Medication		Dosage	Relative risk reduction in vertebral fractures	Mechanism of action	Used for
Bisphosphonates				Antiresorptives; inhibit osteoclasts by inducing apoptosis	Prevention and treatment
	Alendronate (Fosamax)	5 mg per day (prevention) or 35 mg per week (treatment)	50% in patients with history of fracture; 48% in those without
	Ibandronate (Boniva)	150 mg per month	50%
	Risedronate (Actonel)	5 mg per day or 35 mg per week	41% to 49%
	Zoledronic acid (Reclast)	5 mg intravenously every two years (prevention) or 5 mg intravenously per year (treatment)	70%
Calcitonin		50 to 100 IU per day intramuscularly or 200 IU per day intranasally	30% in patients with history of fracture	Antiresorptive	Treatment
Calcium		1,000 to 1,200 mg per day	—	—	Prevention
Estrogen		0.3 mg or 0.625 mg per day via pill or patch	34%	Antiresorptive	Prevention
Estrogen agonist/antagonist (raloxifene [Evista])		60 mg per day	30% in patients with history of fracture; 55% in those without	Antiresorptive	Prevention and treatment
Parathyroid hormone (teriparatide [Forteo])		20 mcg per day subcutaneously for up to 24 months	65%	Maintains osteocytes, increases intestinal calcium absorption, decreases urinary calcium, increases vitamin D production	Treatment
RANKL inhibitor (denosumab [Prolia])		60 mg per day subcutaneously every six months	68%	Blocks formation, function, and survival of osteoclasts	Treatment
Vitamin D		800 to 1,000 IU per day	—	—	Prevention