Glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin for osteoarthritis, do these nutrients offer pain relief?

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Glucosamine is made from the combination of a sugar - hence the first part of the name glucos(e) - and an amine, which is a derivative of ammonia containing nitrogen (N) and hydrogen (H) atoms.
Glucosamine is found largely in cartilage and plays an important role in its health and resiliency. As we age, we lose some of the glucosamine and other substances in cartilage. This can lead to thinning of cartilage and the onset and progression of osteoarthritis. It is important to note that there are a variety of important substances within cartilage and glucosamine ingestion, by itself, should not be viewed as the complete answer. There is also a related nutrient called N-acetylglucosamine.

Joint Power Rx with glucosamine sulphate
Glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin alone may not be enough for full joint protection. This powerful formula includes glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, and several additional herbal extracts and nutrients that play a role in joint health.

Joint Power Rx Supplement Facts:
Serving Size: 4 Capsules - one month supply
Servings Per Container: 30

Glucosamine sulphate
Boswellia serrata
Chondroitin Sulphate supplement
CMO nutrient
Sea cucumber
Devil's claw
MSM nutrient

Glucoamine sulphate and osteoarthritis
Glucosamine sulphate supplements have been studies in the treatment of osteoarthritis but not in too many other conditions. Hence it is not clear whether glucosamine sulphate is helpful in those with damage to cartilage or joints due to musculoskeletal injuries. Glucosamine does help rebuild cartilage in osteoarthritis patients, but it is unlikely that it would help joints where the cartilage has been surgically removed. Similarly, glucosamine sulphate has not been tested in autoimmune diseases involving joints such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Those with artificial joints are not likely to be helped by glucosamine sulphate supplements since they have no cartilage. CMO is also marketed for joint aches. Click the link to buy glucosamine sulphate supplements.

Combining glucosamine sulphate with drugs
Glucosamine sulphate may be taken together with acetaminophen or NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen. After glucosamine starts working in a few weeks, hopefully the dose of the drugs can be reduced or eliminated. We are not aware of glucosamine sulphate supplements interacting with other medicines.

Glucosamine sulphate and allergies
Those who are allergic to sulphates may take glucosamine hydrochloride and not glucosamine sulphate, and they should avoid chondroitin sulphate. Glucosamine is derived from shrimp, oyster and crab shells and chondroitin is derived from cartilage of cows, pigs, and sharks.

Glucosamine sulphate of hydrochloride?
Glucosamine is available as glucosamine sulphate or glucosamine hydrochloride. Almost all of the studies done with glucosamine have used the sulphate form since a company in Europe funded the studies, and we know that it works. However, the hydrochloride form has been used by doctors for many years and it seems to work just as well. The hydrochloride form is cheaper. The positive effects of glucosamine sulphate reducing joint pain are often noticed within a few weeks.

Glucosamine and cholesterol
Glucosamine sulphate at commonly taken doses does not have much of an effect on cholesterol in people with diabetes.

Safety
Based on our current understanding, glucosamine sulphate can be taken for extended periods, months and years. Thus far, after being on the market for quite a number of years, there have not been any reports in the medical literature of any significant side effects resulting from the use of glucosamine. However, as with most nutrients and medicines, long term effects are not clearly known. It is best pregnant women not take glucosamine sulphate until more is known about this interaction.

Glucosamine sulphate and diabetes
We are not aware of any significant changes to blood sugar resulting from glucosamine sulphate ingestion. The dose of glucosamine, one or two grams a day, is minimal as a sugar source compared to the amounts of carbohydrates found in the foods we consume. One study indicates that glucosamine sulphate is safe in diabetes.
   In a study published in Archives of Internal Medicine, 38 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes were divided into two groups. The first group took 1500 mg of glucosamine a day combined with 1200 mg of chondroitin sulfate. Chondroitin is another supplement often used in combination with glucosamine to treat osteoarthritis. The other group took placebo pills. Two-thirds of the dose was taken in the morning and one-third in the evening. The study lasted for 90 days. Blood studies were done to evaluate blood sugar levels, and also levels of hemoglobin A1c, a specific blood marker than can tell us average blood sugar levels over long periods of time. There was no statistically significant rise in hemoglobin A1c levels in those who took glucosamine.
   Comments: Patients with diabetes are often at risk from toxic effects from many of the current treatments for osteoarthritis, such as the NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naprosyn. These medicines cause stomach ulcers and kidney damage if used for prolonged periods. Glucosamine provides a safe and natural alternative.

Timing of glucosamine ingestion
It's difficult to say when the best time or frequency to take glucosamine sulphate, whether with or without food, but a good option is to take glucosamine before meals. All 1,500 mg a day can be taken at one time or split in two or three divided doses throughout the day.

Glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin
If glucosamine sulphate itself is not helpful in relieving arthritic symptoms, it may be combined with chondroitin and other nutrients. Alternatively, glucosamine and chondroitin can be started together with several other nutrients.

Can glucosamine sulphate pills be absorbed from the stomach and end up in cartilage?
Yes. After oral administration of glucosamine sulphate, 90% is absorbed. (Sulfate means that the glucosamine is attached to a sulfur and oxygen atoms.)
   In a study done in Italy, two healthy male volunteers were given 250 mg of oral GS, tagged with radioactive carbon 14 as a tracer, in the morning on an empty stomach. The radioactive GS was found an hour later in blood and then later in other tissues. The researchers state, "glucosamine sulphate very rapidly diffuses in most tissues and organs and that it has a special tropism (attraction) for articular tissue (cartilage) and for bone." These volunteers were also given GS intravenously (IV) and intramuscularly (IM). The amount of glucosamine sulphate in blood after oral administration was only a quarter of the amount available by IV and IM. Therefore oral administration is effective, but not as good as IV or IM. When oral glucosamine sulphate is absorbed, it first goes to the liver where a large portion gets broken down into smaller molecules such as carbon dioxide, urea and water.

Glucosmaine sulphate research
The effect of glucosamine chondroitin supplementation on glycosylated hemoglobin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial.
Scroggie DA, Albright A, Harris MD. Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Lackland, TX 78236, USA.
Arch Intern Med. 2004 Apr 12;164(7):807.
With increasing use of glucosamine containing supplements for the treatment of osteoarthritis, there is increasing concern in the medical community about possible toxic effects. The present study was undertaken to determine whether glucosamine supplementation altered hemoglobin A1c concentrations in patients with well-controlled diabetes mellitus. To evaluate possible effects of glucosamine supplementation on glycemic control in a selected population of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial. Outpatient, diabetes monitoring clinic. Patients were typically elderly patients, evenly divided between men and women. Most of the patients were being treated with 1 or 2 drugs for glycemic control. In daily doses for 90 days, patients received either placebo or a combination of 1500 mg of glucosamine hydrochloride with 1200 mg of chondroitin sulfate (Cosamin DS; Nutramax Laboratories Inc, Edgewood, Md).Main Outcome Measure Hemoglobin A1c levels before and after 90 days of therapy. There were 4 withdrawals from the glucosamine-treated group. Three were related to comorbidities (myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and atrial fibrillation) and 1 to a possible adverse reaction (excessive flatus). No other patient reported any adverse effects of glucosamine therapy, and no patient had any change in their diabetes management. Mean hemoglobin A1c concentrations were not significantly different between groups prior to glucosamine therapy. Posttreatment hemoglobin A1c concentrations were not significantly different between groups, nor were there any significant differences within groups before and after treatment. This study demonstrates that oral glucosamine supplementation does not result in clinically significant alterations in glucose metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Glucosamine sulphate reduces osteoarthritis progression in postmenopausal women with knee osteoarthritis: evidence from two 3-year studies.
Bruyere O. WHO Collaborating Center for Public Health Aspect of Osteoarticular Disorders, Liege, Belgium.
Menopause. 2004 Mar-Apr;11(2):138-43.
To investigate the effect of glucosamine sulphate on long-term symptoms and structure progression in postmenopausal women with knee osteoarthritis (OA). This study consisted of a preplanned combination of two three-year, randomized, placebo-controlled, prospective, independent studies evaluating the effect of glucosamine sulfate on symptoms and structure modification in OA and post-hoc analysis of the results obtained in postmenopausal women with knee OA. Minimal joint space width was assessed at baseline and after 3 years from standing anteroposterior knee radiographs. Symptoms were scored by the algo-functional WOMAC index at baseline and after 3 years. All primary statistical analyses were performed in intention-to-treat, comparing joint space width and WOMAC changes between groups by ANOVA. Of 414 participants randomized in the two studies, 319 were postmenopausal women. At baseline, glucosamine sulphate and placebo groups were comparable for demographic and disease characteristics, both in the general population and in the postmenopausal women subset. After 3 years, postmenopausal participants in the glucosamine sulphate group showed no joint space narrowing [joint space change of +0.003 mm, whereas participants in the placebo group experienced a narrowing of -0.33 mm. Percent changes after 3 years in the WOMAC index showed an improvement in the glucosamine sulphate group and a trend for worsening in the placebo group. This analysis, focusing on a large cohort of postmenopausal women, demonstrated for the first time that a pharmacological intervention with glucosamine for OA has a disease-modifying effect in this particular population, the most frequently affected by knee osteoarthritis.

The effect of glucosamine supplementation on people experiencing regular knee pain.
Braham R. University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009. Br J Sports Med. 2003 Feb;37(1):45-9; discussion 49.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of oral glucosamine supplementation on the functional ability and degree of pain felt by individuals who had regular knee pain, most likely due to previous articular cartilage damage, and possibly osteoarthritis. Subjects were randomly supplemented with either glucosamine or placebo for 12 weeks at a dose of 2,000 mg per day. Over this period, four testing sessions were conducted, with changes in knee pain and function assessed by clinical and functional tests, (joint line palpation, a 3 metre "duck walk" and a repeated, walking stair climb), two questionnaires (the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and the Knee Pain Scale (KPS)) and participant subjective evaluations. The clinical and functional test scores improved with time but there were no significant differences between the two groups. The questionnaire results also recorded a significant main effect for time, but the glucosamine group was found to have significantly better KOOS quality of life scores at week eight and 12, and lower KPS scores at week eight than the placebo group. On self report evaluations of changes across the 12 week supplementation period, 88% of the glucosamine group reported some degree of improvement in their knee pain versus only 17% in the placebo group. These results suggest that glucosamine supplementation can provide some degree of pain relief and improved function in persons who experience regular knee pain, which may be caused by prior cartilage injury and/or osteoarthritis. The trends in the results also suggest that, at a dosage of 2,000 mg per day, the majority of improvements are present after eight weeks.

Glucosamine sulphate as good as acetaminophen for osteoarthritis pain
Acetaminophen - the generic name for Tylenol - is an effective way to reduce joint pain from arthritis. But acetaminophen can cause harm to the liver, even at doses of one gram a day. So we do not think it is a good drug to be taken long term for a chronic condition such as osteoarthritis. Instead, consider supplementing with glucosamine sulphate. Researchers from Madrid, Spain, compared the benefit of glucosamine sulfate versus acetaminophen on the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis during a six-month treatment course. Patients were randomly assigned to receive oral glucosamine sulphate 1,500 mg once daily, acetaminophen 3 gm a day, or placebo. The findings of this study indicate that, in the long run, glucosamine sulphate is as or more effective than acetaminophen in treating knee osteoarthritis symptoms. You can find glucosamine supplements - usually in liquid or powder form - in most health food stores. Combining glucosamine with chondroitin and other nutrients or herbs may be more beneficial than taking it by itself. So look for supplements that include CMO, curcumin, or boswellia - all of which play a role in joint health.

Glucosamine sulphate emails
Q. I am a retired pathologist. My wife and I have been taking the standard dose of a joint formula containing the nutrients found to have a role in arthritis, glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin for 4-5 months ( age 78 years). Both of us have noted that our fingernails seem to grow faster and be stronger than before. Our son (age 50) has noted the same, and he is a guitar player who uses his nails as a pick. I have not found this effect in a cursory exam of the net and thought you might be interested.

Q. Recently, in a health food store I saw Joint Power Rx and thought I would give it a try. Never having taken any vitamins or supplements, I purchased the Joint Power Rx. I have been on it for 2 weeks now. On Sunday, I mowed the yard, dug a one foot deep and 15 foot long drainage trench, cleared about a 4x20 area of weeds with a hoe, and later that evening, I went to the gym and waited tables for 4 hours. I know I was pushing it. Seriously when I got back home I cried because I felt I had a lot of my physical strength back.

Q. Do you have any formula that contains Celadrin? My dance teacher recommends Celadrin along with or without glucosamine? Also what is your recommendation for dosage, glucosamine and Celadrin? ( prevention / lubrication of joints, I am 49 very slim ).
A. We do not have Celadrin product at this time. As to glucosamine sulphate, there have not been any long term studies regarding it's use as a preventative nutrient for joint problems, so we can't be certain what the appropriate dosage would be.

Q. What company sells the best glucosamine sulphate supplement?
A. There are hundreds of companies that make this nutrient available to the public. We have not seen any studies comparing the different glucosamine products to determine which is the best glucosamine sulphate supplement. Chances are almost all are excellent.

Q. I have been encouraged to take glucosamine sulfate supplement - glucosamine and chondroitin. The combination. I have an acute allergy to iodine. It did not show up on a skin test in 1980 prior to my having IVP run through my system. What happened was my heart stopped. I spent a short time in the cardiac care unit. I was 30 years old at the time. Now, I just want to make sure that glucosamine and chondroitin are safe. The personal trainer that is recommending it to me says he takes it three times per day. If my allergy is that acute, will this have any repercussions for me or is the iodine they put in your system much more concentrated thus causing the problem? I accidentally ingested baby shrimp at a restaurant in 1986 and it causes me to heat up, sweat profusely, and I ended up at the hospital for some type of neutralizer.
A. Glucosamine and iodine are not related in terms of allergy response. One study indicates those who are allergic to shrimp can take glucosamine without an allergic response. Your doctor has to make the final decision.

Q. I had arthroscopic surgery to remove 50half of the medial meniscus in my right knee. I understand that glucosamine chondroitin helps to regrow cartilage as long as all the cartilage has not been removed. Since I still have half the cartilage in the medial area in my right knee, would a glucosamine chondroitin combination help to restore the missing half of the meniscus?
A. It is doubtful that a glucosamine chondroitin combination would help regenerate the rest of the missing meniscus, but some people may notice overall joint health improvement with the use of a glucosamine chondroitin supplement.

Do joint formulas interact with the aphrodisiac herb tongkat ali?
They normally do not interact with each other.

I purchased a liquid glucosiamine and chondroitin from my local Walgreens took two bottles over two days (Elations product). I started to have very strange symptoms�very ill and sick�extreme swelling in feet and ankles etc�I discontinued the product...and the extreme symptoms eventually receded�.Spirit told me to stop the supplement� I discovered afterwards� after reading the Book called �Arthritis� by Dr. Peter Dadamo �the warning in the B-blood type section of a B-blood type body ingests chrondroitin there is a reaction as if the person was transfused with the wrong blood type in a hospital for example.. the good Dr also explains the biochemistry of the product on /in a B blood�the product should be labeled about the B blood type danger.
We are not sure we agree with the connection of blood type and reaction to glucosamine, but we will wait for studies to confirm or refute this claimed association.