Treatment AFTER Forteo/Forsteo - Osteoporosis Message Board

Champy87 · 11-09-2007, 05:22 PM

Hi there - I'm a 20 year old male who had osteoporosis diagnosed almost half a year ago after a fracture in my lower back (L3) during my time in the army. I can't tell you precisely how low my score is, as either my T or my Z score couldn't be calculated for some reason. It's a very severe case however, but prior to the fracture in my back, I've worked out in the local gym without ANY problems at all, lifting fairly heavy weights.

I qualify for treatment with Forsteo (Forteo in the US?) and its been 3½ months since I started with my first injection. Because I "just" started (The treatment runs for 18 months) there's probably no increase in bone density yet, but I'm certainly looking forward to changes!

Copied my introduction from the other thread.
My question is basically in the title. What does one do after a Forsteo treatment? Here in Denmark, you're only allowed 18 months on Forsteo before you have to take something else. My doctor won't rule out Forsteo later in the future, but in any case, I'd need something to keep my bone mass from degenerating after the 18 months is up.
He said Fosamax or some other bisphosphinates, but I've heard a lot of bad stuff about Fosamax in particular, so what are my options?
It should be said however, that my doctor is the leading man in regards to osteoporosis and metabolism diseases in Denmark, so he's not your average GP. It would however, be a lot nicer to hear from someone who has the disease and have tried various drugs.

starfish81 · 11-09-2007, 05:37 PM

Hi Champy, and welcome. ****, people are getting this diagnosis at younger and younger ages-and men too. I don't blame you for being wary of the bisphosphonates. Take some time to read over some of the older posts on these boards; they're very informative. Some of us have opted to go the strontium citrate route. This is a supplement that you can buy w/o a prescription, although prescription versions are available in Europe. Also, don't be afraid to challenge your doctor's views if he tells you bisphosphanates are the only way to go.

taape · 11-09-2007, 07:04 PM

I haven't come up with a solution yet, so far just walking and taking Calcium supplements and eating dairy products. It's so frustrating to have a treatment that only lasts 18 months to 2 years with no other options than bisphosphonates in most cases. Desperately waiting for some other treatment options.

osteoblast · 11-09-2007, 09:33 PM

Hi champy and welcome to the osteo board ! I am still having trouble wrapping my mind around your osteoporosis at age 20. I am so glad for you that you are seeing the leading bone specialist in Denmark . That is great . In the United States, there are some doctors at the Oregon Health Sciences Center in Portland, Oregon who specialize in research and treatment of men with osteoporosis. You could check and find their names, or if you needed help I could do this.Then you could look at their research articles to see if anything may pertain to you and be of interest to your doctor. I am just thinking that perhaps your doctor would be interested in their research pertaining to treatment of men with osteoporosis. I think it is rather unusual to focus the research on men, as women seem to have more osteoporosis, so most of the research seems to be with women.
After forteo, that is certainly the big question and bisphosphonates seem to be the only answer right now. Bummer. I had thought that maybe if strontium ranelate was legal here that it may offer an alternative. Is strontium ranelate available in Denmark? I guess if it is and your doc wants you to do fosamax , then it is not a viable alternative to the bisphosphonates.

Champy87 · 11-10-2007, 12:32 PM

Thanks for the replies!
According to [url]http://www.medicinpriser.dk/Default.aspx?Navn=Protelos[/url] which is the Danish government's drug approval and control organ, there is something called Protelos with Strontiumranelat approved for use in Denmark.
I haven't heard it mentioned by my doctor, but drug use _after_ Forsteo wasn't something we talked about very much - We'll see next time I talk to him!

Is this the site you were talking about osteoblast? [url]http://www.ohsu.edu/research/bmu/page.php?sid=5&pid=13[/url]