Teriparatide (Forteo)_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as Forteo, Teriparatide, PTH 1-34, parathyroid hormone 1-34, Bonsity
The bone drug that builds new bone instead of just slowing the loss.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Teriparatide (Forteo)?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
It is the drug used when bones are weak enough that slowing the damage is not enough.
Teriparatide is the working part of parathyroid hormone, the hormone that manages calcium in your body. Most osteoporosis drugs slow bone from breaking down. This one does the opposite job: it tells the body to build new bone.
What it's used for
A daily injection for osteoporosis, taken by people at high risk of breaking a bone, to build bone back up.
How does Teriparatide (Forteo) work?
What it does in the body, and where.Bone is constantly torn down and rebuilt. Parathyroid hormone can push either way, and the difference is timing: a short daily spike builds bone, while a constant high level takes it away.
- 01It is the active piece of parathyroid hormoneThe first 34 amino acids of the natural hormone, which is the part that binds the receptor.
- 02A short daily spike wakes up the bone-building cellsOsteoblasts are the cells that lay down new bone. A brief signal encourages more of them to work and fewer to die off.
- 03It is out of the body within about three hoursThat is the point. The spike has to end. A level that stays high does the opposite and pulls calcium out of bone.
- 04Blood calcium rises briefly after each doseIt peaks around 4 to 6 hours after injecting and is back to normal within a day. This is expected, and it is why calcium is checked.
Where this compound is thought to act.
What else is it used for?
Each use below carries its own evidence level. Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
- Osteoporosis in women after menopause who are at high risk of fractureFDA-approved
- Building bone in men with osteoporosisFDA-approved
- Osteoporosis caused by long-term steroid medicationFDA-approved
- Helping stubborn fractures heal, which doctors sometimes try off-labelEarly research
The published record
Papers and trials about Teriparatide (Forteo)
363 papers tagged human · 195 not reviews or lab · 60 clinical trial publications
196 registered trials · 32 with posted results
Furthest stage reached: Approved in the US
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person; a human tag can land on reviews, commentary or lab papers; clinical trial publications is the narrower count. 499 papers and 100 trials indexed in detail.
At a glance
Four things to know about Teriparatide (Forteo)
Evidence
FDA-approved
Category
Healing and recovery
Common vial
Varies
Half-life
About 1 hour
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.20 mcg per day, daily. Daily, usually for up to two years, then a different drug afterward Clinical use
The FDA removed the hard two-year limit in 2020, but the usual pattern is still a course of about two years followed by a drug that holds the new bone in place. Bone gained is lost again if nothing follows.
About 1 hourFDA label
About 1 hour by subcutaneous injection, and about 5 minutes intravenously. The longer subcutaneous figure reflects the time absorption takes rather than slower clearance. Serum levels return to baseline within 3 to 4 hours, which is a different measurement and is where the 3 hour figure came from.
Source: Forteo label section 12.3, DailyMed setid aae667c5-381f-4f92-93df-2ed6158d07b0
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
How do I dose and price it?
Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.
Choose your mix
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.
We track Teriparatide (Forteo) at 1 vendor, and publishes its price.
1 listing, last read Oct 10, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.
Unmixed lyophilized Teriparatide (Forteo) keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.This is a ready-to-use pen with nothing to mix. One pen holds 600 micrograms in 2.4 mL, which is 28 daily doses, and it must stay in the fridge the whole time, including once you start using it. Take the first dose sitting or lying down, because it can make you dizzy. The pen has been reported to release its entire contents by mistake, which is forty times a normal dose, so follow the device instructions exactly.
Solubility, computed: 32% charged residues, 38% hydrophobic. Water usually sufficient.
A first-pass rule from peptide manufacturers' guidance. It does not account for disulfide bridges, salt form or how the powder was dried, and it predicts what should be easy rather than what will happen in your vial.
Who should avoid it
- Known allergy to teriparatide
- High blood calcium already
- Bone cancer, or cancer that has spread to bone
- Paget disease of bone, or unexplained high alkaline phosphatase
- Past radiation treatment involving the skeleton
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Stop and get help
- Fainting, or dizziness that does not settle after the first few doses
- Signs of high calcium such as constant nausea, vomiting, constipation, or confusion
- New bone pain in one spot that keeps getting worse
- Signs of an allergic reaction such as face or throat swelling, hives, or trouble breathing
Common effects
- Dizziness or lightheadedness, usually in the first few doses
- A racing heartbeat shortly after injecting
- Nausea
- Leg cramps
- Injection-site reactions
- Joint aches
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Teriparatide (Forteo) approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Yes. Teriparatide (Forteo) is FDA approved and available on prescription in the United States.
- Approval statusFDA-approved
- RouteUnder the skin (subcutaneous)
- Checked14 August 2026
- DoseFrom the drug label. The manufacturer tested this range and a regulator reviewed it.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
What has happened recently
FDA-approved for osteoporosis. In 2020 the FDA removed both the boxed warning about a bone cancer called osteosarcoma and the two-year limit on how long it could be taken. The warning came from rats given very high doses for most of their lives, and long-term human data did not show the same pattern. Older articles still repeat the two-year rule, and it no longer applies.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like Teriparatide (Forteo)?
Others in Healing and recovery, side by side.If you're weighing Teriparatide (Forteo), it's worth reading Abaloparatide (Tymlos), Calcitonin (salmon), and Cerluten in the same class.
The bone drug that builds new bone instead of just slowing the loss.
- Dose
- 20 mcg per day
- How often
- Daily
A bone-building drug that completes the family around teriparatide.
- Dose
- Set by the label
- How often
- Once daily
A bone hormone borrowed from salmon, and the weakest option in its own category.
- Dose
- Set by the label
- How often
- Daily, by spray or injection
A bioregulator for brain and nerve support, with thin evidence.
- Dose
- Varies (course-based)
- How often
- Courses
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- Why Does My Peptide Injection Itch or Welt
Injection-site irritation, a histamine reaction, or a true allergy, and how to tell them apart.
Sources
- FDA, FORTEO (teriparatide) prescribing information(2021)20 mcg once daily. Pen holds 600 mcg in 2.4 mL. Bioavailability about 95%, peak at 30 minutes, undetectable within 3 hours. Blood calcium peaks 4 to 6 hours after dosing and returns to baseline within 16 to 24 hours.
Beyond these, 599 records are indexed. Browse the records