Osteoporosis medication in France

[C. Woodward]

My wife suffers with quite severe osteoporosis for her age (54 years

old). We have a house in the Indre-et-Loire and are planning to retire

there. However my wife needs to ascertain what medication is available

for this condition and is more treatment available in France than the

UK. Does anyone have any experience of this in France?

[BJSLIV]

If you input

Ostéoporose

into www.google.fr you will see that there is a lot of information on the subject including one sponsored by the drug company Sanofi

 

[5-element]

Osteoporosis medication (mainly the bi-phosphonates, but also raloxifene) available in France is the same as in the UK. Up until July 2006, bone density scans (used to detect the degree of osteoporosis), were not reimbursed by the Secu,  everyone knew that to  be  ridiculous. This meant that if you or your GP wanted a bone scan, you had to pay about 45 euros for one. Since July 2006, it is completely reimbursed for certain categories of people - if your wife has osteoporosis or osteopenia, she would be in that category. Then it is up to the "medecin traitant" (the GP your wife would be registered with) to prescribe medication. If your wife is on medication in the UK, she would almost certainly be prescribed the same one here.

Officially, before 2006, anti-osteoporosis medication was only reimbursed if the patient had already had a fracture due to osteoporosis. Many GPs disagreed with this absurd regulation - imagine being given medication for your heart only after having a heart attack... especially absurd since osteoporosis medication acts preventively. So my GP, and I understand many others, would prescribe the medication regardless, and that was reimbursed. It is another case of a stupid regulatioin that is widely ignored, but which takes a long time to change.

If your wife wanted to see a specialist, then the GP would  refer her to a rhumatologist, which is very easy and usually there are very short waiting lists in most areas. To my knowledge, there are very few, if any, specialist osteoporosis clinics here in France.

What I have also found (although this might be less interesting to you), is that all the osteoporosis research  sponsored by drug companies. Merck for instance manufactures Fosamax, one of the most widely used bi-phosphonates. As a result they market their products very well, so that the medics have no knowledge and no interest in more alternative anti-osteoporosis treatment. So it looks like everyone with ostoeporosis has a narrow range of choice for treatment: Fosamax, Didronel, Actonel, etc... are the main bi-phosphonates prescribed as far as I know. You have to look into the research done in the US for slightly different perspectives on osteoporosis and long-term medication.

[PossumGirl]

There is another drug available in France called Protolos, which is strontium ranelate.  It is NOT a bi-phosphonate and does not have the same digestive problems as things like Fosamax.  I was taking it for a bit, but it is, unfortunately, a powder that is sweetened with aspartame, and I can't take aspartame without getting ill.

You do need to take it daily, and they recommend taking it right before going to bed as you are supposed to not eat for a certain period of time either before or after taking it. 

There will be another drug approved later this year which is an infusion that you only need to have once a year.  I'm waiting for that, as I think it will be much easier to deal with.

PG

[5-element]

Possum Girl - I have sent you a pm.

[Aseem848]

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[mogs]

I had some discussions with my MT about 4 years ago for an infusion called pralia or Denosumab. It wasn't available then on securite sociale, but maybe now it is.

I had suffered many rib fractures they think as a result of radiotherapy. I often felt a rib pop when just leaning forward. So spontaneous fractures as a result of no trauma.

I did have a perfusion of something but can't remember what it was. Fortunately with the help of a mega dose of vit b3 every other month, I seem to have remained ok. I have osteoperenia but have a dexa scan every year, and have been stable.

All the best to your wife