Fifty Plus (50+) - What brand glucosamine do you take?

I've decided to start taking glucosamine supplements to help my hips. I've read comments from some who say that glucosamine alone works wonders... others who say it works best in combo with condroitin.

If it works for you, what brand did you take? I realize it can take many weeks before I begin to feel any results.

Forgot to include a bike-related qualifying statment. My hips don't hurt nearly as much after cycling as they do after (and during) walking. :)

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11004978&search=glucasomine&Mo=10&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=0&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=glucasomine&Ntt=glucasomine&No=3&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

Edit: I take it as a supplement and do not know if it "works".

Sam's generic.

Schiff Move Free advanced with MSM

I take it in the morning, before riding my bike... or after, depending on your perspective.

Did I mention that I'm 50+ and not interested in following this thread to Foo?

I use the Walgreen's house brand generic stuff. Double Strength G/C 500/400. Twice a day (dosage recommends three times a day).

Just about one week out of every month it goes on a 2 for 1 sale. So I usually get 480 capsules for $50. Good for 8 months.

It has worked wonders for me. Been taking it for 7 years. My knees hurt so badly then that I had a hard time walking. It has knocked out about 95% of that pain. I went off of it 3 years ago just to see if it was really doing anything. About a month later my knee pain returned. Went back on G/C and had to deal with the pain for about 3 more weeks then it subsided again.

I'm not one to take medication or herbal remedies. But for me, this stuff works.

Whatever is cheap - when I remember, that is....

Schiff Glucosamine w/ Chondroitin (sp?) w/o MSM. I like it because I only have to take it once a day.

This may be a weird recommendation but Men's Health suggests 'Osteo Bi-Flex', but I don't remember exactly why.

I do take it but can't honestly tell if it does any good for me, but YMMV.

Good luck.

Walmart house brand Glucosamine Sulfate. It's all you need, it works, and the price can't be beat.

I take Cosamin DS. It's pricey. But the wife uses it and says it helps her. If she feels it works then it's good enough for me.

I have been using for a year or so & it definately helps my knees. I quit taking it last fall, because I was feeling less discomfort for a while; late fall-early winter I noticed my old problems had returned. I have been back on it & notice the improvement again.
I get what is cheapest, but prefer the triple strenght (only 2 a day) for convience.

This may be a weird recommendation but Men's Health suggests 'Osteo Bi-Flex', but I don't remember exactly why.

I do take it but can't honestly tell if it does any good for me, but YMMV.

Good luck.

That's what I take because it's easier on the stomach and it done wonders for me. Before I started taking this, I could hardly botton my shirt. Now I feel normal, in the body that is.:D

Spring Valley double strength. 500 mg glucosamine and 400 mg chondroitin. I've been taking it for several years and no longer have knee problems from biking or walking like I did in my mid forties.

Thanks everyone, some amazing testimonials here. Obviously if it works for animals as some claim it does on their pets, there's more than a placebo effect involved.

Hubby said the Kirkland brand at Costco is a good deal... anyone tried that?

A consumer magazine, and I think it was Consumer Reports, did say that all brands were not equal. Not all actually have the amount of Glucosamine as they say they do.

They tested 17 brands and found the top three in terms of lowest cost with highest strength were: 1) Kirtland Signature from Costco, 2) Spring Valley from Wal-Mart, and 3) Target's house brand.

The Walgreen's brand that I take would have been right there with these, at the 2 for 1 price that I pay.

Thanks everyone, some amazing testimonials here. Obviously if it works for animals as some claim it does on their pets, there's more than a placebo effect involved.

Glucosamine was prescribed for our arthritic cat 6 years ago. It worked wonders, which convinced us.

A recent study determined that condritin does nothing. We take glucosamine by itself.

We buy Natural Factors, a Canadian brand. I am wary of anything from China, and it claims to be a product of Canada, but it is possible the ingredients are imported from China and put in capsules here. I would be suspicious of the cheapest brands, even if the label says product of USA, Canada, UK, etc.

+1 for Spring Valley at Wal-Mart. Been on it for years, no knee or joint pain.

I absolutely refuse to discuss what brand of Glucosamine I take or not! This sounds like the conversations of the folks around the table at the senior center! :rolleyes:

+1 Spring Valley, triple strength. My husband takes it for his hips. He had surgery for bone spur removal on both hips this spring. Stopped the gluco while taking other meds. Started taking them about a month ago again and felt much better last week.

A recent study determined that condritin does nothing. We take glucosamine by itself.


The study you are probably referring to was the major study conducted by the National Institute of Health. The results of that study were not reported accurately by several of the major media outlets.

That study cast doubt on the effectiveness of both Glucosamine and Chondroitin for certain types of arthritis. Many reports ran with only that finding. However that same study found a statistically significant positive effect when both Glucosamine and Chondroitin were taken in combination by those suffering moderate to severe pain.

So while many people took the articles at their word that Chondroitin was ineffective, that isn't a fact. For many people, they need to be taking a combo G/C pill to get the most positive outcome.

http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=66172-glucosamine-chondroitin-osteoarthritis

I should add that I once switched from Gluc/Chon to Gluc/MSM because the G/M was on sale. The pain in my joints partially returned after a couple of months, so I went back to G/C and it subsided again.

I should add that Tom got me on this stuff and It's been a life saver for me, thanks again Tom.

You are the fifth person to tell me that. I'm glad it helped you.

There were another 4 people who took it on my advice and had no improvement.

Given that the price isn't a killer, I'd say it is worth the chance. It helps certain conditions better than others. And one person's joint pain is different than the next. So it isn't a silver bullet, guaranteed to work.

Is there any reason to take G/C if you don't have any joint pain right now? Is it effective at preventing joint problems from cropping up in the future?

I've never seen it advocated for prevention.

I've never seen it advocated for prevention.

I have

Here is one cite. There are others, if you want to look.


http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/glucosamine/glucosamine-arthritis.html

Glucosamine works by preventing the cartilage destruction, joint pain, swelling and loss of flexibility in a natural way and without the harmful side effects that are associated with NSAIDs or COX-2 drugs. Not to mention the fact that glucosamine is far cheaper (about a dollar a day) and derived from natural sources.

I have both knee and ankle pain and asked my doctor abour G/C for my ankles which at the time when I asked were hurting worse, and he said that the G/C studies he read showed help for knees, but no significant help for any other joints...

As far as whether it helps me or not, I can't say for sure, since I sometimes get lax on taking it, and also let my shoes get worn (my shoes wear on the outside of the heels) then my knees start to hurt, so I get new shoes and start taking G/C more regularly and the pain goes away.

:o

However, I can say, it does seem to work for me, and brand seems pretty irrelevant.

I have

Here is one cite. There are others, if you want to look.


http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/glucosamine/glucosamine-arthritis.html

Glucosamine works by preventing the cartilage destruction, joint pain, swelling and loss of flexibility in a natural way and without the harmful side effects that are associated with NSAIDs or COX-2 drugs. Not to mention the fact that glucosamine is far cheaper (about a dollar a day) and derived from natural sources.

I doubt there is any proof of this, but perhaps it does something.

As to the cost, using less expensive brands can reduce the cost to closer to a quarter a day.

I only take two capsules a day, instead of the "recommended" three. There actually is debate about how much is needed. It costs me 21 cents a day. Not a bad price for being enabled to walk and ride a bike.

I took 2 since I started and it has done wonders for my wrist and elbows. It took about 3 months to kick in, but after that, I've been feeling pretty good.

When I first logged on to Bike Forums I saw that the 50+ forum had good things to say about glucosamine. So I got some and started taking it. After the fact I noticed the label showed it had significant carbohydrates in it. When I finished the bottle I did some research to see why I couldn't find any glucosamine with zero carbs.

What I found was that gelatin is the only thing proven to help cartilage. And also that diabetics should not take glucosamine.

Multiple studies have shown that taking glucosamine causes no problems for people with Type 2 Diabetes:

http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/glucosamine/glucosamine-diabetes.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Does-Glucosamine-Cause-Diabetes?&id=243062

Most diabetes advice groups now say it is okay to take glucosamine, but advise first checking with your doctor and monitoring blood sugar levels.

http://www.abbottdiabetescare.com/adc_dotcom/url/questionAnswerProfile/en_US/40.20:20/question_answer/question_answer/QuestionAnswer_00076.htm

http://www.diabetesmonitor.com/dqa/dqa2001/dqa200107/2001070001.htm

Still there was this study in 2000 which raised concerns, although it did not identify specific problems for diabetics:

http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/ABSTRACTS/gs_warning.shtml

What I found was that gelatin is the only thing proven to help cartilage. And also that diabetics should not take glucosamine.

If so, then how is it best taken?

Take a look at the latest studies (past two months). It doesn't do anything. Save your money.

Consumer Reports, which has debunked many claims of herbal remedies over the years, had this to say after an extended analysis of the benefits of G/C:

"Consumers spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on dietary supplements to relieve osteoarthritis symptoms, says the Nutrition Business Journal, which tracks the industry. But our analysis of the research and our interviews with arthritis experts indicate that it may be worth trying only one such supplement, glucosamine plus chondroitin."

...

"Making Sense of the Studies

Osteoarthritis pain is caused by the breakdown of the bone-protecting cartilage pad in the joints. In theory, glucosamine helps prevent that breakdown by stimulating production of cartilage-building proteins, while chondroitin may fight inflammation and inhibit the production of cartilage-destroying enzymes.

Recent clinical trials in which knee X-rays were studied found that glucosamine and chondroitin may each slow the loss of joint cartilage. But other trials have yielded conflicting results about whether those substances reduce symptoms.

Even the recent study of glucosamine and chondroitin, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), produced mixed results. That rigorous trial compared glucosamine, chondroitin, and a combination of both with the pain reliever celecoxib (Celebrex) or a placebo in nearly 1,600 patients with knee osteoarthritis. After six months, only celecoxib performed significantly better than the dummy pills for the group as a whole.

But in the 354 people with moderate-to-severe pain, 79 percent reported at least some relief with the glucosamine-chondroitin combination. That was the only treatment that worked significantly better than the placebo. Those results "are notable but not definitive," said Daniel O. Clegg, M.D., the study's lead investigator. The NIH is now considering another large study to clarify the findings.

Until definitive results are published, our experts say osteoarthritis sufferers may want to give the combination a try, in part because it seems to have no serious adverse effects on most people. But individuals allergic to shellfish should avoid glucosamine. Those with diabetes should closely monitor their blood-sugar level, which in theory might be raised by glucosamine. People who have a clotting disorder or take a prescription anti-clotting drug may want to avoid chondroitin, which may increase the risk of bleeding."

My wife and I tried it for a few months, her for her knees, me for my arthritic back. Neither one of us noticed any improvement at all. It looks like it helps some, not others.

The way I looked at it was, for $60 for 3 months worth of C/G, if it works fine, if not I least I tried. All I know now is, I tried it and it worked. I couldn't open a jar of peanut butter before I got on it and I'm not taking a chance, getting off of it now, to see how it's doing.

My wife and I tried it for a few months, her for her knees, me for my arthritic back. Neither one of us noticed any improvement at all. It looks like it helps some, not others.

Yep, that's the way it goes. And beyond it not always working, there are some problems for which it almost always does nothing.

I went to a presentation by the UW-Madison Hospital's top sports medicine / knee surgeon. The person everyone wants to be treated by, even the other doctors. She pointed out about 16 to 18 different sources for knee pain, and the treatments for each. She said that she strongly recommends G/C for 3 or 4 different causes (can't remember which it was 3 or 4) of knee pain. Said it wouldn't do anything for the other problems.

But for this select group of problems, it worked most of the time. She stated that several of her patients were able to avoid surgery through the use of G/C. These were patients who were slated for surgery, under her knife, and whose progress was closely monitored by her.

...
I went to a presentation by the UW-Madison Hospital's top sports medicine / knee surgeon. The person everyone wants to be treated by, even the other doctors. She pointed out about 16 to 18 different sources for knee pain, and the treatments for each. She said that she strongly recommends G/C for 3 or 4 different causes (can't remember which it was 3 or 4) of knee pain. Said it wouldn't do anything for the other problems...

Hey Tom,

Do you happen to remember... or is there any way of finding out what those 16~18 sources are, and out of those, what 3~4 causes she recommends the G/C for?

- RJ

Hi Yen,
I just keep the little containers of sugar free Jello in my refrigerator and eat one whenever I feel like it.


If so, then how is it best taken?

I talked to my doctor and he said the C/G works for osteo arthritis and not RA.

Hey Tom,

Do you happen to remember... or is there any way of finding out what those 16~18 sources are, and out of those, what 3~4 causes she recommends the G/C for?

- RJ


Not exactly. I didn't take notes. She had them up in a Power Point presentation, complete with lots of pictures that I couldn't look at. It included things like degenerative bone damage, injuries to ligaments, tendom damage, etc., etc. Very sobering list.

She noted that many people attempt to treat knee pain with knee braces without seeing a doctor. Braces do nothing for some of the problems and can harm some.

Here are a couple of links to similar information:

http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/kneeprobs/kneeqa.htm

http://knee-pain-injury.blogspot.com/2007/06/types-of-knee-injuries.html

The problems I can remember as being aided by G/C are pain resulting from cartilage damage and from osteoarthritis.

I buy Kroger brand on sale. The improvement is so gradual (3 weeks) that I questioned whether it helped. Then I quit taking it for a couple of weeks and was convinced -- I take two tablets in the morning, I think the directions say to take a tablet three times a day. You have to see what works for you.

The Costco stuff with Chondroitin.

Osteo Bi-Flex glucosamine and chondroitin, with MSM. I for one am convinced that for me, it makes a big difference in my knees. My orthopod says it works for about 25% or so of people who take it and that it is worth a try for a couple of months to find out if it works for you or not.

Whatever is on sale. Before I started taking it (3 years ago), I had shoulder and knee discomfort. About 3 months after I started taking chondroiton/glucosamine regularly, I realized the discomfort had disappeared. I never skip a day.

Flex-A-Min that I got at Wal-Mart. Glucosamine-Condroitin-MSM. Someone on here recommended Hyaluronic acid for kees, so I've been taking the stuff with that also in it. My knees feel better with the G/C with hyaluronic acid. When they scoped my knee, fixing the meniscus, the Doc said the knee is 80% gone.

I'll check out the Spring Valley next time I go there.

As I noted earlier in this thread, I've been taking a generic Walgreens store brand of G/C for a few years now. A couple of months ago I went in to stock up again, looking to see if they had it on their 2 for 1 sale, which happens about one week out of every month. I ran across another brand that was not only 2-4-1 but also had 33% more than normal in each bottle. It was Schiff's "Move Free", so I decided to try it out.

This one is a cocktail of all of the joint supplements, it has glucosamine, chondrotin, MSM, Uniflex, and hyaluronic acid (ie Joint Fluid). I know, as noted earlier, that glucosamine has been shown to be more effective when working in combination with either MSM or chondrotin. So why not try all three, plus whatever the other two do or don't do, as long as the price is right.

We'll I've been taking it, at only 2 per day rather than the recommended 3, for 10 weeks now and must say that my knees are feeling better than ever. They were feeling pretty good before, with only a trace of pain. That is now gone. They had been feeling so much better than they did a few years ago, that I hadn't even noticed that last trace until it was gone.

When I was hiking for several hours a day in Olympic National Park there was no pain in my knees at all. It was wonderful. I can't remember the last time this has happened, it has been at least 20 years.

No doubt some of the hype and ingredients are snake oil, but it sure works for me. So much so that I'll give them a plug:
http://www.movefreeadvanced.com/

I like the marketing claim on the box of it being "Clinically Tested." Even if it were found to be ineffective or toxic, it would have still been "Clinically Tested."

It is essentially standard double strength Gluco/MSM with a small dosage of Chondrotin and then the Uniflex & Joint Fluid whatevers.

I take 2 sam's generic a day. I don't have joint pain, I didn't have joint pain. I get tendon pain and it does nothing for that. I get tendon pain in my knees and elbows - it is frustrating because it takes forever to heal and nothing works when it is inflamed. I guess it's bad genes.

<< A recent study determined that condritin does nothing.>>

I also read that, so I save money by buying Sam's glucosamine without chondroitin.

I get tendon pain in my knees and elbows - it is frustrating because it takes forever to heal and nothing works when it is inflamed.

Ice.