Yes, I was diagnosed with osteopenia almost two years ago. I, too, had a bone density test and it showed up there, as well as on other Xrays.

I was not prescribed anything for it (e.g., Fosamax, Boniva, etc.), and I won't take anything like that for it. If I can find the study, I'll come back and provide a link, but I read a study that says that it's actually worse in the long run to have taken those things. (Wait... any minute now Dr. Fudd will come along and dispute anything I say...)

Have you had your Vitamin D and Calcium levels checked? My osteopenia was apparently a result of Primary Hyperparathyroidism. I had a parathyroidectomy at the end of November 2017, and it is expected that when I have another DEXA Scan later this year it will show improvement over the scan from 2016.

I had look up osteopenia. Sound like another pre-illness like pre-diabetes.

If it were me I would discuss options other than taking Fosamax with my doctors. Just like with pre-diabetes simple life style changes could prevent you needing medication at all or from having it progress to Osteoporosis.

Were it me I would want to know the actual number results of my test and i would discuss options with my MD taking family history, my own history, and general physical well being along with my current lifestyle. I recently had my own physical and my doctor and I discussed the various tests available for my age group etc. We decided I did not need to bother with a bone density test due to my body type and my lifestyle. I am 67.

I would never take a preventative medication based on a single test. I tested for so called pre-diabetes once. It was a glitch. ALL my blood work has been fine before and since. Actually it was impressively the best in years this time around.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/osteopenia-when-you-have-weak-bones-but-not-osteoporosis

I was diagnosed with it at 65, been on Fosamax once a week ever since. Haven't had any problems with the medicine.

DH has it and is on Prolia. It's not supposed to have the risk of necrosis (bone death) like some of the other treatments do. My old secretary was on fosamax and ended up with jaw necrosis...no treatment but her jaw bone is dying and she's losing teeth.

I was diagnosed with osteopenia years ago -- probably due to my graves disease -- but have been just taking calcium and D and magnesium and do a lot of walking/weight bearing exercise.

ETA: Since he's been on it, his bone loss has improved.

No, lindsey, I'm not a physician. I only speak up to give balance when I see people sharing made up non-knowledge or views of quacks.

Good doctors are current with the science. If the prevailing research (not just one study) suggests that treatment isn't effective, then that's what doctors will suggest.

joann (and anyone else) - follow the advice of your medical doctor. If you have questions, that's who you should have a discussion with. If you doubt their advice, find one you can trust.

"Is there something better without so many side effects?" is a question a patient should be asking their own physician, who knows the patients relevant medical history, physical exam, and diagnostic test results.

Following are links which provide good information about osteopenia.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/osteopenia-when-you-have-weak-bones-but-not-osteoporosis

https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/guide/osteopenia-early-signs-of-bone-loss#3

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318321.php

Yes, I have it. Be careful what you take for it, if you have extensive dental work. It can be very hard on your jaw bones. I have full dental implants and I can't take several of them. This was a warning given to me by my dentist. My doctor was unaware of it.

I have it but don't take anything for it. I try and exercise and take calcium tablets.

"Osteonecrosis of the jaw is primarily associated with high-dose bisphosphonate use in cancer patients." https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1447355-overview#a6

I was diagnosed with osteopenia over 25 years ago. (I'll soon be 82) I believe I was started on Fosamax, but switched to Actonel. Although it is available in injection and a monthly oral pill, I don't mind taking daily pill as it fits in with my lifestyle. My calcium and vitamin D levels have always been good, yet I still have the osteoprosis diagnosis. My body type and ethnic background are prime for the diagnosis. Fortunately I have no dental problems due to Actonel.

I thought I remembered some bad press for Fosamax some years ago.

I have it and took Fosamax for a while, maybe a year. I started having problems with my throat, like it was constricted. I started doing research and a lot of doctors say that a little bone loss is normal as we age and doesn't mean our bones are going to turn into swiss cheese. But, my mother is having severe deterioration of her spine so I am watching mine. Since getting off Fosamax, I take calcium, magnesium, Vitamin D, and B Complex, and I walk, but not as much as I should. And my tests haven't changed.

Read this from NPR:

https://www.npr.org/2009/12/21/121609815/how-a-bone-disease-grew-to-fit-the-prescription

I'm a thin, white female over 50 and likely to be diagnosed with this at some point but I won't treat it unless on the border/into osteoporosis.

I was diagnosed with osteopenia when I was in my early 50's and put on Fosamax. It cause me big problems with my GERD an I quickly quit taking it. Then later, I read an article in the NYTimes with the same information as the NPR article. I was furious! It wasn't a disease at all!

i do now have osteoporosis but choose not to take any meds; my doctor is fine with my decision. I would have to either do the annual or semi-annual infusion, and if I had side effects, there would be no quick way to stop them.

I'm counting on my genes to protect me.

I have osteopenia and I think osteoporosis of the hip. I'm white and very small boned as were all the women in my family. Since I still haven't recovered from my five days on prednisone, I sure am never taking any drugs for this. I've heard of necrosis of the jaw. I don't trust doctors and think people should do their own research. When I messaged my doctor about a sunburn-like face from the pred, he never heard of that although it's a quite common side effect. He thinks my vitamin D was too high at 75 and made me get it lower. I take vitamin D and calcium and magnesium and do six miles a day and lift weights.

I have osteopenia. Used to be on boniva. Stopped taking it years ago because of what I read about it. I take a mild calcium and a vitamin d, and I do weight bearing exercises. My last test shows a better density than my first eons ago.

Have you heard of MK-7 (Vitamin K-2)? It helps regulate where calcium is used in the body, removing it from the arteries (dangerous plaque buildup) and depositing it in the bones (bone strength). It's not easy to get enough of it from food, as it comes from the good bacteria in fermented foods. Tempeh is an excellent source, and when we had the tofu business and made our own tempeh I ate it regularly. But these days I take an MK-7 supplement.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding of how they determine osteopenia/porosis has to do with how far you are from "normal" "for your age". So in other words, they look at what is normal bone density for women at say, age 60. If you are within a certain range, you are considered fine. If you are somewhat below that range, then they call it osteopenia, and if you are much below that range, they call it osteoporosis. (In statistics we call it the Z score.) So within that test is an accommodation for thinner bones as we age. It's really about if your bones are much thinner than they should be for someone at that age.

To look at it another way, if your bone density stays exactly the same for 10 years, you can have osteopenia at 40 and be normal at 50...it's not that your bones got denser, but it's that the standard has dropped.

I was diagnosed with Osteopenia but because of my preoccupation with caring for my mother, I just didn't address it. There were things I could have done. By the time she passed away I had Osteoporosis. I was terrified, stopped riding my bicycle, got into weight lifting at a gym and took Fosamax for five years. Over the five years I read so much about how it works I decided to stop. When I told my doctor she agreed -- five years was a stopping point. As I understand it, Fosamax doesn't build bone, it stops bone loss but the quality of that retained bone hadn't been studied at that time. That would be done after all of us who'd taken it were dead. We were part of an experiment. While I mulled that over I read about necrosis of the jaw. No thank you -- I don't need to hear about which patients are "likely" to experience that. I still don't feel that confident about my bones but I'm walking, taking vitamin D especially, doing things that are known to be healthy.

I took Fosamax for quite a few years (5?--cannot remember). I had a femur fracture, walked on crutches for months to try for healing which didn't work and so surgery was needed to put a rod in the femur. I'm good to go now! Sometimes I feel familiar pinching in the other leg and wonder if it is compromised too, but it's minor and I walk every day, garden, etc. so I ignore it.

I have refused a bisphosphonate (Zometa). Although it is supposedly indicated in my case -- diagnosed with multiple myeloma -- I have no confidence in the supposed benefits v. side effects.

It appears that the drug hardens existing bone, but it also prevents formation of new bone. People taking it have fewer fractures in expected places, but have fractures in other places. There is no long-term study of use.

Is it really abnormal to see bone loss in older people -- especially small-boned, white females?

Have bisphosphonates resulted in better quality of life and fewer fractures -- or are there only some better looking DEXA pictures?

I have endured other 'medical directives' that were later debunked: Mammography for all with and resultant useless surgeries; Hormone therapy to post-menopausal women to prevent heart problems. As an infant, I had abdominal surgery to 'correct' a pyloric problem -- muscle can be stretched internally. A bumbling GYN removed my viable ovary with abdominal surgery while investigating a chocolate cyst (benign condition). I underwent a breast biopsy because no one took into account that the hormone therapy I was taking to increase my chances of conceiving resulted in the 'suspicious cyst'.

I agree, I hate taking drugs and try to avoid it, but when I see how fatal a broken hip can be for people in their old age, it seems to make sense to take some steps to avoid it as much as possible.

You might want to consider Evista in place of Fosomax, etc. I took it for several years along with supplements and very slowly saw improvement. I also take:

-- calcium. I take Jarrows Bone-Up. It has calcium plus trace minerals;

-- D3;

-- strontium;

-- MK7 (vitamin K2)

My sister recommended Evista to me. She had GERD and she didn't want to chance the side effects of Fosamax.

You have to do your own research, you can't just blindly follow your doctor's advice. I had to suggest the Evista to my doctor, and she never mentioned any supplement except calcium. And some types of calcium are believed better than others. Calcium citrate is absorbed better for bone health than calcium carbonate. Calcium MicroCrystalline HydroxyApatite (MCHA) is believed better than calcium citrate.

When one of my dexa-scan scores reached the point of normal, I stopped taking the Evista. I plan to be tested again this summer to see where my scores are now. I have kept taking the supplements.

Dr. Wanted to put me on Ibandronate, it seems to have all the same side effects. I think I will just take my chances with vitamins.

I was diagnosed with the made-up 'disease' osteopenia about 10 years ago, at age 57. I took Fosomax for a few months, but I changed employers, and had trouble getting my script for it filled on line (required for mail order). I gave up and did a lot of research (the NPR article referenced above is excellent). I started taking Vit D (2000 mg daily), and reintroduced cheese and yogurt into my diet. I quit drinking brown soda. About a year ago I started taking Vit K2, which directs calcium to the correct, non-soft tissue body areas. My last DEXA showed 'osteopenia' in only 1 area (wrist) as opposed to the 3 areas it appeared in 10 years ago. Oh, I also walk very briskly for an average of 45-60 minutes a day, do calisthenics and some yoga. I am fair and weigh 107 lbs (a prime candidate for osteoxx), so my doc thinks I'm fine.

Slideshow with good information & some excellent images.

https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/ss/slideshow-osteoporosis-overview

Good sources of Vit K2 are cheese, eggs, and meat.

Unfortunately, cheese, eggs and meat are K2 sources only if the chicken and other animals are pasture-fed (i.e., eat green grass, a source of K1). Their bodies then convert the K1 to K2. For grain-fed animals, their eggs and meat have veryl little if any K2. (I did a lot of research....don't mean to come off as a smart axx). For this reason, I take a supplement, available everywhere....even Walmart.

was diagnosed with osteopenia about a year and a half ago. BUT before I was able to explore options, had a medical adventure that put me in hospital for 5-6 days (4 in ICU). had a stomach bleed. and apparently a-fib?? my understanding is that most of the meds for osteopenia are really tough on stomach. back gets really achy if I have to stand for a long time.

graywings, funny you should mention Evista. When I stopped taking Fosamax, my Gyno put me on Evista. I was about 2 years into menopause and had never had a hot flash until I started taking it. And they were horrible. After a few months, I mentioned it to my internist, and he said Evista did nothing for osteoporosis, that it was a hormone, and took me off it. At that time, everything I found online agreed with him. But now I see the opposite. And getting off Evista did not stop my hot flashes either.

Provogirl, which of the following things I've heard about the "universal" governmental healthcare in Canada (which I understand can vary from province to province) are untrue:

- the costs for prescription drugs for someone not hospitalized aren't covered.

- In many instances, when a resident of Province A travels to Province B, they have no medical coverage at all. Some live near borders and this might involve a trip from home of as little as a few miles, maybe even to the nearest shopping center.

- there can be long waits for appointments with certain types of docs, and long waits for procedures as common as an MRI. Also, long waits for surgeries. (So called cost management by rationing services, as with the NHS in the UK). However, individuals with private insurance can be seen or get appointments much more quickly.

Canadian individual income taxes plus your equivalent of sales taxes at rates up to 15% have long been higher than in the US. A lifetime of paying health insurance in the US (often covered by employers anyway) is considerably cheaper than a lifetime of paying your taxes.

I think we should have broader coverage here, but with a private sector approach as in many Western Continental European countries and not a governmental approach as in Canada.

-

My gawd, Elmer! We actually agree on something!!! I AM laughing as I write this and mean it in good humor.

Wait times for elective procedures can be longer but if it is serious you do not wait. Before my husband retired, all dental, prescription etc. Was covered by his employment. Now we would pay or take out private insurance for that but since neither of us takes much - he takes Synthyroid since he had thyroid cancer several decades ago. Anyway, our prescription meds are cheaper. My sister in law has Parkinson’s and moved to British Columbia and her care was seamless. You can also buy private insurance that is able to fast track you. If you need an MRI you get one. Since mine is in place of a mammogram, it is scheduled yearly. Your point about employer insurance being cheaper than our taxes is valid but no one is left out here. What if something catastrophic happens? What if you have a pre existing condition and move to a different state? None of that matters here. Re distances for care, it would be the same in the States. If you live in Lebanon Kansas, you may have to travel to get to a specialist. I should have not gone on and on but I am so tired of Americans going on about the evils of socialist medicine. We have a place in the Turks where there are a lot of Americans and listening to some of their stories I am grateful for my peace of mind. Again, sorry for my rant.

I have deleted my original post. It was inappropriate to this thread. My apologies.

Canadian health care has drawbacks but we have overall peace of mind. I go to the doctor when I have any concern. Diagnosed with somethng serious I saw a specialist immediately and was booked for surgery within two weeks. I could go on and on -- my family in the states has faced many health problems and only when they had job covered insurance did they feel at ease. One family member ended up needing an emergency double by pass. I have no doubt it wouldn't have arrived at that if he could have afforded regular visits to a doctor. Americans love to talk about "socialized" medicine. If they don't like Canada's system then they should look abroad. There are many ways of dealing with this.

provogirl, you're saying your prescription coverage was through a private plan. Great, outside the provincial plan, as I said. When you go to the Turks, the employed Americans there but on vacation have health insurance. Do Canadians?

I don't toss around vacuous words or phrases so no labels will come from me. If you Canadians are happy with what you have, fine. From what I've read and from people I've spoken to, there are many Canadians who AREN'T happy up there and the problems and horror stories are well known. Your system wouldn't work in the US.

Most Americans with decent jobs have employer provided health insurance. Those who are employed at the lower end of the job scale, or those who are unemployed or underemployed, don't, and that's where there should be a safety net. Medical costs aren't a primary focus for those without enough money coming in to live on.

Life is about choices and job efforts and occupation choices have consequences, including whether medical insurance is provided for the individual and his/her family. This isn't an intractable problem on an individual basis, in my opinion.

Thanks, graywings and honibaker. Great information.

I'm wondering how relevant it is *for me* to know that my T-score is -3.3 (spine) off the norm for a 30 year old woman. I'm not sure it's even useful to know how abnormal my score is against another 77 year old woman.

This may help women in the future, but for this Old Lady With Osteoporosis...maybe not so much. I continue to take steroids for asthma. I'm on 40 mg of steroids weekly as part of treatment for multiple myeloma. I already have two artificial hips and spinal stenosis. Is it realistic to think some medical intervention will help more than its side effects can harm?

Chisue, I suspect you are a candidate for Prolia. I have a couple friends with complicating issues, and Prolia seems to be the drug of choice for dealing with their bone loss.