I will respond more later in the day. My doctor said to get Citrucal Plus with Magnesium. You need to take 2 tablets twice a day. One serving is 2 tablets. You do need the "D" and also Magnesium. You need to do weight bearing exercises also. Did you get your paper work? I did. It is your right, and if you change doctors, you have the numbers. Also, just my opinion, but I wonder why you have it in your spine and not your hip. I wish more of us could discuss this here. I have a lot of information and am always looking for more. If you don't mind, it is often a good thing to mention your age when we discuss this. I am 61 and know about research for women my age. If you are 30 or a man, much of what I say may not be relevant. If you smoke, I hope your last cigarette was the last one of your entire life. I quit smoking when I was 28, but the smoking so many years ago kept me from achieving full bone density. Also do you know your numbers? Do you almost have osteoporosis, or do you just barely have osteopenia?
Sammy

Thanks, Sammy. I'm a female near your age and was not a smoker. They never gave me any numbers. In fact an office girl spoke to me first and simply said my test showed my bones were fairly good. When I asked her what that meant, she put me on hold and got the PA to speak to me. The PA didn't really give me any info. other than what I wrote above. (She did say that osteopenia meant my bones were thinning...) I made an appointment yesterday with a back specialist and will have them fax a copy of the results to him. Can't see him until the end of Feb. I bought the Citracal with D; I'll go ahead and buy the Plus with magnesium and take both of them. Thanks for pointing out that one serving was 2 tablets. I didn't realize that! I'll appreciate all the info you can give me! :) I bought a treadmill recently and asked the PA if that would be good for my back and she said yes. ~abreeze

You will be happier once you see the specialist. You need to know if there are exercises you cannot do. On another Osteoporosis site, they explained that it is important to do weight bearing exercises. That means that you need to put weight on your spine. Therefore you should lift free weights standing as opposed to sitting and using machines. But if you don't lift weights, be sure to take a class first or set up quite a few sessions with a "certified" trainer. Depending upon what the doctor says you may need to challenge yourself to increase the weights steadily. I have taken Fosamax for years since my numbers were marginal and . . .why not? My spine is in the normal range, but my hips are still a little low. My diagnosis was that the bone density is as good as it has ever been.
One change I have made over the years is to wear the best shoes I can find. I don't even have fashion shoes anymore, just sandals and loafer like shoes or athletic shoes with the best support I can find. I even bought some rubber boots and wear them if it is raining or snowing so I know that I have the best possible traction. I have taught high school for years and years and not one student ever noticed that I stopped wearing heels.

Sammy