Prolia VS Evenity VS Forteo

[Bones4Me]

Am a 68 year old male. Suffered my 1st fracture three years ago and was put on Prolia shots every six months. Since I am still fracturing (have had a total of nine), my endocrinologist wants to switch me to Evenity shots. My question is: Has anyone in a similar situation as mine had good luck with Evenity, OR, would you suggest Forteo shots instead??? There is no “handbook” for OP, so this site is very helpful. Thank you in advance.

[Shinedown]

I am a 59 year old female. My DXA results were terrible. -4 or -3 for all - hips, neck and back. So, I put off doing anything for 2 years to see if I could manage on my own (weight bearing exercise, Vit D and Calcium) but it didn't work. Fast forward two years. Numbers still terrible so my endocrinologist prescribed Evenity to get the "best bang for the buck." Well, just be warned that the buck is REALLY expensive. It's $10,000 per shot and you get them every 28 days for 12 months. So, please make sure your insurance covers it first and foremost. Even with insurance, it costs about $2000 per shot until you meet your out of pocket max, whatever that is. I'm on my 4th shot so can't really tell you if it's working yet. I do know that once the evenity is finished, you then have to go on something else (prolia was suggested to me) every 6 months for 3-5 years in order to keep the benefit of what the evenity does. It was explained that evenity builds bone and if you don't follow up with something else to maintain the progress , it will just be for nothing. So .... I still have a long road ahead. Best of luck to you in your decision making - it's a tough situation to be in and you really don't know if anything is going to work. I'm told that evenity will reduce your fracture risk by about 78% so ..... there's that hopefully.

[Met00 in reply to Shinedown]

And after Prolia you need to go on a bisphosphonate for 2 years to reduce the risk of rebound fractures!

[Shinedown in reply to Met00]

I wasn’t told that. I was under impression that the prolia was the last phase. Will certainly talk to doc about that because I’m done after the prolia!!! Thanks for the info.

[Met00 in reply to Shinedown]

Prolia has a black box warning of a high risk of multiple vertebral fractures if not followed by another medication, almost always a bisphosphonate.

[Bones4Me in reply to Met00]

Wow, I didn’t know that this Prolia I am on (for three years) has the black box warning that you mention (if not followed by a bisphosphonate). Thanks for this info.

[Met00 in reply to Bones4Me]

It's quite shocking that doctors still aren't fully informing patients when offering medication. Sadly I've read of too many people who've come off Prolia without a relay medication and ending up in a worse state than before they ever took it.

[Bones4Me in reply to Shinedown]

Thank you for the very nice overview you typed. Always good to hear from another person with osteoporosis and what works (and what doesn’t work). Based on your input, I will certainly look into how much my insurance covers for the Evenity shots.

[Arie4]

Hi. I visited my Endo yesterday & it does appear from all the Evenity fliers in the waiting room (& none others), it seems to be the ‘new’ PROLIA. I understand that means nothing in & of itself, but my quick research scared me, so many possible & serious side effects…..like many drugs

I’ve joined Osteo Strong and am making a career (!) of getting my calcium in 3 healthy meals I’ll have my DEXA soon & hope to see improvements

I’m currently 4 years on Prolia and getting off of it at my next regularly scheduled injection time My Endo wants to put me on (for a short time) Reclast (also scary) just to transition me and hopefully not loose what I’ve gained

I am having jaw problems on Prolia & developed drug induced immunodeficiency, exhaustion, muscle cramps, hair loss, foggy-brain, confusion under stress…as Endo was quick to point out, possibly caused by other factors but they started shortly after my first prolia, sooo….

There is also the Bone Coach online that I plan to try: anything to stay off all OP drugs

Sorry, so lengthy The very Best to you & your healing journey.

[Bones4Me in reply to Arie4]

Holy cow, I have been on Prolia for three years, but I wasn’t aware (until I read your note) that Prolia can cause some issues I have been suffering from (exhaustion, foggy brain, confusion, and most recently jaw issues). Thanks for the heads up.

[Arie4 in reply to Bones4Me]

PS: You’re quite welcome!

I’ve read that after 4 years on PROLIA, our bones get fragile so we should transition to something else. 🙄😑

[Nexie2020 in reply to Arie4]

Hi. Can you share the bone coach online site with me. I am on Prolia and suffered a T12 fracture in January. I want to stop taking Prolia, but from what I am reading, you can't just stop using Prolia without transitioning to something else. Like you, I would like to stop all osteo drugs. If my doctor had told me about the side effects, I don't believe I would have started Prolia. Thank you.

[MissKitty777]

My rheumatologist gave me lots of information on what’s available. For two is a daily shot that’s given for 2 years then he would move to something else. Evenity is monthly for a year and then move to something else. They usually go this route when bones are extremely weak. Ask your doctor to talk more deeply to you about your options. My rheumatologist spent over an hour answering all questions and explaining everything in great detail. He even gave me papers on all five options I had. Wishing you well.

[Bones4Me]

Thanks for your reply you posted. Sounds like you have a good rheumatologist, since he or she spent an hour with you. Good luck with your osteoporosis treatment plan going forward.

[MayGodBlessYou in reply to Bones4Me]

how are you doing, Bones4Me ?

[DiscoLover]

I saw that another person answered you and advised you that Prolia has a Black Box Warning. Just so you also know, Evenity has a Black Box Warning too because it may increase the risk of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke and cardiovascular death. My Rheumatologist wants me to go on this drug because my bone density scores are so low that I am in the SEVERE category of osteoporosis and Evenity “supposedly” builds new bone tissue, whereas most other osteoporosis drugs just keep the osteoporosis from getting worse. However, I will not take a medication that the FDA requires a Black Box Warning to be on in order to market it. I also have a heart murmur (was born with it) and I don’t want to take any drug that in trials caused documented heart issues as I have a cardiovascular risk factor. Good luck in deciding on whether to start taking Evenity or Forteo. I don’t know much about Forteo.