What medicine should I take for osteoporosis and joint pain after menopause

The most common symptom of postmenopausal osteoporosis is back pain. Back pain is caused by compression vertebral fractures or back muscle spasms. Among them, localized back pain accounts for 67%, back pain and radiating pain in the limbs account for one-ninth, back pain and numbness account for four%, and numbness of the limbs, intercostal neuralgia and weakness when flexing and extending the back account for ten%. The pain is aggravated by sitting or standing for a long time in a fixed posture. It is aggravated by daily activities such as holding objects, tripping, and opening windows with force. The back pain is severe when there is a fresh compression fracture of the thoracic and lumbar spine. This is the symptom of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

1. Bisphosphonates: Alendronate (Fosamax, Gubon), bisphosphonates are an effective and specific inhibitor of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. They can selectively inhibit the activity of osteoclasts, tightly bind to bone minerals, directly block the absorption of bone by osteoclasts, and inhibit the transformation and maturation of osteoclast precursors, thereby effectively inhibiting bone resorption and relieving pain in the back, hip and limbs.

2. Calcitonin: Calcitonin has a good effect on low back pain caused by osteoporosis in the elderly or after natural menopause. Calcitonin secreted by human thyroid C cells can inhibit osteoclast activity, inhibit bone ablation, and prevent the transformation of multifunctional hematopoietic stem cells into osteoclasts, promote the transformation of osteoclasts into osteoblasts, weaken osteoclast activity, and have a good analgesic effect; calcitonin has a similar analgesic effect to morphine, and produces analgesic effects through the endogenous opioid system. Calcitonin can also increase the excretion of urinary calcium, thereby reducing blood calcium, but its calcium-lowering effect is mainly through inhibiting bone dissolution and bone resorption.

3. Selective estrogen receptor modulators;

4. Estrogen: The lack of estrogen causes bone loss, which is the main cause of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The main treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis is estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). Commonly used preparations include estradiol, estriol, and nilestrol. ERT has many advantages. It supplements and corrects the pathological and physiological symptoms caused by estrogen deficiency. It can prevent bone salt loss and fractures. It has a positive effect on relieving the pain caused by osteoporosis and improving menopausal symptoms. It cannot be replaced by other therapies. Therefore, estrogen is the first-line drug for the treatment of osteoporosis. Long-term use of estrogen can cause endometrial and breast hyperplasia, and increase the risk of endometrial cancer and breast cancer.

5. Active vitamin D.