lotek 

being a recent Chiropractor convert
(hey it works, at least for me!) I was advised to
take Glucosamine and wondered if anyone else is
using it (along with Chondroitin)?
I've been doing some research (NIH,JAMA) and
it appears to actually live up to the hype(depending
on variety of Glucosamine).
Anybody else taking it?

Marty

aerobat

I haven't taken it enough myself to give it a fair trial, I always forget, but I have heard of it's use for arthritis etc.

For what it's worth, our vet prescribed it for our dog who has a bad shoulder joint, and it's an ingredient in various dog foods for older dogs!

fietser_ivana

Yes I use it.. and feel it is beneficial.

late

Hi,
I take glucosamine sulfate, and just the glucosamine sulfate. I have doubts about the other
ingredients like MSM or chondroitin.
Been taking it for a year and a half; it helps.
Just a thought about chiropractors.....You are
an arrangement of muscle and bone. Simply shoving stuff back into place might feel better....but if you don't strenghten the area...it will simply fall back out of alignment again. And if you do strengthen the area, you will have no need of chiropractors...

Jean Beetham Smith 

My dog (who has had 3 knee surgeries) and I share our glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM supplement. If I run out for more than a few days my knees start to feel "dry" in the morning. Alice slows down if she misses hers, and it was the only pain medication our older dog could tolerate her last year. Her spine was almost completely fused, she had neck problems, and bad hips. That supplement let her have an extra 10 to 12 months of acceptable quality of life, and that was starting her at the very advanced age (for a Newfoundland) of 13.

gmason

I do. They are replacing Celebrex, which I had taken for a couple of years for osteoarthritis. When I first changed over, I noticed a return of the pain, but after about six months, I have to say that it is about the same as under Celebrex.

I am sure that there are other factors involved as well, but I have had the problem, with increasing effects, for about six years now so am very happy with this (apparent) non-prescription solution.

Cheers...Gary

lotek 

Thanks for all the replies.

Just some interesting stuff I dug out of some obscure
AMA journal.
Glucosamine Sulfate is much more effective
than Glucosamine HCL.
There is no conclusive evidence either way about
efficacy of Glucosamine with or without Chondriatin.

Late. On chiropractors. I agree, the problem was that
I moved some furniture about 3 weeks ago, and
while I lifted correctly still landed flat on my back about
4 hours after the fact (I stood up from table when it went).
So the Chiro was to fix that little mess.
I am aware of need for strengthening the area and
have been focusing on Lowerback excercizes.

Marty

uciflylow

I take glucosamine regularly and can tell it does make a difference in my knee pain. I also have a greater tolerance for extended exersize before I start having pain in my knee. I was having muscle cramps last summer and also started taking KCl suplament and that has greatly decreased muscle cramping and spasams.
I regularly take the following supplaments.

1000 mg vit.C

1000 mg vit.E

1 Centrum A-Z

1 Citra cal

1 KCl

1-2 Glucosamine sulfate tablets

I take this daily and have been doing so for almost a year and can tell you that I feel like it has improved the way I feel.

RWTD

Good supplement program.I am seeing good results from a similar program.The basic differences is I add a higher potency(particularly as to the B's)time release multi(these can be as cheap as centrum if you shop around)as well as fish oil for immflammation and to balance fatty acids and added magnesium to balance the added calcium(about 2/1 cal to mag as these are bulky minerals thus usu. excluded from multis to make the multis a managable size).I actually bought some glucosamine+chond. recently for some minor stiffness but added fish oil seemed to solve the problem so haven't used it until today for the first time.It gets good feedback from bodybuilders so we'll see if it does anything.

uciflylow

Are you saying use the B complex time release instead of the Centrum, or with it?
The fish oil, Cod liver oil?

RWTD

I'm saying you can get a higher quality(form of v&m's)higher potency multi with all the water soluable vits(B's,c etc.)in time release form so they don't go straight out in your urine or sweat during athletic exertion.Generally for athletic cycling look for a athletic formula but these usu. tend to be marked up.So what you want is a formula of the same content but on sale etc.For example I recently bought theVitimin World Nutri-100 Gold at a half price for store brand sale which worked out to $3/mo. for a 3 mo. supply with 100 mg of B's (important for energy production),chelated minerals the best form except maybe overly pricey" whole food "forms and higher levels of c and e than centrum though you would still want to supplement these.It has more cal/mag than many brands particularly since they are in the easily absorbable amino acid chelate form but you would still want to supplement these additionally as well if not taken care of adequately by diet.For the fish oil either cold water wild(not farmed)oily fish like salmon in the diet or salmon or fish oil (or omega 3 oil derived from algae the best but pricey)as a supplement.Cod liver oil has the right oil at an economical price but has high levels of vit D as well so with the levels needed to balance the avg diet out in omega 3 fats you risk overdosing D .This is somewhat less of a problem in winter if your not getting much d from sunlight but as its fat soluable it can accumulate in the body from other sources.Hope this helps rather than confuses you.

late

Hi guys,
I have been playing around with vitamins for about 30 years. I am very impressed with antioxidants. I take a multivitamin a couple times a week, but it's not a mega. IMHO, supplementation is helpful, but the doses you guys are talking about are not needed (Centrum is ok, nothing special in the quality department). To take an extreme example, backpackers cannot carry enough calories to feed themselves. They typically run a calorie deficit of 2 to 3K calories a day. What they do is either go to town once a week, or cache food in animal proof containers (and then binge). Most of these guys take no vitamins, burn 7-10,000 calories a day, every day; and have no
problems (despite going for days with fewer vitamins and calories than they need). As I said, I take vitamins, they're a good idea. But Americans are very susceptible to the 'more is better' idea.
I am also not impressed with the quality of most antioxidant pills.
I take a GNC E Complete at 200 iu. This
is an especially good E, and 200 is plenty.
I take a green tea pill twice a day. I have a
fruit shake for breakfast, and some fresh fruit with lunch. At dinner I have a Nature's Way Nutrijuice pill. My Multi is a
Nature's Way Alive. This got my approval partly by not having iron. A typical American male needs extra iron like a hole in the head. Iron overdose
in American males who have never taken vitamins has been known to occur. We get it from meat and refined flour.
If you're vegetarian, it's a different story. There is a 2nd reason I like the lack of iron. Iron in pills or refined flour kills Vitamin E; and I am much more concerned about E than Iron.

DnvrFox

FYI, research shows that Arthritis actually starts in the teens, 20's and 30's. (see Time Magazine's extensive article, 12/09/2002 - a cover story).

https://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...395234,00.html

Don't wait.

According to this article, the major causes for differences relate to the bodies variations in biochemistry, along with such thins as ill fitting shoes and a fall. Among many suggestions, there are Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate. They also suggest water workouts, recumbent bikes, walking (one of the best) and low impact aerobics.

Of all things, EXERCISE is crucial.

RonH

I take it every day along with my 81 mg aspirin and vitamins. It's terrible getting...er, the "o" word.
I guess it works because I'm not having any of the problems it's supposed to help.
Don't know if any particular brand is better but I take triple strength Osteo Bi-Flex, 750 mg glucosamine and 600 mg chondroitin per caplet.

Maelstrom 

Good points late. But I do think we are talking about athletes here. I know when I was in the gym 5 days a week or more my supplement level was huge to keep up with a calorie deficiet. I would hope no one here is taking supplement for the sake of taking supplements.

I also have a problem buying veggies...I forget...so I need help

late

Hi,
I guess backpacking is one of those things you have to do to appreciate. Imagine grabbing a 25 lb bag of kitty litter, and a few pounds of snacks, an then walking to the top of the Empire State Building. SOme days, backpacking is harder than that, damn few athletes burn 8-9,000 calories in a day.... "Calories are critical when you are backpacking. It has been estimated that a backpacker carrying a 50 lb. pack for a day will burn the equivalent amount of calories a day as a marathon runner"...
Assuming you want my distinctly unhumble opinion, veggies would do you as much good as most vitamins. As I said, I take expensive, high quality vitamins; and in addition I do antioxidants. But FRESH fruits and veggies are just as important.

Maelstrom 

I know the importance of veggies. I am just one of those people who...well...I don't know...I just don't eat many veggies or fruit.

RiPHRaPH

some facts about these products.

while the sulfate form (SO4) of glucosamine is more effective than the hydrochloride (HCL) is does act to 'buffer' the product to prevent stomach upset.

Our bodies regularly gets ride of waste in the joints as fast or faster than we break down the joints. Due to age and overuse, this process slows down and this product helps to prevent an accumulation of waste products. this product allows the body to keep up with the waste production in the joints.

i am a fan of the combination products, and the osteo bi-flex is the original and still the best product (fewest complaint of side effects, which can be diarrhea and headaches)