Gee whiz; there should be a limit of one medical issue per person!

I went to my Doc for a checkup and she suggested a bone scan which is done in her office with immediate results so I said okay.

I thought I may have a little bone thinning because I don't drink milk unless it is in ice cream.

Imagine my shock when I saw the results and it was way worse than I thought. I have several compression fractures (?) in my back and a curvature in my spine I wasn' aware of.

She said she has never seen such bone loss in a person my age and could not understand how it could be so bad.

I told her my ex-neuro loved prescribing prednisone and she said "that's it; no more".

My hips are in the red zone which is more frequent in a ninety year old!

Anyhow; I have a free sample for Actonel which hope I can tolerate and then can get more as she gave me a prescription.

Please; do get a bone scan because if you have been on steroids they may be leaching calcium and may lead to osteoporosis.

I am really bummed about this but glad I found out before I broke a bone especially a hip!!

That sucks, Janie.

I hope the med works to make you stronger.

That's a bummer, Janie, but like you said, its a good thing it was discovered before you broke a hip.

Be particularly careful, friend! Don't want to have to sign your cast!!!

Hi Janie,
I have had tons of oral and IV steroids over the years. I was always told to take lots of Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc in tablet form. Also to take lots of Vit D. I have done this for eons and my Bone Density test was still good.

My GYN Dr. would not prescribe any more HRT unless I had the test done along with the Pap and Mammo. He said all three were fine. I get a copy of all three. Always keep a copy for yourself.

This way you can watch, and keep track of..how the bones can get more dense with the proper medication.
They won't give me steroids without being at least 6 months steroid free.

You have to be careful of all steroid drugs. Even topical ones. They enter the system as oral ones do over time.

Allergy meds, cold meds, anti-itch meds, eye drops, inhalers, and many more drugs have steroids in them under different names. Read the labels on anything you take.

I wish you nice dense bones in the near future. Good luck.

I was dx with moderate to severe osteopenia last Spring. I tried actonel (could not tolerate it due to tummy issues). Hope it works well for you. Doctor wanted me to get once a year iv (reclast?). I have held off so far -- just taking vitamin D and calcium. I have only had iv steroids once, but do use a nasal inhaler every day.

So sorry to hear that about your bones, back and hips. I hope the meds your doctor gave you helps you.

welcome to the Osteoporosis Club. I take Alendronate Sodium. It is the generic form of something. I also take additional calcium. It does not upset my stomach at all. Just one more pill to add to my pile.

Sorry you had to be forced into the club!

I have heard that Cyn has a cast iron stomach!

yeah, and rock hard abs.

I took the Actonel tablet as directed and have had horrible back and hip pains and was in bed all day yesterday.

Today I am still hurting and now a stomach ache that won't go away. I know I will not be getting that prescription filled for sure.

I called my Doc and she said to come in a month to see her and we'd try something else.

I am scouring the internet for a natural remedy.

Mom takes alendronate which ( I think) is generic form of Fosamax and she is doing fine.

I read all the warnings on all the osteoporosis drugs and they all scare me!