Polypharmacy in Osteoporosis Treatment

In older adults, polypharmacy and osteoporosis frequently occur contemporaneously. Polypharmacy is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for hip and fall-related fractures. Treatments for osteoporosis include antiresorptive (alendronate, risedronate, zoledronic acid, ibandronate, denosumab) and osteoanabolic (teriparatide, abaloparatide, romosozumab) agents. Polypharmacy is associated with worse adherence to pharmacologic therapy. Thus, the selection of osteoporosis treatment should be individualized and based on a variety of factors, including underlying fracture risk (high vs very high risk), medical comorbidities, medication burden, as well as fracture risk reduction profiles, modes of administration, and side effects of treatment options.