I was hoping to get off of this medication after 1 year. I didn’t start it until a year after my 2021 Dexa scan.
2121 spine -3.2 ,fem neck -3.0, total hip -2.2
2022 Started Alendronate sodium 70 mgs weekly
2023 spine -2.9, fem neck -3.1, total hip -2.4
I wasn’t expecting a drastic change, but I was hoping for more improvement.
Has anyone had a big change after using this drug and how long were you on it?
Bones only change very slowly and DEXA scanning isn't accurate enough to detect small changes, so the differences in your scores are as likely to be down to margin of error in the scans than any changes in your bone density. In the UK we have to wait at least 2 years between scans, but often up to 5 years, because of this. I've read that, due to this margin of error, there needs to be at least a 5% change in bone density for the change to be reliable. It's also worth bearing in mind that DEXA only estimates bone density, which isn't necessarily the same as bone strength.
You’re right. It’s a slow process. I’m hoping that I at least have some bone strength as I do work out with weights. I just don’t want to stay on the medication any longer than needed. I only went on it because my bone resorption level kept going up and I was told medication would slow it down, which it has. Thank you for your input!
Although you might not see a big change in bone density, research has shown that the meds do provide a significant decline in fracture risk. (I'm out of my office, so I can't give you the number.) But bone density only accounts for about 50% of fracture risk. and fracture is our real concern.
My doc told me flat out that Alendronate Sodium would not improve my "numbers", but it may hold them from getting worse. I didn't do well on it the first pill, so it was discarded quickly. My spine is the issue...different medications work better in some areas than others. That and DEXAs are unreliable and subjective.
I haven’t had any issues taking the Alendronate. I’ll talk to my doctor soon and I’m sure she’ll want me to continue. I would just like to be able to maintain what I have without any medication. I too have heard that the Dexa scans can be unreliable. I’ve had 3 so far, and all were at different places with different machines and different technicians. Who knows which is most accurate.
I’ve been taking fosamax . The doctors are dumb. They should start people with 5 mgs. So body can adapt
I think some medicines are better for spine and some are good for spine and hips.
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