do not need to take calcium supp while on femara and actonel

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Sig
Sig Member Posts: 138
edited October 2017 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
do not need to take calcium supp while on femara and actonel
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  • Sig
    Sig Member Posts: 138
    edited August 2009

    hello everyone, wonder if any of you do not need to take calcium supplement but are taking femara and actonel. I have stopped taking my calcium supplement last april due to high calcium and for whatever reason my calcium is staying in the high range (between 2.60 and 2.62 mmol), oncologist and osteosporosis specialists do not understand the reason, because actonel and femara use a lot of calcium ran all kind of tests and everything is normal except my blood calcium that stay in the high range. My understanding is it;s quite hard to get the calcium thru food only because I barely eat dairy product, just a little pieces of cheese once a while. So wonder if anyone that are taking femara and actonel and does not need to take calcium supplement.

    Sig

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  • ajlive
    ajlive Member Posts: 134
    edited August 2009

    Have you had a bone density test done to see how your bones are doing?  Maybe you are one of the lucky ones in that your body absorbs enough calcium.  How long have you been on Femara and Actonel?   If you haven't been on Femara very long then you may just need to have your calcium checked periodically.  In time you may need to take calcium.  I wish I were so lucky.  I can't seem to get enough calcium even with taking supplements.

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  • Sig
    Sig Member Posts: 138
    edited August 2009

    Ajline, I had my bone density last november and this is when I started actonel due to the result. (big drop from previous test). I am on femara since november 2007 (almost 2 years now). I am assuming that my oncologist will book me on another bone density for next november for a yearly test. Since I started femara 2 years ago I am having problem with my calcium level, I have been taking supplement on and off but now since last april (almost 5 months now) that I stopped the supplement and my calcium is staying in the high range.

    Sig

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  • katsOK
    katsOK Member Posts: 142
    edited August 2009

    Have the doctors checked your parathyroid.  I had increasing osteosporsis and high but in high end of normal range of calicum in the blood.   They did a test on the parathyroid hormone in the blood and then did a 24 hour urine test.  I was pulling calicum out of my bones and then passing it in my urine.   No one test showed it, it took all three to determine I had a parathyroid problem.   Had surgery and blood calicum went down, osteosporsis got better and my urine no longer was full of calicum  (can cause kidney stones).   

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  • crazy4carrots
    crazy4carrots Member Posts: 5,324
    edited August 2009

    Hi Sig:

    I've been on Femara for just over a year and have been taking calcium supplements, but my little bit of osteopenia has increased so my onc told me to start taking actonel.  I asked if I needed to continue with the calcium and the answer was definitely Yes!  It was explained that the actonel acts as the "scaffolding" for the bones and the calcium (plus magnesium and Vit D3) actually are needed to continue bone growth.  Took my first actonel this week so we'll see how it works out after my next bone density test next spring.  I do drink a glass of milk daily and frequently eat cheese and yogurt, so I guess the supplements just weren't enough!

    I think there are some concerns about high calcium levels in the blood (maybe having to do with the possible formation of kidney stones??) so perhaps your gp should check that out.

    Linda

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  • sandilee
    sandilee Member Posts: 1,843
    edited August 2009

    I agree with Kat!   Ask your doc to test your parathyroid hormone levels. If they are high, it is very likely that you have hyperparathyroidism and your calcium levels will not change until this is corrected.   Also,your bone density will not increase with calcium or biophosphates if you have hyperparathyroidism.

      High serum calcium is one of the markers of parathyroid disease.  Stopping oral calcium does not alter serum calcium if you have hyperparathyroidism.  The calcium is coming from your bones in larger than healthy quantities, not from your pills.

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  • Sig
    Sig Member Posts: 138
    edited August 2009

    the oncologist did check my parathyroid hormone and it came back in the normal range. a result of 5.8 pmol/L (normal range for the lab is 1.3 - 6.8 pmol/L). I also had a 24 hour urine test for calcium and result came back as follow: Volume Total: 2 750 ml, calcium urine: 0.9 mmol/L, calcium urine 24 hr: 2.5 mmol/d (1,0 - 10,0) which the doctor said it was normal also. So now she does not know what to do as she never saw this before. Any other suggestions?  How high was the result of your parathyroid hormone test and 24 hr urine calcium test?      I am really concern and worry about this.

    Sig

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  • katsOK
    katsOK Member Posts: 142
    edited August 2009

    My parathyroid hormone was high but not excessively high, still in normal range.  Do not know exact figures anymore.  The doctor said I had lots of calcum in urine..... said I was peeing away my bones!... Go to the site parathyroid.com and they can tell you everything about the parathyroid.  It might even be worth a phone call to them... they are expert on the unusual cases of parathyroid disease.   I did not go to them for surgery because there was someone in my city also an expert on the disease.  I also had to have a test where they gave me a shot to make the parathyroid light up if overactive and  that is another difinitive study that can be done.  Good luck!

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  • sandilee
    sandilee Member Posts: 1,843
    edited August 2009

    My 24 hour urine test came back normal as well, although my serum calcium was 11.1 mg/dL.

    My PTH was 96 pg/mL. (normal range for my test was 10-69.)

    If your parathyroid hormone levels are normal, and only your blood calcium is high, maybe there is something else going on.  Have you talked to an endocrinologist?  I can imagine that you want to get to the bottom of this. My onc sent me to an endo, and he is the one who took the various blood tests and sent me for my Sestamibi scan, which apparently showed a possible adenoma.  The definitive thing for me, though, was when the surgeon found my adenoma on an ultrasound in his office, and gave me a picture of it.  

       If your oncologist is stumped, I'd definitely look for an endocrinologist with experience with thyroid and parathyroid disease and get his or her opinion. 

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  • Sig
    Sig Member Posts: 138
    edited September 2009

    thank you all for your replies, I will ask to see an endocrinologist because there is definitely something going on that preventing my calcium level to drop to normal. thanks Kat for the link for the parathyroid web site, very informative,

    Sig 

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  • sweetspirit
    sweetspirit Member Posts: 3
    edited October 2017

    Hi, I am a breast cancer patient, stage 2, no lymph node involvement, diagnosed September 2016, oncologist prescribed femora 2.5mg daily. lab test has indicated increased calcium levels, march-10.1, September 10.8.  Just read your post.  Could this be a pattern?

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