Glucosamine Sulfate?

Years of abuse and getting older, have taken a toll on my knees. I've started taking Glucosamine Sulfate supplemments at the recommendation of a good friend.

I've heard other's swear by it also, but it's my understanding that it can take 3 to 4 weeks for the effects to be felt, or in my case, soreness in the knees.

Just wondering if any others here might take these, and have experienced any benefit from it, or is it all just snake oil?

Thanks ahead for any help,
J.

I'm not a huge fan of any extra pills but working construction my joints are shot. Glucosamine seems alleviate pain I get in my knees and elbows. My biggest problem is so much comes from shark cartilage which I don't support. So you have to be careful of the source! Otherwise I feel it's really benificial to the old ball and sockets.

Hey RC,
I didn't know about the shark, but I read the lable, and it states that the "glucosamine is derived from shrimp and crab shell". So I guess I'm good to go as far as the shark aspect is concerned.

Do you remember how long you had to take it before you noticed any affect in your joints?

Thanks,

J.

1-3 months depends on the potency. I have tendinitis in both elbows and gsm has made a definite difference.

You might want to try a tablespoon of raw honey every morning. You'll know in just a few days if it's working.

Have taken it daily for several years, "in case" it has a benefit. I can't ascribe any specific relief to it and wonder whether it's just superstitious behavior on my part. My mother had rather severe arthritis, beginning at a younger age than my current tally, and my father developed it later in life as well, so I'm willing to continue with my supersition, at least until somebody completes a study concluding it makes one's toenails drop off or somesuch.

[This would be a great time for my standard rant on how the "supplement" industry remains basically unregulated and under studied, so they're free to make wild claims with abandon, but I'm an adult so no rant.]

I know this much: I have plenty of body parts that hurt from time to time for no good reason, other than harvesting the mistakes of my impetuous youth (yut).

Cheers,

My father is a primary care physician and definitely recommends it. He has bad knees and for a time would eat chicken knuckles for the glucosamine.

Latest medical research (I don't know if it's definitive) suggests that glucosamine/chondroitin supplements don't do much, if any, good. I looked for a reference to this study (came out some time this year) but didn't find it.

I unfortunately took the stuff for several months before reading the fine print on the label that it's derived from shellfish. I of course did read the fine print after I broke out in a horrible rash. Whether it's from shellfish itself or from my old allergy to iodine (from using it to disinfect water back in the 1980's), I don't know, but I tossed the rest of the glucosamine bottle and have avoided it since. Anything from the ocean contains iodine, and I should have known better! So should the physician who suggested I take it.

Anecdotally, there was no change to my joints either from taking the stuff or discontinuing it--for whatever that's worth. All I can say is that if you have an iodine or shellfish allergy, avoid it!

Relatively gentle exercise seems to be the best therapy for my arthritic joints. Swimming, walking and strength training with small weights seem to work the best. Keeping up motion and keeping the muscles strong around the joints has worked fine to date.

Have you tried physical therapy for your knees? Do you use trekking poles when you walk or hike?

I never bought into the chondroitin thing, so avoided the combination tablets as I didn't like the idea of eating shell extract (which, I'm guessing would be worse than sausage-making to actually observe the making thereof). Seeing a lot less of them these days, FWIW.

Cheers,

Wow, one primary care physician say's yes, other's site work that say no, then there is the issue of iodine. (Believe me, I swallowed my share of Iodine in the military, especially in the 80's) so I know three things now, some say yes, some say no,and I've probably gotten enough iodine built up in my system to last me a life time, or what's left of it.

Now I'm paying for the folly of my youth...I used to long for Frank Zappa and Led Zepplin, now I long for one pain free day.. without Aleve...go figure.

J.

According to my friend who more or less runs all med statistics for Kaiser Permanente, you have to check carefully that your supplement contains glucosamine sulfate and NOT glucosamine hydrochloride (aka glucosamine HCL), because studies show the HCL formulation is not effective, while the sulfate formulation does have benefits.

Aimless, the bottle says 1000mg glucosamine sulfate. There is no mention of HCL. However, in my ignornace of the subject, I'm suspect of supplements in general. Not known to be helpful stuff, like vitamin supplements, but things like this.

Reason being, you get so much differing information, even from people who should know, such as your friend, or one other, I forget who, who's father is a physician. I guess the only real way to know, if it's going to work for ME, is to just keep taking it. Maybe it's effective for some and not for others? I know that can be the case for traditional medicines, as I've had MD's, try different courses of treatment for the same ailment, until they found something that works.

The problem is, that I'm not sure how long I'll have to take it to find out. If I quit too early, it may have worked, and I not know it. If it's not going to work at all, I don't want to take it any longer than necessary to find out. And therein lies the problem.

J.

It's true that statistical success says nothing about the outcome of individual cases, only about the odds of an individual case being successful prior to your doing anything. The outcome you get is the outcome you get, regardless of studies or odds.

Interesting. Mine's hydrochloride. [shrug] Have also heard it's more effective with pets (dogs) than humans.

Cheers,

Well, I guess that's mostly true. Now I have to go and hate Joe Montana, who hawks this stuff on TV for money...

J.