What are the side effects of Teriparatide?
The most commonly reported Teriparatide side effects are nausea, mild calcium fluctuations, headache. Most are mild and tend to be dose dependent. It is generally avoided with paget's disease. Human clinical evidence for Teriparatide is limited, so this reflects reported and observed effects, not a complete safety profile.
Reported Teriparatide side effects
- Nausea
- Mild calcium fluctuations
- Headache
- Leg cramps
- Theoretical osteosarcoma risk (rat data; the FDA removed the boxed warning in 2020, now a standard Warning)
Who should avoid it
- Paget's disease
- Prior radiation to bone
- Hypercalcemia
- Active malignancy
- Pregnancy / nursing
Bloodwork worth tracking
- Serum calcium baseline + at 1 month + every 6 months
- 25-OH vitamin D
References
- Effect of Teriparatide on the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis — Neer RM et al., NEJM, 2001
- Effects of teriparatide and risedronate on new fractures in post-menopausal women with severe osteoporosis (VERO): a multicentre, double-blind, double-dummy, randomised controlled trial — Kendler DL, Marin F, Geusens P, et al. — The Lancet, 2018
- FORTEO (teriparatide) injection — FDA Prescribing Information — FDA / DailyMed (Eli Lilly and Company)
Pepdex is an editorial reference, not medical advice. Peptides vary in legal and approval status by country, many are research compounds without full human safety data. Talk to a qualified clinician before starting anything.
More on Teriparatide
Last updated 2026-06-06.