Medications to treat rheumatoid arthritis, seizure disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, and other conditions are often overlooked as risk factors for osteoporosis. Their side effects can damage bone and cause secondary osteoporosis.
Corticosteroid medications
Prolonged use of corticosteroids is the most common cause of secondary osteoporosis, affecting an estimated 30-50% of people who use them. Corticosteroids such as prednisone, cortisone, prednisolone, and dexamethasone damage bone. These are common treatments for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis. If you need to take a steroid medication for long periods, your doctor should monitor your bone density to help prevent bone loss.
Thyroid hormone
Too much thyroid hormone causes bone loss either because your thyroid is overactive (hyperthyroidism) or because you take excess thyroid hormone to treat an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).
Diuretics
Some diuretics cause the kidneys to excrete more calcium, leading to thinning bones. Diuretics that cause calcium loss include furosemide (Lasix), bumetanide (Bumex), ethacrynic acid (Edecrin) and forsemide (Demadex). If you use one of these, talk to your doctor about switching to a different diuretic.
Other medications
Long-term use of blood-thinners such as heparin, the drug methotrexate, some anti-seizure medications, and aluminum-containing antacids also cause bone loss, as do anticonvulsants, gonadotropin releasing hormones (GnRH) used to treat endometriosis, cyclosporine A (an immunosuppressive drug), and cholestyramine (taken to control blood cholesterol levels).
Try to stay healthy or to get healthy. More activity, sunlight, and adequate nutrition through eating more plant foods every day may help more than you realize. As you eat more healthfully and practice a healthy lifestyle, talk with your doctor about changes in your medications. Don’t stop or change your medication dose on your own.
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