After 2+ years of my wife taking Life Extension Bone Restore Elite, her MD put her back on Fosamax after her last scan. I know some here have mentioned AlgaeCal but I hope to get som input from others here about it or anything additional going forward. Thanks all.
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Phillipe, you can research using ChatGPT to find lots of good answers related to improving bone density and I have tried that. Itās likely better than word of mouth, but itās time consuming when you donāt know what questions to ask. So, I searched YouTube for experts. I found one YouTube channel I like called āThe Dr. Doug Show.ā Dr. Doug is a real doctor who provides excellent information on bone health. The information is scattered among many, many presentattions because he canāt discuss everything in only one. Some of the presentations are superb, others not so much. And, you will encounter salesmanship from him because he does need to make some profit for his effort (which I do not mind). You will not find a single, simple answer from his presentations, but if you watch them regularly for a few weeks youāll likely be better informed than your doctor. As an example, my doctor just prescribed Boniva and had a nurse call me to go and pick it up at the pharmacy. There was no prior discussion. It was simply what she and likely most other Docs do as first-line defense. Having researched osteonecrosis of the jaw years before I did not like that solution and did not follow it. An interesting note is that my current dental surgeon would not have accepted me as a patient had I taken a bisphosphonate.
Here is a decent presentation on The Dr Doug Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNNWglG6kIA
Or, here is a link to his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Dr_DougLucas
I wish you the best of luck in your and your wifeās bone health journey. And, so far, it has been a journey for me because Iāve found no quick answers.
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Jay,
I went to my (ex) gyn a few months agoā¦ and then a couple days later I got a call from the pharmacy that my rx for an osteoporosis medicine was ready (sound familiar!?).
She never discussed the various options nor did I agree to any. Needless to say, I told the pharmacist they could put it back on the shelf.
@Phillipe Algae Cal is hugely popular. Iāll note that someone here takes something very similar, but it was a lot less expensive.
FYI, I have heart disease and was told one of its ingredients, strontium, might add to my risk. It might be perfectly fine if you donāt have CVD risk, but I just wanted to point that out.
And grain of salt because Iām a novice on the topic, but I chose the Thorne brand of calcium because itās dicalcium malate which means it does not need to be taken with a meal. Aside from the strontium, I do get the other algaecal ingredients in my other supplements.
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FYI, strontium citrate or carbonate is of little value for bone health. You want strontium renalate, which is prescription only. However I would not want to be on strontium renalate for more than three years. I have recently again taken a look at bone health and bone generation, because I will soon have spinal surgery and bone fusion, so supplements are something I have looked at. Based on the literature I have elected to skip OTC strontium (citrate, carbonate).
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CronosTempi, here is the ChatGPT summary of strontium renalate restrictions in the EU:
Strontium ranelate (Protelos/Osseor) ā EU Restrictions Summary
-
2013ā2014: EMA restricted use due to increased risks of heart attack, blood clots, and cardiovascular events.
- Allowed only for severe osteoporosis in patients who couldnāt use other treatments.
- Contraindicated in anyone with existing cardiovascular disease or uncontrolled hypertension.
- Required regular cardiovascular monitoring during treatment.
- 2014: EMAās safety committee recommended suspending the drug because the benefit-risk balance was no longer favorable.
- 2017: The drug effectively disappeared from the market (no longer marketed).
- 2020: The manufacturer requested and the EU granted full withdrawal of marketing authorization.
Bottom line: Strontium ranelate wasnāt instantly ābanned,ā but its use became so restricted due to cardiovascular risks that it was eventually withdrawn from the EU market entirely.
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Short term strontium ranelate might still be of interest.
The Influence of Strontium on Bone Tissue Metabolism and Its Application in Osteoporosis Treatment
Longer term indeed there seem to be CVD issue, so for those folks with CV risk factors itās something to avoid. But shorter term (up to 3 years), there might be use for it in the right circumstances. YMMV.
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