Raloxifene
Also called: Evista, SERM for bone, selective estrogen receptor modulator, SERM
What it means
Raloxifene (Evista) is a SERM, a medication that acts like estrogen in bone to help slow bone loss, used to prevent or treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
If you're postmenopausal with low bone density, raloxifene is one option a doctor might discuss to help protect your bones.
Raloxifene belongs to a class of drugs called selective estrogen receptor modulators, or SERMs. It acts like estrogen in some tissues and blocks estrogen in others. In bone, it mimics estrogen's protective effect, which helps slow down the natural breakdown process that speeds up after menopause. In breast tissue, it acts more like an estrogen blocker.
It's approved for preventing and treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, and it's taken as a daily pill. Unlike hormone replacement therapy, it doesn't appear to stimulate the uterus lining, and it's sometimes considered for women who also have a higher risk of certain breast cancers, though that's a separate conversation to have with a doctor.
Like any medication, raloxifene has considerations: it can increase the risk of blood clots, and it may cause hot flashes or leg cramps in some people. Whether it's the right choice depends on a person's fracture risk, menopause status, other health conditions, and personal history. That decision, along with any changes to treatment, should always be made together with a prescriber.
Raloxifene acts like estrogen in bone, offering postmenopausal women an option to help slow bone loss.
Where this leads
WordCurious why mimicking estrogen in bone even helps? Estrogen explains how this hormone keeps bone-removing cells in check and why its drop speeds up bone loss.
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Education only, not medical advice. Decisions about tests, medications and treatment belong with your own doctor. OsteoStrong does not diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
