Five years on my bone pill and now the doctor says take a "drug holiday". Won't my bones just get worse again?

I have read this forum for a long time without posting, mostly Linda's threads because her story was so like mine. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis at 61 and I have taken the weekly tablet faithfully for five years. Sat up for the half hour every single Sunday. Never missed.

Last week my doctor looked at my newest scan, said my numbers have improved and held steady, and said she'd like me to take a "drug holiday". Stop the tablet for a few years and rescan. I was so surprised I didn't ask anything useful. On the drive home all I could think was, I did all that work and now we just stop and let it slide back?

Has anyone else been told this? Did your bones fall apart when you stopped? I'm 66 and I really don't want to break a hip.

MaryEllen, welcome, and I'm glad you posted instead of stewing. I'm not there yet, I'm only a few years into mine, but my doctor told me at the very start that this tablet wasn't a forever pill and there'd be a "time to reassess" conversation down the road. So I don't think yours is cutting corners. It sounds like that conversation arrived on schedule.

My sister-in-law had the holiday after five years on hers. What she was told is that this kind of tablet stays in the bone and keeps working for a while after you stop, so it's not like switching off a light. She's been off about three years now, gets scanned, and her numbers have barely moved. That's one woman, but it's a real one.

MaryEllen, I'm touched, and I'm also only a few months into my own tablet, so I'm a student here not a teacher. The thing I've learned on this site is the same lesson every time: write the questions down and go back. The first appointment is for being surprised, the second one is for understanding.

Mine would be: why is it OK to stop for ME specifically, what would make you restart it early, and when is the next scan.

Different drug situation (I'm osteopenia, no meds) but one thing I picked up from my own doctor: the holiday thing is about the specific type of medicine. She was very clear that it does NOT apply to all bone drugs, there's at least one where stopping without a plan is a bad idea. So don't let anybody you know on a different medicine read this thread and decide to take a break on their own.

Back with an update. I took Linda's three questions in on a card.

Why me: my fracture risk is now in the lower range she uses to consider a break, I haven't had any fractures, and five years on the tablet is the point her guideline says to reassess. If I'd had a broken hip or spine or my scan had been worse, she said the answer would have been to keep going. What would restart it: a fracture, or a meaningful drop on the scan. Next scan: two years, possibly sooner if anything changes.

She also said what Joan's sister-in-law was told, that the tablet keeps working in the bone for a while. So I'm stopping, with a plan, not stopping and hoping. I still feel a bit naked without my Sunday routine, but I understand it now. Thank you all for being so kind to a first time poster.