Not all health problems are a direct result of our genetics or lifestyles, in fact we may get secondary health issues due to treatments for other conditions. Maintaining our wellness can be complex especially if we take powerful medications that control one condition, like rheumatoid arthritis, only to get a second disease, such as osteoporosis, because of some drug therapies.
Drugs and bones
When we get some inflammatory conditions doctors might prescribed glucocorticoids to manage diseases. Figures show that up to 50 per cent of us taking this medication may lose so many bone cells that our bones weaken and we get fractures after minor trips/falls. There are also other medicines that aim boost wellness for one condition but end up causing us problems with our bones, such as breast cancer drugs. If our bone loss is just down to glucocorticoids then we can now get treatment to enhance bone formation thanks to medication forsteo, which is a teriparatide.
What it does
Osteoblasts make new bone cells and osteoclasts remove them in a constant process of renewal, but as part of the ageing process we stop building bone density. If osteoclasts get rid of too many cells due to age, medication or hormone changes, our bones begin to lack strength and blood vessels, potentially leading to osteoporosis. The new medication works by boosting our number of osteoblasts. Tests have shown that the spine bone mineral density (BMD) of people taking the teriparatide improved by 7.2 per cent compared to a 3.4 per cent increase in spinal BMD of those taking another kind of medication.
Are there any risks?
Talking over the possible side effects of medications with doctors can set our minds at rest if we have any concerns about new drug therapies. Teriparatides can cause nausea, dizziness and headaches, and in animal studies it occasionally leads to cancerous bone growths. This means doctors do not prescribe the medicine if we are at risk of developing a similar condition, which is called osteosarcoma.
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