Treat to Target #6 – Treatment

Our goal is NO NEW FRACTURES.  Therefore, Treat to Target means a FRAX score of <20% for “major osteoporotic” and <3% for hip fracture.  Alternately, T-score of better than -1.5 if...

Forteo Treats Atypical Fractures of the Femur

Patients, Primary Care Docs, and Orthopedic Surgeons all worry about bone surgery while on Osteoporosis Medications.  They also worry about Atypical Fractures of the Femur (AFF).  There is one medication...

Osteoporosis Medications Reviewed

Recently a patient asked me to review all osteoporosis medications for her to consider and choose from.  We had already optimized her Calcium intake, 25-hydroxy Vitamin D level, Protein intake, Multiple...

Forteo Increases Bone Thickness on the Inside

Forteo (Teriparatide) increases the thickness of the struts making up spongy (cancellous) bone.  Forteo is the only osteoporosis medication to do that.  It also makes the hard outer shell (cortical...

Bisphosphonates Preserve Bone By Slowing Bone Turnover

Bisphosphonates accumulate in your bone.  When OsteoClasts gobble up your bone, bisphosphonates are released into the Osteoclasts and disable or kill the Osteoclasts.  This is great news when the problem...

Match Medications to Your Needs

Are your bones still good enough and just need to be maintained?  Or have you fractured several times and need to rebuild your bones?  Are Steroid Inhalers supressing your Osteoblasts...

“Bisphosphonate Holiday” 2014

“You are entering a Data-Free Zone”   That was unfortunately the messasge at the joint meeting of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) and the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) last month. ...

GIOP From Steroid Inhalers & Injections

Glucocorticoid Induced OsteoPorosis is more common than we thought.  Individuals with Rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other inflamatory diseases often need Prednisone and other steroids (glucocorticoids).  3 months of Prednisone 5...