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Bone Health and Osteoporosis UK

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Just diagnosed with pre Osteoporosis- told to buy supplements.

Ailsa67•

7 years ago•21 Replies

Not told what to take or level of dose.

When I go online it is very confusing as each Company says different items. Chrondium Calcium K2 K3 etc.

Any advice please.

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Ailsa67

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7 years ago

A Calcium + Vitamin D is the most common supplement. You can get them from any supermarket or Holland & Barratt. The dosage will be on the packaging. Vitamin K2 will also help.

Kaarina7 years ago

Hi Ailsa

So you have not had any help at all then from your GP? Unbelievable. I appreciate many of us do not get much help but what you are posting is not at all good.

First of all if you have had a dexa scan which I presume you have as you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis or is it osteopenia? You are entitled to a copy of your DEXA scan results and one easy way to obtain this is to ask your receptionist to run you off a copy.

You are also entitled to a Vit D blood test to find out your levels.

Most GPs prescribe a calcium/Vit D combination pill to take. If your GP is not offering this and you do not know what to buy, give the helplines at NOS a call and they will help you and answer any other questions that you may have. It may take time to get through but keep trying. The nurses are excellent.

Tel: FREEPHONE 0808 800 0035

- Monday - Friday 9.00am – 5pm.

I only take Vitamin D because on discussing my daily diet with my GP he could see I take in enough calcium so no need for a calcium pill.

I also take magnesium, boron and K2.

First things first, give the helpline a call. Let us know how you get on and any other questions you may have do ask us.

Ailsa67• in reply toKaarina7 years ago

I have been in touch with them and really nice. She said if you eat healthy then you should be getting enough vitamin but in the winter the sun isn’t strong enough so take vit D. Sge’s Also sending me a book about it. I am at the stage before full Osteoporosis called Osteopenia.

So I can do something about it but I do need to know what to take and how strong should it be.

Definitely felt under informed.

Kaarina• in reply toAilsa677 years ago

Hi Ailsa,

I wondered if you had been diagnosed with osteopenia. As you say, you have had a warning and that is great for you because so many of us are past that stage when diagnosed.

It really would still be good to see what your Vit D level is. This of course varies depending upon the time of year but it gives you an idea of what you are working with.

My Vit D levels appear to be OK and my GP issues me with Vitamin D 800u capsules. I do eat a lot of sardines with the bones and this is a good source of Vit D and calcium.

A pharmacist will point you in the right direction regarding the Vit D.

Prunes are meant to be good for OP, eating about 6 daily.

I take Magnesium Glycinate (665 mg) from Piping Rock but I only take two a day and Super K with Advanced K2 complex from LifeExtension.

As Heron says, plenty of weight bearing exercise daily too.

Ailsa67• in reply toKaarina7 years ago

Thank you so much I’m so glad I found this site. Will be on to the Dr’s to find out what my T level is and vitamin D level.

Will let you know. Thanks again.

• in reply toKaarina7 years ago

Yes, Kaarina, I also take calcium, magnesium, vitamins K2 and D3, and boron. For some reason many GPs often don't mention these supplements (apart from calcium), which I think is a pity. And they also usually don't emphasize the importance of weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises - and, of course, regular walking. Another thing that is important is fresh air and sunshine (obviously not at midday when the summer sun is hot!)

Kaarina• in reply to7 years ago

I agree. GPs know a little about a lot and it appears that many know very little/nothing about OP. I take calcium via diet after discussing this with my GP and he agreed that he only need prescribe the Vitamin D for me. I found that it is no good asking the GP much about OP so asked to be referred to a doctor who specialised in the subject

Thank goodness there is this forum and the NOF forum which I used to dip into a lot but have not felt the need recently.

PatsyCline• in reply toKaarina7 years ago

Are there doctors who specialise in osteoporosis apart from rheumatologists who only want to put you on medication!

Kaarina• in reply toPatsyCline7 years ago

I see an OP "specialist" in the endocrinology department. My GP referred me when I asked to see someone about OP. He does offer medication and after discussion and arranging for me to be fitted with a BP Monitor for 24 hours he prescribed SR for me as this was what I asked him for. This has now been withdrawn unfortunately.

He offered me Prolia but was OK when I refused and agreed with the reasons why I did not wish to take it. He does listen to me which is SO important and I look forward to my appointments with him.

• in reply toKaarina7 years ago

I agree, Kaarina. I actually had a long talk with my GP today (a whole hour!) I think I gave him a fright when I ended up in hospital with shingles due to lowered immunity, caused by that wretched Prolia. It was a really profitable chat, as I think he now realizes that, like most GPs, he was wrong to give in to pressure and prescribe the Prolia, rather than recommend more natural solutions, including exercise and a healthy diet. Let's face it, at Med School I discovered that they spend only half a day learning about a healthy diet, and most of the time learning about drugs. I studied Medical Science at Uni, but didn't complete it as I had four young children at the time!!

HeronNS7 years ago

Kaarina's suggestion great if you are in UK. If you are not and, like me, do not get supplements covered by health care system, you could consider a consultation with a pharmacist, or you could go to a reputable health food or natural products store (watch out for charlatans or poor quality supplements) where you can get advice about the many supplements which are available. Poemsgalore advice about Vitamin K2 should be heeded as K2 is what helps the calcium get into the bones. I've been taking a supplement which includes a number of the other micronutrients as well as I feel my body may not be absorbing enough from my (well balanced) diet, I've lost a lot of weight. But most people will do fine on the basics, the Vitamins D and K being particularly important, probably more important than calcium which we do get quite a lot of through food.

Also do weighbearing exercises (can be as simple as walking) to encourage your bones to maintain and indeed improve their density.

Check if your local hospital offers a program for people with diagnosis of bone thinning or osteoporosis.

Ailsa67• in reply toHeronNS7 years ago

Thank you for that - they never even told me the reading so I don’t know whether it’s bad or not!!

Think i’ll Go and complain.

This is a great website. 😊👌

HeronNS• in reply toAilsa677 years ago

If you were told "pre-osteoporosis" that almost certainly means "low bone mass" which is also called "osteopenia". This level of bone thinning should not be treated with medications, but it is a warning that you need to be careful with your nutrition and exercise. So it's probably a good thing. I wasn't told my t-score either and it took a while before I found out I had "low bone mass" as my doctor had told me I had osteoporosis and wanted me to take a medication. I'm very glad I resisted her, got more information, and was in fact able to improve my t-score enough in one year, without medication, so that the drugs aren't recommended any more! You should have got more guidance from the medics, but you'll be okay!

poddysss• in reply toAilsa677 years ago

Another thing to think about is when you get travel insurance for holidays,is that you have to declare osteoporosis but not osteopaenia. So keep up the good work and keep the right side of these T scores. I so wished I'd taken this condition more seriously

Mistydawn7 years ago

I take a drop of vitamin D3 emulsion daily in the winter and a supplement called osteo-vi- mins which contains calcium and the micro nutrients:

revital.co.uk/allergy-resea...

revital.co.uk/biocare-biomu...

These were suggested by my nutritional therapist. My osteoporosis consultant confirmed vitamin D supplement was essential

Heather97 years ago

It may be worth making another appointment to see your GP now that you have some advice from NOS; at least you now have some basic information to go on. It might be good for you to have a talk with your GP now that things are a little clearer for you, and depending on your age etc you may be entitled to a free prescription for any supplements the GP recommends. All best wishes

7 years ago

Start with Vit D, which will help you absorb the calcium in your food. Increase your weight bearing exercise - heel drops can be added in to your normal activities - just go into toes and drop into heels. The calcium supplement that I was prescribed made me quite ill and now I can’t tolerate even my usual supplement so I’m using the vit d good food and careful exercise process.

Fran577 years ago

Hi. The only thing I would add to the brilliant advice already given by the lovely people on the site is what I also did. I have just turned 60 and I fell and fractured my pelvis and that’s when I found out I had osteoporosis. I lead a healthy life- lots of walking and a very good diet, never been ill and thought I was doing very well! The diagnosis was a great shock to say the least!

When the hospital just gave me a prescription for biophosphanates I decided that the side effects were not what I wanted - I’ve never really taken medicines- so I did lots of research.

Sorry for going in but I thought it might be useful to have some background info.

Anyway, my blood calcium is a tiny bit raised and Vitamin D a bit low so I asked my GP to test my parathyroid hormone levels.

They are a bit raised so the chances are I have Hyperparathyroidism.

I am waiting to see an endocrinologist and, from what I’ve read, I will need a small operation to remove any affected glands and then my osteoporosis should improve by about 30% - the same as if I take the medication! I’ve never had surgery so the idea is not great but if it does that, well.....

I would advise anyone to read up on Hyperparathyroidism.

A question for the knowledgeable people on here and it may be really stupid.... if you get a spinal fracture , is it really painful?I

The centre of my back feels a bit odd, not hurting, and I don’t know if it’s something bad or not.

I wouldn’t have given it another thought before diagnosis but now, we’ll ......

Thanks so much to you all. Stay well,

Fran 😉

• in reply toFran577 years ago

Hello Fran, this is not a stupid question at all. I was taken into hospital for X-rays, with agonizing pain in my spine. 4 spinal fractures. So yes, spinal fractures are REALLY painful. I still have a lot of pain over a year later. Take care. XX

Fran57• in reply to7 years ago

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I'm sorry to hear of your pain- I hope you are okay now.

If you don't mind me asking, did you just wake up with the pain, was it just sudden movement... What treatment did you have?

I have had sciatica in the past and I had no idea how painful that was....was it sciatica or spinal fractures... Is the only way of telling, to have your back X-rayed?

Thanks again. Fran ☺️