is glucosamine any good?

[informashun]

i have osteoarthritis in both knees and have been taking 1500mg of glucosamine perday. they have had no effect but persist with them on the better the devil you know basis. i guess some people feel relief because they are sold by the bucket load but no good for me. any views or possible alternatives? i was taking anti-inflammatory medecine but ended up in hospital so only permitted paracetamol with only minor relief. many thanks

[raysparx1]

I don't know wether they are any good or not, what about trying omega 3 fish oil, ? also might be worth trying to cut out tomatoes and also taking a drink called Honeygar, it is a mixture of cider vinegar and honey, you can get that in any health food shop, my sister and wife take that to help with the effects of arthritis, and both swear by it, also what about a hermatite magnetic bangle ? I had a touch of arthritis in my thumb joint and the bangle has taken it away completely, good luck, hope you get some relief from it, Ray

[unruliejulie]

my Mum has been using glucosamine for years now and she says they help her, she has bad arthritis. They are worth a try and if they do nothing for you, you've lost nothing. Give them a go.

[Scylax]

Trouble is, Informashun, you were born much
too early. In c. 2000 years, there will be a cure
for osteo-arthritis, but not in 2007 AD. Meanwhile,
glucosamine, omega 3 etc. are being oversold
with very dubious credentials.

Currently the medical profession puts more faith
in corticosteroids and surgery, as one cannot reverse
the ageing process....yet. Surgery (joint replacement)
may be your last resort. Actually, the results are
very good. An orthopaedic surgeon's opinion would
be v. useful.

[shaneystar2]

I have arthritis in all my joints and have what they call whole body OE ..Glucosamine has done jack **** for me !
Don't waste your money .Cortisone injections will give you much more relief although you can only have so many .They can also do arthoroscopy which is basically a wash out procedure to get rid of all the loose bits of cartilage floating around and they shave of any knobbly bits .It's the loss of cartilage which makes the bones rub together which gives the pain .Pester your GP !
In the meantime look at your diet ,try gentle exercise ,swimming is good and have a look
here
Cocodamol is a good pain relief as nanny won't let us have Coproxymol any more and Feldene Gel which you can buy over the counter is good too . Nsaids are no good to me either and they have tried me on a whole range of them .I sympathise and hope you can soon get some relief from it .

[informashun]

dear shaneystar 2,
your symptoms must be horrid but on a brighter side i met a chap like you and he said he had taken most things and like us anti-inflamitorys was a no-no.
however, he saw a doc who gave him meptid tabs. and he found a huge benefit straight away.
i have not been to my gp re; this medication as i am to see a consultant in 2 weeks.
i will buy some feldene cream and really hope meptid can do for you as for the gent i met.
keep your chin up
informashun

[shaneystar2]

Ooh thanks for that ..have made a note and will ask my GP about it next time I go for the usual ..."Not much we can do for you " ..chat !
I have had both knees washed out to no avail really and I won't mention my hips !
It's a night mare isn't it .If I was ancient I could live with it .But am only coming up to 60 but still feel 21 in my head ! I have had this chronically since I hit 50 but it rumbled around my body long before then .Never mind mustn't grumble . There are a lot much worse off.
One foot in front of the other ...never say die !! Take care ...xx

[Mammar]

Coo there's a lot of us about!
I take cod liver oil and glucosamine because I daren't risk seeing how bad I'd be without them. I'm sure the cod liver oil helps keeps colds away too.
Never found the creams to be any good - and that includes Golden Emu Oil - true, honestly.
Don't tell me not to eat tomatoes as I love them and have never found they make much difference. Luckily I love oily fish too. Have given up with grapefruit juice (ouch!) but strangely ok with orange juice.
Tried the honey/vinegar thing but didn't do much for me although what I was told was cider vinegar and local honey mixed together. Didn't know of the proprietory brand, thanks Raysp - may have another go on that.
Doc advises cocodamol like Shaney.
Otherwise, I'm absolutely healthy!
(The knocking sound is not me knees, I'm knocking on the wooden desk for luck!)

[shaneystar2]

Unfortunately I have secondary RA ..which is the killer ! I have days where I just have to lay in bed ...my whole body feels as if someone has gone over me with a steamroller .
It attacks the immune system but luckily it is gradually burning itself out .
My doctor once said to me that if there was a cure for arthritis ..in it's many forms ....people would be queuing round the block.
My bleat is the fact that they have withdrawn Coproxamol which was a life saver for me .
Creaks off into the sunset