Glucosamine Chondroitin anyone?

[JESW]

Does anyone have any experience with this stuff? I take one every once in a while if my knees start to bother me.

Well, my DH has been suffereing for quite a while with chronic pain due to degenerative disk disease. He has been in physical therapy, had cortizone shots, has seen a spine dr. and is currently being treated by a chiropractor 2x a week. NOTHING has given him relief and he ends up on the couch with the heating pad as soon as he gets home from work.

For whatever reason I suggested that he try one of those pills last night - I had been searching the internet for pain relief for him and that kept coming up. This morning he woke up HAPPY and said that most of the pain is gone - wow!!! We are cautiously optomistic, as he DOES have a problem, but it would be SO GREAT if he wasn't in constant pain all the time!!

Does anyone else have experience with this? Did taking it help for a long time, or just short time?

TIA!

Jill

 

[Dan Murphy]

I take one a day. Several years ago, at the prompting of lots of folks here on the DIS, I started taking GC, as I had indicated I had (still do, never goes away) osteo in my knees. At that time, GC was highly touted as a wonder 'drug' (or whatever you want to call it). Recent studies (always a study on everything I guess), maybe 2 or so months back, stated that GC was found to not necessarily have much or any effect on most people, however, it did not discount it might be helpful to some people; not harmful though. So, I decided to keep up with one a day. Whether it helps or not, I really don't know. I do take Alleve generic also, which I do know helps, a lot; started those after Vioxx and similar were taken off the market. A GC regimen, in any case, is suppose to be taken for 30-60 days however, to have any, if at all, noticeable effect. I would doubt one pill had any effect, though certainly one might think they feel better, and that is a big part of wellness also. In any case, do hope he feels better long term.

Have a good weekend, Jil.

 

[Happywanderer]

I've taken this supplement for about three years now. At that time I was just starting to get pain in my knees when I went up the stairs or overdid exercise. Now I just get twinges now and then. Don't know if it was the glucosamine or not--since I haven't stopped taking them long enough to see any difference. I will say that it didn't work for me overnight, it took a good week or so before I noticed a difference. So, my opinion is that it's worked for me.

 

[Jpgirl]

My dh used to use it. The big thing you need to be aware of is that it is made from crushed shell fish so it can cause a serious alergic reaction if you have a shellfish allergy. My dh did have a shellfish allergy until 4 years ago and had to stop taking it.

 

[Disney Doll]

I take it. It has probably helped a little, although not as dramatically for me as for your DH.

My understanding is that it is not harmful, so I live by the "it can't hurt and it might help" adage when it comes to taking it. I keep taking it.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

My DH has severe osteo arthritis starting in his knees and spreading throughout the other joints. GC never helped him but he is an extreme case.
Good luck with everything with your DH. I truly hope it works for him.
Have you consulted a pain mgmt doctor yet? They can be quite helpful.

 

[DawnCt1]

DH tried it for a few months before his hip replacement surgery at the age of 49. He didn't notice any difference.....until he stopped taking it and his symptoms became notably worse. My supposition is, although it didn't improve his osteo arthritis, it may have halted the process a bit.

 

[powellrj]

I took it for serveral years and never really noticed any difference. I stopped taking it and it never made any difference.

BUT, I have 2 completely shot knees and am looking at having them replaced in the near future, and my dentist told me he thought I now have OA in my jaw, so I wouldn't be a good person to use as an example.

 

[ukwildcat]

Does anyone have any experience with this stuff? I take one every once in a while if my knees start to bother me.

Well, my DH has been suffereing for quite a while with chronic pain due to degenerative disk disease. He has been in physical therapy, had cortizone shots, has seen a spine dr. and is currently being treated by a chiropractor 2x a week. NOTHING has given him relief and he ends up on the couch with the heating pad as soon as he gets home from work.

For whatever reason I suggested that he try one of those pills last night - I had been searching the internet for pain relief for him and that kept coming up. This morning he woke up HAPPY and said that most of the pain is gone - wow!!! We are cautiously optomistic, as he DOES have a problem, but it would be SO GREAT if he wasn't in constant pain all the time!!

Does anyone else have experience with this? Did taking it help for a long time, or just short time?

TIA!

Jill

I hope this doesn't ignite a flame war, but what kind of chiropractic treatment is your husband receiving? I only ask because I am a chiropactor, and very familiar with all the "hocus-pocus" out there.

There are right ways and wrong ways to treat DDD (degenerative disc disease) in the lumbar spine. There are also ways that just don't make a difference. Treatment needs to involve some form of axial decompression coupled with flexion of the lumbar spine. Also, you husband should be doing some form of rehabilitative exercises (short walks are a good way to start).

Personally, I have about an 85-90% success rate with DDD cases of the lumbar spine reaching 80% improvement. Hope that makes sense. I would be happy to give you a referral.

Finally, I would add that eventually some people reach a point where conservative therapy will not make a difference. You might consider surgery, or at least consultation with a surgeon.

Again, PM me if you have more questions. Hope I can help.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

It's my understanding the recent studies have shown that Glucosamine in low doses doesn't help most people. Doesn't do any harm, but in order to make a difference, the dose needs to be fairly high and needs to be taken for a while.

I have hip (and other) problems and took a moderate dose for several months and it didn't seen to help me at all.

 

[LindaR]

I have arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and have had two spinal surgeries (the last was a spinal fusion). My doctor told me to take GC. You must take a high dose. I did find that after a month or so of taking these, I was able to bend a little better than before and have a bit more range of motion.

BTW, my doctor said that, for me, going to the chiro would cause more damage than good. I've also spoken with a chiro (who adjusts my daughter's back) and he stated that I was "too far gone" for chiropractic medicine and that he would never touch MY back.

 

[j's m]

I have been taking it for years for my knees and my DH for his golf elbow. Whenever we try to stop, you can feel a difference. I've even felt worse from changing brands. So we swear by it helping, it can't hurt.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Our vetrinarian recommended it for our cat. He's very large, close to 20 pounds and loves to jump, it's common for him to come over and jump from the floor up to my shoulder. What she gave him is in capsule, we break it apart and sprinkle the powder inside on top of his food. I've never heard of anyone else giving it to their pet, but then I found a dry cat food, available for specific breeds, and the Maine Coone food (his breed) had Glucosomine Chondroitin in it.

 

[ilovepcot]

I can *definitely* tell a difference when I stop taking it. Also, the pill form seemed to provide little relief for me. I now use the liquid form (Symtec) which can be purchased at Walmart. I was told by a pharmacist that it can be more readily absorbed into the system and that I could expect better results. Seems to be so (in my case).