Do you take glucosamine? Where do you get it?

[Muse]

I've been taking basically 3 a day (at the same time, although I don't know if that's a good idea) for a few years in the hopes it will improve my joint pain problems (principally elbows, off and on, lately mostly on). I've talked with a few people about this. It's kind of expensive stuff, and not well tested. The way the FDA works, they don't pay much attention to supplements like this, and the purveyors of it can get away with alot. They don't particularly want to fund studies. Why should they? A lot of people swear by this stuff (some also contains Chondroitin, whatever that is), and other things sometimes. If they funded studies, they might lose market share rather than gain it. A guy told me that because of this, you won't see studies!

Besides the issues mentioned, there's the question of quality. A cousin of mine is a health and holistic aware physician and he takes these things but he has access to and gets a better grade than we could probably get, or so he told me. I don't remember what he said, maybe "pharmaceutical" grade.

I asked an expert in nutrition about it and she told me that she just cooks up a stew with bones in it and bone and cartilage building compounds just leach out of the bones. She doesn't bother buying these supplements, therefore. So, I did that once, figuring, why not?

Anyway, I'm still in the habit of buying glucosamine/chondroitin supplements, mostly at Costco, but I'm running out. I've also gotten some at Walgreens from time to time. What do you think of this stuff, do you take it, what do you take and where do you get it?

 

[RagingBITCH]

I take Glucosamine. There's always going to be some study that proves it works and some study that proves it doesn't work. My doctor recommended it (I was already taking it at the time, had asked her about joint supplements) so I'll keep taking it.

You can get it at any supplement website, like vitaglo.net, dpsnutrition.com, etc.

 

[TallBill]

My doctor recommended it years ago. I take Orange Triad which is a vitamin and a has glucosamine and chondroitin (sp?).

I think that I'm going to switch back over to Animal Flex, at least for a bit.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: TallBill
My doctor recommended it years ago. I take Orange Triad which is a vitamin and a has glucosamine and chondroitin (sp?).

I think that I'm going to switch back over to Animal Flex, at least for a bit.

I know several doctors who take it. They basically seem to think that the evidence for it is anecdotal. I'm wondering where to get mine, what's good, what is probably not so good, what's worth the money, what combination to get. Some include Chondroitin, some have something else included. I know nothing about that. Glucosamine is the common ingredient.

 

[KeithTalent]

I take glucosamine chondroitin with MSM. My doc recommended it when I told him I was going to start running 1/2 and full marathons. He said any brand is fine, just be sure to take the appropriate dosage, so I just buy some sort of generic brand.

KT

 

[Atty]

My store's pharmacist suggested it to me today for joint problems, planned to ask here about it or on Bodybuilding.com, or just google it, although you seem to of beaten me to it. He said its great as long and many people swear by it, especially people with arthritis. I'm going to get it from my Publix's pharmacy and probably our brand, unless there is another brand that is worth getting.