Glucosamine Chondroitin – Part 2

Since glucosamine is often derived from shellfish you should not take it if you are allergic to shellfish. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate dietary supplements and so they can be sold with limited or no research to back up their claims.

Just because you are using a dietary or nutritional supplement does not mean that it won’t have side effects or trigger allergic reactions. These nutritional supplements can also interact with prescription and nonprescription medications so you should always check with your pharmacist before adding glucosamine and chondroitin to your daily regimen.

Also, because manufacturing is not standardized, side effects may differ between brands. Look for manufacturing companies who use the USP label. This is a voluntary evaluation of their manufacturing processes which ensures higher standards.

While individuals have received a significant amount of positive benefits from using glucosamine and chondroitin to treat their painful Osteoarthritis there has been no known studies which show that the addition of these nutritional supplements will alter the availability of these building blocks inside the arthritic joint. There have been numerous studies though which show that patients experience more pain reduction than those receiving a placebo and sometimes those who receive ibuprofen. The difference is that these nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs carry an increased risk of gastrointestinal disturbance and bleeding.

Speak with your primary care physician to ensure that these nutritional supplements will not alter your treatment in any way with other underlying medical conditions from which you might suffer. Also speak with your pharmacist to ensure that there are no interactions with other medications you may be taking, whether prescription, over-the-counter or other supplements.

Nutritional supplements are complementary medications to your medical treatments. This means, that you should not stop your current regimen which was recommended by your physician in regard to diet, exercise, medications or other therapies without first consulting with your physician and understanding the side effects which you may suffer. Do your research and find out about the supplement, the manufacturing process and how reputable the company is prior to starting a new regimen. Report any adverse effects or side effects to your primary care physician immediately. Stop taking the product if you suffer from any side effects and remember that while they are potent enough to help they are also probably strong enough to harm if taken inappropriately.

References:

(1) Annals of Rheumatic Diseases: Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Glucosamine, Chondroitin Sulfate, Their Combination, Celecoxib or Placebo Taken to Treat Osteoarthritis of the Knee
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20525840