Techigramma
08-12-2003, 03:07 PM
I read all the messages on Fosomax. Not sure of the spelling, but I am sure you know what I am referring to. I, too, have Osteoporosis. The doctor that diagnosed the condition, knew nothing about controlling the bone loss or (sometime) pain. At first I was taking Arthritis Strength Tylenol. Then went into the Internet to find out more about this malady. Well it seems as if the night shade foods are definately a no-no. Im, also, am taking Calcium and Centrum Silver. It seems that we can't reverse the damage, but can prevent future damage. Hopefully. I don't see the doctor again until the end of October. If there is any change in either direction, I will be happy to let you know. Hope you will accept an ole lady (76). Will get back to you and see if I have an answer. Techi
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USAFMOM
08-12-2003, 05:36 PM
Hi Techigramma,
First of all, if your doctor knows nothing about improving your condition, or even stopping it for that matter as you have suggested, maybe your first step ought to be finding a specialist who can help, perhaps an endocrinologist. You can build bone with medications, vitamin/mineral supplements, exercise and a good diet. You mentioned you are 76. Had your doctor ever suggested a bone density scan earlier in life, say at menopause? Did he ever counsel you on this disease and ways to prevent it? It's unfortunate you are just now finding these results out. My GYN doctor never did with me; it took me pulling it out of her and convincing her that I probably needed a bone density scan. I'm glad I did. I'm 41 with osteopenia and now can work on improving my condition before menopause hits. Good luck with your condition. Keep us posted.
First of all, if your doctor knows nothing about improving your condition, or even stopping it for that matter as you have suggested, maybe your first step ought to be finding a specialist who can help, perhaps an endocrinologist. You can build bone with medications, vitamin/mineral supplements, exercise and a good diet. You mentioned you are 76. Had your doctor ever suggested a bone density scan earlier in life, say at menopause? Did he ever counsel you on this disease and ways to prevent it? It's unfortunate you are just now finding these results out. My GYN doctor never did with me; it took me pulling it out of her and convincing her that I probably needed a bone density scan. I'm glad I did. I'm 41 with osteopenia and now can work on improving my condition before menopause hits. Good luck with your condition. Keep us posted.
Travel
08-13-2003, 02:09 AM
From one "ole lady" to the other...I am 72. I think you might get some pain relief from the Tylonol, but maybe you should ask your doctor about taking something that is good for inflamation, such as aspirin or ibuprophen.
Also, I take 400 mg. of vitamin D and 600 mg. calcium every morning with breakfast and every evening after dinner. Vitamin D is as important as the calcium I understand. I also take Fosamax and it has improved the readings on the bone scans.
Exercise is most important, it should be weight bearing exercise such as walking. I have a lot of hip pain so I can only walk for short periods, but I try to get a total of at least 20 minutes per day.
I wish you well.
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Elizabeth M.
Also, I take 400 mg. of vitamin D and 600 mg. calcium every morning with breakfast and every evening after dinner. Vitamin D is as important as the calcium I understand. I also take Fosamax and it has improved the readings on the bone scans.
Exercise is most important, it should be weight bearing exercise such as walking. I have a lot of hip pain so I can only walk for short periods, but I try to get a total of at least 20 minutes per day.
I wish you well.
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Elizabeth M.
Techigramma
08-13-2003, 02:56 PM
Thank you both for your reply to my questions. I agree with everything that you both mentioned. I have been taking my Calcium and Vit D, plus Centrum Silver for some time now. Also, I went into the internet to locate information on what to,and not to, eat. I was really happy to find that diet is important. Especially the nightshade foods. Such as...Potato, Tomato and Green pepper. Also, to take it easy on dairy. No more than 2 glasses of skim a week. Easy on oils. Like Canola, and Olive. Also, try not to over do on beef. Chicken is allowed a couple of days a week. Makes it a little tough as I am used to having tomato slices on just about everything I eat. But it is worth the sacrifice to be doing something constructive. Now we shall wait and see. I see the doctor again at the end of October. Will keep you all informed on my progress. Not trying to bore you, just happy to find something I feel is working. My butt is still sore to sit on, but my lower back is not giving me as much trouble as previously. Now if the weather would just cool down a little, my world would be perfect. ;) All my best, Ruthie J
marciakeeney
08-14-2003, 12:36 PM
I remember reading one book from the library that described the osteoporosis program you are talking about -- no foods from the nightshade family, little to no milk, etc. That is the only place I read it in extensive research that I did about osteoporosis. I think that person's program may be a bit "out there", certainly not in the mainstream of osteoporosis treatment and prevention, and I worry that it may not be scientifically proven or even effective and may cause you to focus on stuff that isn't really helping you. My advice to you is to do a whole lot more reading on the subject in order to get a consensus of what is helpful for osteoporosis. The real essentials are getting 1500 mg of calcium per day (from diet or absorbable supplements), an adequate supply of vitamin D orally and from the sun, some of the lesser minerals like magnesium, boron, etc., regular strength training (i.e. lifting weights and weight bearing exercise). Some books advise natural progesterone cream, though that is not totally mainstream. You can get a lot of important vitamins and minerals from eating a LOT of vegetables. Personally, I think avoiding tomatoes, potatoes and peppers because they are from the nightshade family is focusing on the wrong thing; they contain a lot of vitamins, and I think that unless you ate them to the exclusion of other foods, that they are beneficial, not harmful. Be careful, because there are all kinds of opinions and advice out there, not all of it good. I found the following books especially helpful: Strong Women, Strong Bones by Miriam Nelson and The Wisdom of Menopause by Christiane Northrup (the chapter on osteoporosis).
bjg
08-15-2003, 09:49 AM
lets face it..if diet alone was what stopped bone loss for most of us..why would the makers of fosamax,actonel and evista(thats 3 different companies) spend millions in research to get drugs on the market.they knew that there would be a big market for their products .to me it says that for most of us avoiding an eggplant or taking os cal sadly just isnt enough...
blondegal
08-15-2003, 02:18 PM
bjg: how are you doing on Evista?
Did you see Ann Richards on Larry King? She says she has absolutely no side effects from taking Evista but of course, she's their spokesperson. However, I think she's never been shy about stating her opinion and she seems brutally honest.
My doctor says Evista is difficult to take. I thought Fosamax was also. I've considered Evista but for now I'm on Miacalcin. The jury is still out on whether it is doing any good (only taken it 5 months.)
I'm interested to hear what you have to say in case Miacalcin proves ineffective. I remain optimistic though.
Did you see Ann Richards on Larry King? She says she has absolutely no side effects from taking Evista but of course, she's their spokesperson. However, I think she's never been shy about stating her opinion and she seems brutally honest.
My doctor says Evista is difficult to take. I thought Fosamax was also. I've considered Evista but for now I'm on Miacalcin. The jury is still out on whether it is doing any good (only taken it 5 months.)
I'm interested to hear what you have to say in case Miacalcin proves ineffective. I remain optimistic though.
bjg
08-15-2003, 07:39 PM
from everything i have heard and read ..miacalcin may be the most easily tolerated ..but it is also the least effective..i have been on evista since may '02..i started having hair loss in aug '02 and came off evista for one month to see if the drug was causing the problem ..the hairloss continued..and from what i have read it is common during menopause and not related to the evista..then in apr '03..i had slight vaginal bleeding..i was almost 2 yrs post menopausal so my gyn did a biopsy of my uterus..all was ok ..and after 2 days the spotting stopped...i really felt as tho i ovulated but came off evista for a month anyway..but when i resumed it i had no further problem ..so again the problem was not related to evista..now i am having occasional sore stiff knees...i have seen on this site that several others are having that also...it is not problematic enough for me to even stop the evista to see if the two are related...the evista seems to have slowed my bone loss down to 1 % ..previous to that it was 3% one yr and 7 %(the year i was drinking diet coke with all that caffeine)the year before...hope this info helps you
bjg
08-15-2003, 10:32 PM
i almost forgot to mention..the one side effect that i know is caused by the evista is vivid disturbing dreams..when i stop the meds i dont have the dreams
DTemple
09-14-2003, 10:44 AM
I am responding to some of the younger women with osteoporosis. I am 47 and just diagnosed with this disease. I have been reading up on all of the medications and none of them seem to be ideal. The bisphosphonates bother the stomach and esophagus (I have reflux disease already), Miacalcin isn't as effective and Evista seems to have cancer warnings. I plan to exercise, add calcium, change diet (more vegan) and try to tolerate one of these drugs.
Divamac
09-14-2003, 02:13 PM
I am 35 and just diagnosed with osteoporosis (caused by a genetic hormonal imbalance), and against my doctor's advice, I refuse to take Fosamax to deal with this. I will be diligent about exercise, mineral intake and diet. I have done much research into maintaining an acid/alkaline balance in your diet (20/80) and it makes a lot more sense to me than some generally unproven prescription medication. I'll take my chances with lifestyle changes rather than taking my chances with Fosamax and risk gastro-intestinal disorders.
I for one do not believe anything my doctor tells me without researching the subject for myself. I read the conventional perspective on osteoporosis treatment and the alternative. I researched Merck's Fosamax information and the alternative view of the drug. I will seek second and third opinions. But in the end, the decision is mine to make. But I will be as informed as possible before i make it.
Why a pharmaceutical company would spend millions on research and promotion of a drug whose effects could be achieved with diet? Because we believe what they tell us. Because we do not believe that diet can help. Because we believe that milk does a body good. Because we believe that menopause is a disease, not a natural part of aging. We believe that we can live any lifestyle we like and then take a pill to un-do the damage.
I used to work in pharmaceutical marketing. Believe me, very little they do is done out of the goodness of their heart. Menopausal women are cash cows in their eyes between HRT and osteoporosis. The marketability of a drug (almost any drug) is determined by how much money they can make from it. All women age and go through menopause, therefore the potential market for HRT and osteoporosis drugs is HUGE, and thus they throw money into proving that menopause is a disease that can only be treated through pharmaceutical intervention. I have seen pharmaceutical companies decide to not pursue certain drugs because the market is not big enough for them to make back their R&D money. It happens.
In my opinion, Fosamax is not proven to build strong bone (lots of research suggests that it does build bone, but it is brittle bone and fracturews increase with the use of the drug) and taking Fosamax does not address the underlying cause of bone loss. So I will seek the underlying cause and fix that.
I for one do not believe anything my doctor tells me without researching the subject for myself. I read the conventional perspective on osteoporosis treatment and the alternative. I researched Merck's Fosamax information and the alternative view of the drug. I will seek second and third opinions. But in the end, the decision is mine to make. But I will be as informed as possible before i make it.
Why a pharmaceutical company would spend millions on research and promotion of a drug whose effects could be achieved with diet? Because we believe what they tell us. Because we do not believe that diet can help. Because we believe that milk does a body good. Because we believe that menopause is a disease, not a natural part of aging. We believe that we can live any lifestyle we like and then take a pill to un-do the damage.
I used to work in pharmaceutical marketing. Believe me, very little they do is done out of the goodness of their heart. Menopausal women are cash cows in their eyes between HRT and osteoporosis. The marketability of a drug (almost any drug) is determined by how much money they can make from it. All women age and go through menopause, therefore the potential market for HRT and osteoporosis drugs is HUGE, and thus they throw money into proving that menopause is a disease that can only be treated through pharmaceutical intervention. I have seen pharmaceutical companies decide to not pursue certain drugs because the market is not big enough for them to make back their R&D money. It happens.
In my opinion, Fosamax is not proven to build strong bone (lots of research suggests that it does build bone, but it is brittle bone and fracturews increase with the use of the drug) and taking Fosamax does not address the underlying cause of bone loss. So I will seek the underlying cause and fix that.
USAFMOM
09-15-2003, 10:56 PM
I do not know much about Fosamax, only what one opinion explained to me (an endocrinologist from an osteoporosis institute in Canton, Ohio). She explained to me that Fosamax simply corrects the bone sloughing/building process that may not be working properly or imbalanced, thus allowing the normal process for making bone to happen. So my understanding from this is that Fosamax is not responsible for building bone, but correcting the imbalanced natural process in the body that DOES build the bone, allowing it to work naturally. I'm sure there must be more in-depth and complicated mechanisms of this drug, but this is just how it was explained to me.
I certainly agree that the pharmaceuticals are a big business, out to make money. But I also believe that there are medical conditions, such as osteoporosis, that cannot be fully corrected by self-modalities. I believe it is important to do everything we can for ourselves through diet, supplements, and exercise, but unfortunately, in certain situations, I do not believe this is nearly enough, and that some people should wisely consider medications to protect their bones. One could look at it I suppose as taking a garden hose out to fight a forest fire. Some medicines are like a "necessary evil." Just my point of view, developed through my reading and research from people wiser than me. ;)
I certainly agree that the pharmaceuticals are a big business, out to make money. But I also believe that there are medical conditions, such as osteoporosis, that cannot be fully corrected by self-modalities. I believe it is important to do everything we can for ourselves through diet, supplements, and exercise, but unfortunately, in certain situations, I do not believe this is nearly enough, and that some people should wisely consider medications to protect their bones. One could look at it I suppose as taking a garden hose out to fight a forest fire. Some medicines are like a "necessary evil." Just my point of view, developed through my reading and research from people wiser than me. ;)