Q My mother has osteoporosis and she's worried about hurting her back. She refuses to take hormones. Is there anything else she can take? C.D., Oro Valley
A Your mother may be a candidate for a new drug for the treatment of osteoporosis that has been shown to prevent spinal fractures.
Miacalcin Nasal Spray (calcitonin-salmon), which was studied at The University of Arizona College of Medicine, reduces the incidence of new spinal fractures by 36 percent in postmenopausal women with established osteoporosis.
Calcitonin is a thyroid hormone that helps in the formation of normal bone. Our research shows that calcitonin delivered by a nasal spray is a viable treatment option for osteoporosis in women who are more than five years past menopause and who have low bone mass compared with healthy women before menopause.
Miacalcin is recommended for women who refuse or can't tolerate estrogens or in whom estrogens should not be used. The drug is is given once a day in a single nasal spray of 200 I.U. (international units). It should be taken with adequate daily supplements of calcium and vitamin D. Coupled with exercise, this regimen helps prevent the loss of bone mass that can lead to vertebral fractures.
—Michael Maricic, M.D., chief of rheumatology and director of the metabolic bone disease clinic, Arizona Arthritis Center, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson
Editors Note: ASK AHSC is published by the AHSC Office of Public Affairs. ASK AHSC is available on the Internet at www.ahsc.arizona.edu/opa/answers. To receive ASK AHSC via E-mail, call (520) 626-7301.
Health questions should be sent to: ASK AHSC, AHSC Office of Public Affairs, PO Box 245095, Tucson, AZ 85724-5095, or E-mail to: jspinell@u.arizona.edu. The information here is not intended to replace the advice of your physician. For referral to a UA Physician, please call University Health Connection, (520) 694-8888.
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