone PROGESTERONE any more so what happens is they lose the bone building ability that progesterone has when it is available in the human body. Bisphosphonate medicine (as mentioned above) slows down the bone loss that occurs with age. It does nothing, however, to build bone back for women! This is not explained to women. They think it will improve their bones, when in actuality it can't. Only progesterone used in conjunction with estrogen can do that. Standard of Care Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) IS dangerous for women. HRT is synthetic drugs or bioidentical drugs given in static low dosing. That means the same low dose every day. No rhythmic, cyclic doses are given in ascending and descending amounts that creates an amplitude and pulse with every heart beat. So no wonder it is very confusing for women when they read drug sponsored web sites about HRT and medications/therapies to treat bone loss.

Below is a typical description of the avaialble treatments for osteoporosis and osteopenia. They ALL have side effects, not mentioned here, but read the information at their web sites in the small print and you will see what I mean. Some really serious side effects that have been PROVEN because in order for a drug to become commercially available a study has to be done to prove its efficacy and safety. There are many studies done on The Wiley Protocol that are around the globe that have proven to be safe and effective for women and not cause adverse side effects, unless you think feeling young, energetic and calm is a side effect that you don't want. The Wiley Protocol has been used in breast cancer patients and where they should have had reoccurrence rates equal to that of the standard of care patients, the Wiley Protocol patients had lower reoccurrence rates. Wow! That is huge.

There are five main types of Osteoporosis, Osteopenia medications:Bisphosphonates such as alendronate or risedronate. Bisphosphonates bind to the mineral surface in bone and they interfere with the work of osteoclasts. (The bone cells that remove bone.) Thus bisphosphonates slow bone loss.The main Bisphosphonates in use are Alendronate (Fosamax), Risendronate (Actonel) and now bandronate (Boniva) For more information about these drugs go to Fosamax or Actonel or BonivaThere are three additional bisphosphonates have been approved for use. All are zolendronic acid, which is a bisphosphonate.

These drugs are taken by infusion, rather than by pill. The names of these two drugs are: Aclasta which is sold in the United States as Reclast and the other form of zolendronic acid known as Zometa . Some people have found that their health care providers want to recommend one of these drugs as treatment.

Calcitonin . Calcitonin also inhibits the work of osteoclasts. This osteopenia medication can be admininstered by injection or by nasal spray. The nasal spray is used once a day and it can be taken at any time of the day. It has few negative side effects. Some report a 'runny nose'. Calcitonin has been shown to decrease spinal fractures and increase bone density of spinal vertebrae by 2.4% when used as directed for two years.

If you want to read more about this Osteopenia / Osteoporosis medication go to Calcitonin Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)- Sometimes called Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT). HRT has been approved for both the treatment and prevention of Osteoporosis. HRT slows the accelerated bone loss that occurs in most women during and right after menopause.There are a number of serious risks with Standard of Care HRT including an increased lifelong risk of endometrial cancer and increased lifelong risk of breast cancer. Any woman considering Standard of Care HRT as an osteopenia medication needs to discuss both benefits and risks with her health care provider - especially if she has a family history of cancer or other cancer risk factors. Your own hormones given back to you in rhythmic, cyclic dosing to mimic a hormone cycle like you had when you were age 20 gives you back cell control. Your hormones don't "cause" cancer. Your hormones "control" cells. And that loss of cell control is when cancer cells can take control.

Strontium ranelate - Protelos is a new drug which both stimulates the osteoblasts and inhibits the osteoclasts. Information can be found at Protelosv Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators: Raloxifene - Evista. Although SERMS sometimes act like estrogen, they are not estrogens. SERMS occupy the estrogen receptor site and block your own estrogen from working like it suppost to work. That's pretty scary!

More information about Raloxifene, Evista as an osteopenia medication may be found at Evista Forteo or Teriparatide is a medication sometimes prescribed for spinal Osteoporosis. Although Forteo is not usually prescribed for Osteopenia, I include it since so many readers have asked me to add a page about it.Go to Forteo .

Thiazide diuretics. This group of medications is usually prescribed for hypertension. Not many physicians think of them as an Osteoporosis or Osteopenia medication. But research shows they can be an effective for treatment of bone loss. The New England Journal of Medicine published, "Thiazide effect on the mineral content of bone". by RD Wasnich, RJ Benfante, K Yano, L Heilbrun and JM Vogel in 1983.This study included 1368 men with a mean age of 68 years. Of these 323 were taking thiazides for hypertension. Thiazide users had significantly more bone mineral content at all sites tested than did non-users.The authors concluded: "These findings suggest the possibility of a preventive or therapeutic role for thiazides in osteoporosis".Another study was published in Lancet in 1989. It was done by the Department of Preventive Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. It also concluded that thiazides protect against Osteoporosis in elderly people.

Other studies can be found at: Osteopenia Medications -Thiazide Diuretics Although most health care providers do not usually think of thiazide diuretics as osteopenia medication, if you have hypertension you may want to raise this in your discussion of your osteopenia care plan.

New medication in clinical trials: Densoumab There is a new medication Densoumab in clinical trials whichappears to hold great promise for those with bone loss. If you want to read about it, go to Denosumab an injection for better bones Other drugs for Osteopenia or Osteoporosis

In Japan and Italy, there is a drug called Ipriflavone which is marketed under different names.
In other countries Ipriflavone can be bought as a natural supplement.In the EU there is Protelos or Strontium Ranelate.

In other countries where Protelos is not yet approved, some are using Natural Strontium SupplementsResources used in creating this page:Karine Bohme with Frances Budden, MD. The Silent Thief. 2001. Nancy E. Lane, MD. The Osteoporosis Book 1999.


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