has anyone tried calcitonin? (tried it, but thyroid disease made bone density go down anyway) ... now i'm on fosamax, having just broken my hip :eek: , started it on may 18th, and today is the second day of serious nausea (gone off fos. for the moment)...

i know fos. is a bone builder while calc. is a bone maintainer, but i'm sorta' desperate here -- what to do!!

I was sorry to hear that your hip broke, jinglebts. I hope your coping with the recuperation well... I know it's difficult.

My mom and my aunt are both elderly, in their mid-seventies, and they both have osteoporosis. My mom is a former moderate smoker, my aunt is currently a heavy one. My mom was prescribed Fosamax within the last 5 years, after breaking a hip, and she developed a bleeding ulcer from it - had to discontinue. My aunt refused any prescription drugs, because she didn't want to risk the side effects. She began researching the whole issue of the drugs, and what she found is that Fosamax does not "rebuild" bone; it makes it harder, which is exactly what you don't want... because they then snap easier without the natural "give" they should have. She began using natural progesterone cream after her research discovered it has been known to have an actual bone-rebuilding effect. She had bone density tests before and after starting it, and sure enough, she had a 20% increase in density after the second measurement.
Your age and other health conditions may preclude this from being a viable option for you. It just may be that drugs are better in your case.

Of course, it's your decision on which way to go with this. Remember, anecdotal stories are probably not the primary thing you should base your decision on. Please don't decide just by what I've said here. Your doctor's input is vital.