DEXA Testing----

I just had a bone density test about three weeks ago (I get the results on Friday, and will let you know how they went, this is the first one I have had since being on BHRT) so this article on the Medical News Today website piqued my interest. Based on research in both the US and Australia, the researchers argue that the expense of frequently testing menopausal women on osteoporosis drugs is not worth the cost involved because nearly all of the women tested showed only a slight increase in bone density, and the amount of increase was pretty much the same across the board. The patients in the study were tested every year, and I know Medicare will only pay for testing every other year. This, like so much in healthcare today, is something to think about and consider. Read the article and let me know what you think!

Specialist needed for osteoporosis

DEAR DR. GOTT:

I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 1998 following an abnormal bone-density test. I was first prescribed Evista, which I stopped after about a year because of side effects. The primary complaints I had were weight gain and hot flashes. I never had problems with menopause and didn’t have hot flashes until trying the Evista. After I stopped it, the side effects disappeared.

Next, my gynecologist put me on Fosamax. I took that for about five years...click here to read the rest of the article (it will validate some of your concerns about taking these osteoporosis medications...so many ladies have told me they have really awful side effects from the meds, but their doctors tell them to just live with the side effects.)