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When Should Medicine Be Taken for Osteopenia?

Osteopenia is a condition that is characterized by weakened bones. This happens when the body loses minerals, calcium and vitamin D that the body needs for the bone to be healthy and strong. As a result of this loss, the bones become weak and can get easily fractured. Osteopenia is considered a precursor to the onset of osteoporosis. The condition and symptoms are the same, except that in osteopenia, the situation is less serious.

  1. Treatments

    • Currently, there is no line of treatment for osteopenia that is different from treatments for osteoporosis. The medical community is divided over the effectiveness of this line of treatment. There are no conclusive findings about whether treatment for osteoporosis is as effective in osteopenia. No line of treatment is likely to cause anything more than six to eight percent bone density increase. The most important assessment criterion that orthopedics take into consideration while beginning treatment for osteopenia is the 10-year fracture risk.

    Medication

    • A range of mineral supplements, as well as vitamin D and calcium supplements are available for treating osteopenia. Supplements that are rich in calcium such as yogurt, salmon, cheese, sardines, dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli and almonds are ideal for treating this disease. If you can't eat sufficient quantities of recommended foods, several medications that contain extracts of these substances can be taken.

      A biphosphonate treatment is also used in osteopenia treatment. A biphosphonate is a substance that works on the cycle of bone formation and prevents breakdown, while also augmenting bone formation. Alendronate; Risendronate and Bandronate. Aclasta; Reclast and Zometa are FDA approved biphosphonates used in the treatment of osteopenia and are injectibles. Calcitonin, another class of drug, is also available in both tablet and spray form.

    Treatment for Women

    • In menopausal women, a loss of the hormones estrogen and progesterone can be a cause of osteopenia in some women. As a result, medications consisting of these hormones constitute an important option. Estrogen-containing drugs are a popular choice for this line of treatment. Oral medications have an advantage over direct ingestion of estrogen because they do not act on the breasts and uterus in the same way as estrogen that is given directly and thus there is a reduced chance that the hormones will cause cancer. In some cases, if medications don't work, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be tried. This decision is best left to the gynecologist.

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