Training & Nutrition - Glucosimine-how long, how much difference?

So as my joints get a little creaky I've decided to try Glucosamine (by Schiff) (http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100180&navAction=jump&navCount=0&id=prod2402377).

Based on what I've read it'll either work for you and be hailed as a miracle or not. And the kind of damage it may prevent if it works is indeed something to avoid as it it'll never be good as new. So with that in mind I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Questions:

What difference(s) should I notice?

How long (roughly) until I should decide if I'm ever going to notice a difference?

My knees used to hurt all the time when I hiked. Sometimes hurt after biking. They don't hurt anymore. I suppose it took about a year before they quit hurting all together. The orthopod who 'scoped my meniscus tear 2 years ago said my knee cartilage was almost perfect. OTOH, might have just been coincident with continually improving muscle and tendon condition! Or maybe not . . . OTOH, I don't run anymore or do parkour . . .

So you were taking glucosamine for that year?

I started taking glucosamine last year. I used up the whole bottle and I noticed that my knee did not hurt like before during and after biking. I figured the stuff probably doesn't work since I didn't notice a difference, so I stopped taking it. A week later, of no glucosamine, my knee started to hurt again. Two weeks later I bought another bottle and the pain went away after a week or two. I've been taking glucosamine 5 days a week since then.

I think it works

We used it a lot in horses and some major vet schools have done some decent science tagging it and following it into the joint space on Flouroscopy. My former MD husband would roll his eyes but the DVM's were big believers...

I take it for old spinal fractures (helo-medi transport twenty years ago) and what I notice is that when I squat, my vertebraes move like dominoes. They feel very fluid. Am I making any sense? Anyway, I like the chewable orange ones from Costco, I take 1500 mg Glucosamine (1.5 Gms) daily and it includes the Chondroitin 1200 mg too. (three chews) The pills are just too big, I am a gagger. Good luck, be well.

(make sure you get enough omega-3's) give it 6wks plus, I noticed earlier.

So you were taking glucosamine for that year?Yes. Took/take 1g/day and also stopped taking ibuprofen when hiking/biking if possible. I still take Vit. I sometimes for back pain.