Glucosamine and or Chondroitin and or MSM?

[Velos]

As the joints start to talk to us we were revisiting the Glucosamine and/or Chondroitin and/or MSM? discussion. The last time we thought about it was about 15 years ago and some people swear by it some people say it has no effect and the FDA hasn't looked into it that I know of. The only common thought at the time was that it took at least 3 mo's to tell for sure if it worked or not for a particular individiual.

 

When looking at Costco I just saw Glucosamine & Chondroitin and a Glucosamine and MSM Forumla none with all 3.

 

I located this article:

"While the results did not test chondroitin head-to-head against glucosamine and MSM, it did show that one could achieve significant benefits with taking a daily amount of 1,500 mg of glucosamine and 1,500 mg of MSM together, without chondroitin. You could save about 40-50% compared to a formula that included chondrotin"
Click here for the complete article: Glucosamine and MSM, when taken together, are shown to have double the joint comfort relief than either alone.

 

If you take any of the above?

Which formulation?

and

Which brand do you prefer?

[Dance Chick]

I take Finest Nutrition triple strength for my knee. Two caplets has 1500 glucosamine & 1200 chondroitin. I know this works for me as I've stopped taking it twice with the pain to reappear. Once I started taking it again, the pain went away. DH bought a different brand once even though he had explicit instructions which brand to buy. The other brand didn't work very well. This brand seems to work really well for me. Walgreens often has it BOGO. At one time I was taking 4 caplets a day, but I just take 2 caplets now. Ive never tried MSM. Might give that a try.

[skp51443]

We have tried it, for me it has made a world of difference to my knees but for the wife it did nothing.

 

A real problem with any supplement (as above) is getting one that actually has what it claims in it, we found a couple brands over the years that although I kept taking the same dose my knees started to get worse. Switching back to a known working brand got my knees feeling better again but it took a couple months to get back to where I was.

 

The Cosamine DS is a very good brand in my opinion, it is one tested and recommended by the doctor that wrote the original books on using it. I'd buy a bottle of it for your first try and if it works then try the less expensive Costco brand. Make sure you are getting enough vitamin C and manganese, both of which seem to improve the effectiveness of the Cosamine DS.

[Kirk W]

The Cosamine DS is a very good brand in my opinion, it is one tested and recommended by the doctor that wrote the original books on using it. I'd buy a bottle of it for your first try and if it works then try the less expensive Costco brand. Make sure you are getting enough vitamin C and manganese, both of which seem to improve the effectiveness of the Cosamine DS.

Just looking and found some of it on Amazon so am thinking of giving it a shot as I've got a knee that is looking to need replacement in time but this might help delay it some. They sure don't give the stuff away. What sort of dosage do you use?

[NJTroy]

This is the one I take. I was skeptical, but I started it for my knee and surprisingly the soreness in my left hand that I didn't even realize was arthritis cleared up in a couple weeks. I'd still class myself as a skeptic since there aren't enough studies to be clear, but my doctor says it can't do any harm. So it's working I think, not going to stop it.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DUMO9X4?ref_=sns_myd_detail_page

[Velos]

Thank you all so much for your generous information and advice. Much appreciated.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

For myself the glucosamine and chondroitin /msm didn't work for me. Celebrex has a negative effect as well.

But

Our mutt, 7yr old lab mix has been on a gluco / chond mix for 6 months now. She moves much easier with less hesitation in her hind legs, more playful etc.

[skp51443]

I started out with 4 a day of the Cosamine DS, after a year I was doing a lot better and cut my dose to two, for the last several years I take one a day. Tried stopping and was able to for a month or two before twinges returned and I ended up taking the four a day until the knee was happy again.

 

If the glucosamine - chondritin isn't working for you try this stuff before knee surgery. Three injections, first one is usually no problem, the second two are a bit uncomfortable from the additional volume in your knee offset by a bit of pain reduction from movemnet. After a month you may see a big improvement in your knee with no residual aggravation from the shots.

 

http://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/where-it-hurts/knee-pain/treatment/knee-injection.php