When I was first diagnosed with osteo, one doctor prescribed once-a-month Actonel for me. I had horrible side effects for 4 weeks and chose not to take any more. A few months later I had to change doctors. The new doctor said she wouldn't prescribe Boniva or Fosamax for me either, because they were in the same family of meds with Actonel. She instructed me to take some supplements, because I had no insurance at the time. She said to take calcium, magnesium, vitamin d3, and vitamin k2 each morning, and then to take strontium citrate each evening. My first Dexa was Dec. 2009, and my second was Aug. 2013. All bone density scores improved, especially in my spine. As I mentioned in another response to you, I'm on a gluten-free diet, off long-term prednisone, and taking lots of supplements.

FYI, an orthopedic surgeon instructed me to only take 400-600 mg. of calcium per day (including what's in my diet), because that's all the human body can process. He also said that I should take an equal amount of magnesium daily, plus vitamin d3. He said that too much calcium, or unopposed calcium, can lead to kidney stones. Both of these doctors told me that cal-mag and vitamin d3 work together synergistically, so that calcium does what it's supposed to do. I'm no doctor or scientist and don't know about this information. All that I know is that these supplements worked for me.

As for exercise, only do gentle exercise. One poster awhile back suggested the "stork" exercise, which is when you stand on one foot for 30-60 seconds, and then change feet. This is easy to do at home or at a store when you're standing in the check-out line. Another exercise I do is light bouncing (not jumping) on a rebounder (mini-trampoline). I also use my Wii to bowl and dance.

I have Lupus also and was borderline Hashimoto's, along with having Polymyositis. The doctor who gave me the supplement regimen told me to get off gluten because "Gluten is like a poison to anyone with an autoimmune disease" and "Gluten likes to attack the thyroid." This doctor also helped me to wean off prednisone by transitioning me over to hydrocortisone. She said hydrocortisone is bio-identical to the cortisol produced by the adrenal glands and that it has a shorter half-life, which theoretically causes the adrenal glands to "kick in" before the next dose. Apparently prednisone stays in the body 24-36 hours, while hydrocortisone only stays in the body for 12-18 hours.

FYI, there is a Lupus forum here at Daily Strength that you might want to join. Best wishes to you.

After telling you what my doctor said about gluten and the thyroid, I found this article on my Facebook timeline and thought you might want to read it.
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/how-gluten-destroys-thyroid-health/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Facebook_glutenthyroid