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Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a silent disease. This post is meant to raise your awareness about bone health, bone density tests and a treatment option.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a silent disease. This post is meant to raise your awareness about bone health, bone density tests and a treatment option. Not a TYMLOS® (abaloparatide) injection patient

This post is sponsored by Radius Health, Inc., and does not constitute medical advice. My personal story and opinions are my own. I am not a medical professional and am not qualified to give medical advice. Please talk with your healthcare provider about your individual medical situation.

Most of you know I like to keep it real here on Romy Raves, and today I want to discuss how aging impacts our bodies. Let’s be honest, getting older is not without its limitations. And as much as I love the wisdom and confidence that comes with age, I also dread the fact that as I have gotten older, my body does not function as seamlessly as it did when I was younger. After turning 50, I’ve realized that it takes a lot more effort and diligence to keep my body strong, resilient and in good shape.While I hate admitting it, I am just not willing to take the risks that I did in my youth because I know that my body is more fragile than it once was. The truth is that after age 50 and especially after menopause, when estrogen levels have decreased, I may be at increased risk for postmenopausal osteoporosis.

So, in solidarity with other women over age 50 who are concerned about postmenopausal osteoporosis like I am, I’ve teamed up with Radius Health to get ‘Osteoferocious’ and enlighten women about the factors that increase their risk of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a silent disease, often displaying no signs or symptoms until a fracture occurs. Even after a fracture, many patients remain undiagnosed and untreated. To help you get a better understanding, the following is a list of the potential risk factors:

  • Menopause: The decreased estrogen levels associated with menopause can lead to bone loss
  • Age: Our risk increases as we age
  • Ethnicity: White and Asian women tend to have higher risk
  • Family History: You tend to be at higher risk if any of your close family members have osteoporosis
  • Diet: A diet low in calcium and vitamin D can increase your risk. If you have a calcium or vitamin D deficiency, you could also be at greater risk
  • Exercise: If you do not exercise, or live a more sedentary lifestyle, your bones may get weaker and put you at greater risk
  • Smoking and alcohol: These habits can contribute to poor health which in turn impacts the health of your bones
  • Medications: Some medications can increase the risk of fractures. Ask your doctor about this

Over 8 million women in the US over the age of 50 are estimated to have osteoporosis and 1 in 2 women in the US over the age of 50 are likely to have a fragility fracture (or low-impact fracture that is often the result of a fall from standing height or lower) in her lifetime. While half of all women over 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis at some point in their lives (wow!), the connection between osteoporosis and related fractures is often overlooked. It is important for postmenopausal women to make the connection that a seemingly insignificant fragility fracture could be a sign of osteoporosis.

One specific treatment option that I would like to highlight is called TYMLOS® (abaloparatide) injection. TYMLOS is a treatment option for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women at high risk for fracture that was approved by the FDA in April 2017. TYMLOS helps by decreasing the chance of having a fracture of the spine and other bones in postmenopausal women with thinning and weakening bones.

Visit TYMLOS.com to learn more about this treatment option for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture.

Please see the Important Safety Information below and the full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning, and visit the TYMLOS Medication Guide for patients.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a silent disease. This post is meant to raise your awareness about bone health, bone density tests and a treatment option.

INDICATIONS AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

What is the most important information I should know about TYMLOS?

TYMLOS may cause serious side effects including:

  • Possible bone cancer (osteosarcoma).During animal drug testing, TYMLOS caused some rats to develop a bone cancer called osteosarcoma. It is not known if people who take TYMLOS will have a higher chance of getting osteosarcoma.
    • Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have pain in your bones, pain in any areas of your body that does not go away, or any new or unusual lumps or swelling under your skin that is tender to touch.

Before you take TYMLOS, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have Paget’s disease of the bone or other bone disease.
  • have or have had cancer in your bones.
  • have or have had radiation therapy involving your bones.
  • have or have had too much calcium in your blood.
  • have or have had too much of an enzyme called alkaline phosphatase in your blood.
  • have or have had an increase in your parathyroid hormone (hyperparathyroidism).
  • will have trouble injecting yourself with the TYMLOS pen and do not have someone who can help you.
  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. TYMLOS is not for pregnant women.
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if TYMLOS passes into your breast milk. You and your healthcare provider should decide if you will take TYMLOS or breastfeed. You should not do both.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

What are the possible side effects of TYMLOS?

TYMLOS can cause serious side effects including:

  • Decrease in blood pressure when you change positions. Some people may feel dizzy, have a faster heartbeat, or feel lightheaded soon after the TYMLOS injection is given. These symptoms generally go away within a few hours. Take your injections of TYMLOS in a place where you can sit or lie down right away if you get these symptoms. If your symptoms get worse or do not go away, stop taking TYMLOS and call your healthcare provider.
  • Increased blood calcium (hypercalcemia). TYMLOS can cause some people to have a higher blood calcium level than normal. Your healthcare provider may check your blood calcium before you start and during your treatment with TYMLOS. Tell your healthcare provider if you have nausea, vomiting, constipation, low energy, or muscle weakness. These may be signs there is too much calcium in your blood.
  • Increased urine calcium (hypercalciuria). TYMLOS can cause some people to have higher levels of calcium in their urine than normal. Increased calcium may also cause you to develop kidney stones (urolithiasis) in your kidneys, bladder or urinary tract. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get any symptoms of kidney stones which may include pain in your lower back or lower stomach area, pain when you urinate, or blood in your urine.

The most common side effects of TYMLOS include:

  • dizziness
  • nausea
  • headache
  • fast heartbeat
  • feeling very tired (fatigue)
  • upper stomach pain
  • vertigo

These are not all the possible side effects of TYMLOS. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

  • If you take more TYMLOS than prescribed you may experience symptoms such as muscle weakness, low energy, headache, nausea, dizziness (especially when getting up after sitting for a while) and a faster heartbeat. Stop taking TYMLOS and call your healthcare provider right away.

What is TYMLOS?

TYMLOS is a prescription medicine used to:

  • decrease the chance of having a fracture of the spine and other bones in postmenopausal women with thinning and weakening bones (osteoporosis).
  • treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women who are at high risk for bone fracture.

It is not known if TYMLOS is safe and effective for children 18 years and younger.

It is not recommended that people use TYMLOS for more than 2 years during their lifetime.

TYMLOS should not be used in children and young adults whose bones are still growing.

TYM-US-02364 2/19

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