I have a bad knee. Celebrex does bad things to me:I’ve tried it twice.
I never even heard of glucosamine or chondroitin until yesterday,when my SO said she knew of a few people who used it,and it seemed to help. So I googled,and found many commercial sites where-in it was naturally raved about,and a few doctors who said the test(s) data were all skewed,but seemed harmless unless the user has diabetes. Other than that,it seems,the most you can lose is some money,and a lot of people report good results.
Then I searched here,and found some interesting debates by at least one of our esteemed doctors and other knowledgeable people. If I read the upshot correctly, the conclusions are about the same that I got from google,although much more interesting.
If I searched correctly,(always a bit iffy) the last posts here,and on google,are at least a year old,so I’m wondering if anyone (especially doctors,pharmacology folks,etc.) has any recent info on these drugs and their efficacy.I just stopped taking celebrex for the second time,and I’m just waiting for my knee to make me yelp again when I use it for,well,anything.
I’ll also take declarations for or against them from anyone who has used them for any length of time,say 6 months or a year or more.
A double-blind study on horses conducted at Michigan State Vet school demonstrated effectiveness of a particular brand of gluc/chon (Corta-Flx) in treating dejenerative joint disease in horses.
I was diagnosed with hallux rigidus, which is arthritis in the large joint of the big toe, about six months ago. The podiatrist said I had nothing to lose by taking glucosamine/chondroitin, so I have been since then.
I really can’t say what effect it is having. Possibly a slight positive effect. My condition has never been dehabilitating and is still not.
Supposedly, NIH is going to do a clinical study soon.
Damn,I forgot to ask:I also wanted to know what delivery system is being used,liquid,pill,capsule,etc.
I found a site that said you’re pretty much throwing away money if you didn’t use a liquid delivery system,and they were selling all kinds.
They also said things like one-a-day multi-vitamins were the same way; that it was mostly just flushed through your body in pill form,and liquid was the only way to go. I’ve heard this before:anyone know the truth of this?
I’ve had knee problems for over 20 years, including two arthroscopic surgeries. I started taking glucosamine/condroitin (three triple-strength pills/day) about a year ago, and started seeing positive results after about a month. There’s still some pain, but nothing like I used to experience; the only problems are when I’ve been kneeling or squating.
I’m also diabetic, but haven’t noticed any problems associated with it.
The PubMed site is a good place to get study results from reputable journals (many of which are not available for free online, but you can read abstracts). I recently wrote a (short) paper for a school project on this very issue, and the general concensus seems to be that for mild osteoarthritis and other joint conditions,
Glucosamine and chondroitin seems to have a net positive effect with respect to a placebo, but no statistically significant effect in patients with moderate to severe joint conditions. It does not appear to do any harm, other than the odd case of a patient having GI problems or such. So, in short, it COULD help you.
I read long ago that injectable C/G had definite effects, oral dosage less so. FWIW, my dog (who started experiencing joint stiffness (and possibly pain) when he was just one year old) is on a regimen of chewable C/G tablets. He gets 750 mg of glucosamine and 600 mg of sodium chondroitin sulfate a day (he weighs ~ 85 lbs). He moves a lot better than he used to, although later in life we’ll probably have to give him an anti-inflammatory every day.
I’ve found it helps my spinal arthritis. It’s not a pain reliever but supposedly works by helping build up the cushioning between the bones. It takes a while to get any effect. If for some reason I stop taking it, after about a week I notice I have more pain and stiffness, and then I remember I’m out of Osteo-BiFlex. My only complaint is that the pills are HUGE.
For about nine months, I’ve been taking it for mild knee pain, which my doctor theorizes is due to osteoarthritis, and I’ve had about the same experience that MLS describes. I take the cheapest available type in pill form. Because the effect is fairly subtle and it takes some time to kick in, I’m not sure whether I’m imagining the improvement or not. I’m also not sure whether I should attribute the decrease in pain to the glucosamine/chondroitin or to exercises I’ve been doing to strengthen my quadriceps and other muscles that support the knee.
Well,one bumpity and I’m through. If that’s it,I want to thank everyone for their comments. I wish they’d get a good evaluation of this stuff,and maybe the NIH will soon.