Osteoporosis is a condition in which your bones become weak and fragile. As a result of this disease, your bones will get easily fractured even from a minor fall. The human body normally absorbs and replaces bone cells in a continuous manner. But for those with osteoporosis, the bone creation will be less than bone removal, resulting in weakening of the bones. Therefore, the osteoporosis treatment includes methods to improve your bone strength to make it less vulnerable to breaking.
Usually, osteoporosis treatment involves a combination of medication, a healthy diet and exercises for weight-bearing, which will help to strengthen the weakened bones or to prevent bone loss. There are different osteoporosis drugs which are commonly used for the treatment of this disease. They are discussed in the following sections:
Osteoporosis drugs
- Bisphosphonates
Bisphosphonates are used to slow down the rate of bone removal process in your body. This will help to maintain bone density at an optimum level, thereby reducing the risk of fracturing of your bones. Bisphosphonates are given as injection or tablets.
- Selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs)
This medicine has the same effect as the oestrogen hormone on the bones. They are helpful in balancing bone density which results in less risk for the breaking of bones. It is particularly useful for the spine.
- Parathyroid hormone
Parathyroid hormone is produced in our body naturally and regulates the amount of calcium in the bones. Parathyroid hormone treatments can help to stimulate the cells that are responsible for creating new bone in your body. This treatment is used rarely, especially for those people whose bone density is very low and when other treatments are not working.
- Calcium and vitamin D supplements
Maintaining an optimum level of calcium is very important in osteoporosis treatment, as it is the main mineral found in the bones. For a healthy adult, the recommended daily calcium intake is 700 milligrams which should be attained from a varied diet that contains food items which are good sources of calcium. But people with osteoporosis will still need more of it and doctors are likely to prescribe calcium supplements to increase its amount in your bones.
Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium and therefore it’s also prescribed by doctors for osteoporosis patients.
- Testosterone treatment
This treatment is used for men, when the reason for the osteoporosis is the reduced levels of male sex hormones.
