Calcium Intake Crucial to Benefits of Osteoporosis Drugs
PITTSBURGH – – Although an increasing number of people are taking powerful new prescription drugs to treat osteoporosis, chances are the majority of patients are not getting the greatest effect from these medicines because they do not have an adequate calcium and vitamin D intake, according to a paper published in the March 2005 issue of The Journal of Women’s Health. John A. Sunyecz, M.D., president of MenopauseRx, Inc., who co-authored the paper, “Calcium’s Role in Osteoporosis Drug Therapy,” notes that many people being treated for osteoporosis mistakenly think their calcium and vitamin D intake is no longer important once prescription therapy begins. “People taking osteoporosis medications should remember that they do not contain calcium and have been proven most effective when taken with adequate calcium and vitamin D, usually achieved with the addition of supplements to the daily diet,” he explains.
“This paper builds on previous research published last year that shows physicians are not taking the clinical information we know about these drugs and putting it into practice when treating patients. From 1994 to 2003 there was a five-fold increase in prescriptions for bisphosphonates, however during that same time period, the percentage of osteoporosis patients who were treated with calcium supplements decreased by nearly 50 percent.”