Someone asked me recently if, knowing what I know today, I would do anything differently for my bones.
Knowing what I know today (16 years after my osteoporosis diagnosis), I would never have taken Fosamax, 70 mg, once weekly. I suffered from dizziness and vertigo and had to stop taking it after six months.
I would still take strontium citrate because taking it has been a positive experience. I am still taking it 15 years later at the full dosage of 680 mg/day.
I will not take any of the osteoporosis drugs. The anabolic drugs are, therapeutically, a big step forward over the antiresorptive ones, but all the bone drugs come with many potential side effects.
The only other bone therapy I find acceptable is vitamin K2 (MK4) at 45 mg/day (15 mg taken three times per day). MK4 at this dosage is given by prescription in Japan and other Asian countries for osteoporosis. It is also said to be heart healthy. The only problem is it is hard in Western nations to find reliable information about how this therapy is working out. I do not know any Americans who have used this therapy over a protracted period of time. Anyway, it is my Plan B, in case I ever want to switch from SC. Another, more likely, possibility for my future is to reduce my SC dosage by one-third or one-half and add MK4 at 15 mg or 30 mg/day.
You may have noticed that I did not mention vitamin K2 (MK7). That is because I would never take it based on the reports of many people who say they experience nervousness, insomnia, and/or heart palpitations with even small doses of MK7. Also, I feel there is more evidence for the efficacy of MK4 than MK7 because MK4 has been used in Japan for osteoporosis for more than 20 years.
What, if anything, would you do differently for your bones?
