Actonel vs. Fosomax - Osteoporosis Message Board

sm677 · 01-31-2005, 09:35 PM

I have been diagnosed with Osteopenia / but DEXA results very close to Osteoporosis. Which is better Fosomax or Actonel? Why?
Thanks!

taape · 01-31-2005, 09:46 PM

I checked a medication book and both of these look really similar and are for ostoeporosis. Both have daily or weekly doses. Did your doctor give you a choice?

goldenwings · 02-01-2005, 06:12 PM

Hiya sm,

I personally take Fosamax. I have taken steroids for years, which has caused osteo and this tablet is the only one, for me personally, that didn't cause severe gastric problems and inflammation. I take it once a week and have (or I should have) a chewable calcium tablet per day.

Whichever one you do have, please be very careful to follow the instructions on how to take it.

Hope this helps.

goldenwings

Jone · 02-01-2005, 07:25 PM

I have been taking Fosamax for several years with no side effects and my bone density has stayed stable until recently when I went off hormones. I decided to go on Forteo but have not had positive results because it does not work well for those who have been on Fosamax. Talk to your doctor about this because those who have not taken Fosamax get good results from Forteo. My doctor is doing research on parathyroid and says that even the manufacturer of Forteo does not know how long it takes for Forteo to work after stopping Fosamax.

Oldbones · 02-02-2005, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jone

I have been taking Fosamax for several years with no side effects and my bone density has stayed stable until recently when I went off hormones. I decided to go on Forteo but have not had positive results because it does not work well for those who have been on Fosamax. Talk to your doctor about this because those who have not taken Fosamax get good results from Forteo. My doctor is doing research on parathyroid and says that even the manufacturer of Forteo does not know how long it takes for Forteo to work after stopping Fosamax.

Hello Jone....
May I ask how long you have been on Forteo? You haven't had any improvement at all with Forteo? I was on Actonel for a couple of months before starting Forteo but it gave me a lot of stomach distress. I had gastric ulcers previously so we knew that Actonel would probably be too hard on my stomach but my doctor wanted to at least give it a try.

I'm glad that your bone density didn't worsen while on Fosamax. Even though your BMD didn't improve, at least you didn't lose any more bone. That's definitely a plus +++.

I've been on Forteo for about 10 months and have shown improvement and most of all.......no more fractures! I am also on Hormone replacement therapy and have been for years. I take shots every 3 weeks. I took estrogen pills for a long time but my body just wasn't absorbing them. I had never heard that Forteo doesn't work well on people who have taken Fosamax. I guess we learn something new on these boards every day. I'll have to do some research on this. Thanks for the info.

~Oldbones