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The occurrence of multiple vertebral fractures after discontinuation of denosumab in the treatment of osteoporosis has reopened the debate on the optimal treatment duration and drug holidays.In principle, there is a difference in this regard between the discontinuation of medications such as bisphosphonates and substances without bone retention such as selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), denosumab or teriparatide. Even after the end of application bisphosphonates have a very long half-life in the bones. After cessation of drug intake there is a slow, slight increase of bone turnover markers. Even after cessation of the SERM raloxifene, a decline in bone density can be observed, as with the termination of teriparatide. In contrast to these osteoporosis medications, after cessation of denosumab, a steep and rapid increase in markers of bone resorption above baseline levels ("rebound") and a reduction in bone mineral density to initial values can be observed.Osteoporosis is a disease that carries an increased risk of fracture, which is reduced for the duration of osteoporosis treatment. In certain situations, the fracture risk is only temporarily raised. In these situations, cessation of the osteoporosis treatment is possible. Beyond these special clinical situations, however, osteoporosis needs to be addressed as a chronic disease with a permanently increased fracture risk and the indication for therapy should be evaluated according to the extent of the risk of fracture.What happens after discontinuation of anti-osteoporosis drugs? The various effects on bone turnover markers, bone mineral density and fracture incidence of the individual drug groups are presented in detail, as are the resulting recommendations of the task forces of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) and the European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS).

Osteoporosis in men is an important public health problem with more than 1 million cases in Germany. Although osteoporotic fractures have a much higher mortality in men than in women, male patients are still underdiagnosed and undertreated.Epidemiology of male osteoporosis and current treatment situation, pathophysiological aspects at the hormonal level, risk factors, diagnostic work-up and therapeutic options.Overview of data concerning male osteoporosis, recommendations for diagnostic work-up and presentation of the study situation on pharmaceutical therapies.As risk factors for osteoporosis are present in 50-70 % of male patients, a detailed patient history is necessary for assessment of the risk factors. Radiological imaging of the spine is primarily recommended to identify individuals with prevalent vertebral fractures, as approximately 10 % of males above the age of 50 years have suffered a vertebral fracture. Laboratory testing of relevant parameters helps to rule out other metabolic bone diseases. In Germany, specific medications available for the treatment of male osteoporosis comprise the active vitamin D analogue alfacalcidol, the oral bisphosphonates alendronate and risedronate, the intravenous biphosphonate zoledronic acid, the anti- receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) antibody denosumab, which can be given as intravenous injection and strontium ranelate, a drug with a complex mode of action. Teriparatide, a recombinant form of the 34 N-terminal amino acid sequence of parathyroid hormone is the only anabolic agent approved for male osteoporosis.Osteoporosis in men is increasingly being recognized as an important public health problem and affected patients need to be adequately diagnosed and treated. Nowadays, a broad spectrum of well-proven therapeutic options with different modes of action allow individual treatment strategies for male osteoporosis patients.