Strontium: Ranelate Drug Data vs Citrate Supplements
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Strontium (Citrate and Ranelate): half-life, strengths and approval status

Status · Approval status · Half-life notes

What is strontium?

Strontium is a mineral element that builds up in bone. Strontium ranelate was a prescription osteoporosis drug in the EU (Protelos) until 2020; supplements sold for bone health usually use other forms such as strontium citrate.

Also known as: strontium citrate, strontium ranelate, Protelos.

Amounts studied

The main fracture trial used 2 g of strontium ranelate a day for 3 years (Meunier 2004). People in a bone-strontium study chose their own strontium citrate products (Moise 2014). These are study protocols, not a recommendation.

Approval status and how it is used

The NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database lists strontium citrate products labeled as dietary supplements, such as NusaPure Strontium Citrate 680 mg, and no strontium ranelate product. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. Drugs@FDA lists no strontium ranelate product.

The former drug: in a 3-year trial in 1,649 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and a prior spine fracture, 2 g a day of strontium ranelate lowered the risk of new spine fractures by 41% (Meunier 2004). EMA authorized it as Protelos in 2004. After a 2014 review of heart risk, EMA restricted it to people who cannot use other osteoporosis medicines, barred it in people with a history of heart attack or stroke, and required stopping if heart or circulation problems develop. It was not marketed in the EU after 2017, and its authorization was withdrawn in April 2020 at the company's request for commercial reasons.

Supplements: those trials tested strontium ranelate, not strontium citrate. In a study of 10 women taking strontium citrate on their own, bone strontium rose within 24 hours and kept rising for up to 4 years, with large differences between people (Moise 2014). We found no fracture trials of strontium citrate.

Safety: the heart and circulation concerns above come from the prescription drug; we found no safety trials of strontium citrate supplements.

Strontium half-life and time to peak

  • Half-lifeNot listed
  • Time to peak (Tmax)Not listed

We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for strontium supplements that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. One study found bone strontium kept rising over years of strontium citrate use (Moise 2014).

How to track strontium in Dose Track

  1. Add strontium as a custom compound. Start typing its name and Dose Track fills in the details from its research library for you to check, and it sits next to everything else you take.
  2. Log each dose when you take it so your history shows exactly what you took and when.
  3. Set reminders on your own schedule, whether that is daily, weekly or every few days.
  4. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

How Dose Track handles peptides · Reconstitution calculator · Half-life calculator

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Frequently asked questions

What is the half-life of strontium?+
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for strontium supplements that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. One study found bone strontium kept rising over years of strontium citrate use (Moise 2014).
Is strontium citrate the same as the osteoporosis drug?+
No. The fracture trials and the EU drug Protelos used strontium ranelate. Supplements usually contain strontium citrate, which has not been tested in fracture trials that we found.
Why was strontium ranelate restricted?+
In 2014 EMA found a heart and circulation risk and limited it to patients with no history of heart attack or stroke who could not use other osteoporosis medicines. The drug was later withdrawn in the EU for commercial reasons.
Can I track strontium in Dose Track?+
Yes. Strontium is in Dose Track's research library, so when you add it as a custom compound its details are filled in for you to check. You can then log each dose next to your other compounds, set reminders on your own schedule, and see your history next to your lab results. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

Sources

  1. Moise H, Chettle DR, Pejović-Milić A. Monitoring bone strontium intake in osteoporotic females self-supplementing with strontium citrate with a novel in-vivo X-ray fluorescence based diagnostic tool. Bone. 2014;61:48-54.
  2. Meunier PJ, et al. The effects of strontium ranelate on the risk of vertebral fracture in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. N Engl J Med. 2004;350(5):459-468.
  3. European Medicines Agency. Protelos (strontium ranelate): EPAR page, authorisation withdrawn.
  4. European Medicines Agency. European Medicines Agency recommends that Protelos/Osseor remain available but with further restrictions (press release, February 21, 2014).
  5. FDA. Drugs@FDA database of approved drugs (searched October 28, 2026).
  6. FDA. Questions and answers on dietary supplements.
  7. NIH ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database. Strontium Citrate 680 mg (NusaPure), dietary supplement label, entered April 22, 2021; checked October 28, 2026.

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