Extract of shellfish anyone? (Glucosamine Sulphate)

Member Name: MichelleScott

Product:	Glucosamine Sulphate
Date:	22/01/02 (4198 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Decreased pain, Improved movement

Disadvantages: Expensive, Not suitable for strict vegetarians

Glucosamine is found naturally in the body. It is an amino sugar (aminomonosaccharide – amino = protein; monosaccharide = simple sugar) which contains sulphur and is used for growth and repair of connective tissues, joints and cartilage. It is found actually IN the cartilage, but less so as we age. (Glucosamine isn’t the only substance in cartilage that diminishes though, so it won't magically restore all cartilage that has been lost). The cartilage gets thinner, leading to onset and/or progression of arthritis. Glucosamine, when taken either orally or by IV injection, goes into the blood stream and then is taken up by the tissues. There it helps rebuild the cartilage.

Like MSM (review coming up soon), a close relative, glucosamine was discovered by horses long before people jumped on the bandwagon (and forced the price up). Horses and dogs have known of its effectiveness in osteoarthritis for years.

Osteoarthritis is the one that older people get – it can also set in after an injury or break. It is where cartilage is lost from the ends of the bones and they rub together, causing pain and loss of mobility.

Don’t let health food shop staff try to talk you into taking glucosamine for minor aches and pains. It is for osteoarthritis suffers (where there is cartilage loss/damage) and has very little effect on other conditions other than to decrease your bank balance. What it does do, though, is decrease pain and improve mobility. Lots of people have reported excellent results with it.


~ SIDE-EFFECTS ~
There are very few OFFICIAL reported side-effects of glucosamine – the main one being problems reported by people with shellfish allergies. Some people feel it has affected them though. These are mainly people who are taking other medications. Diabetics have said they believe it affected their insulin levels, others have reported light-headedness/dizziness.


~ VEGETARIANS BEWAR
E ~
Glucosamine is extracted from crab, lobster and shrimp shells. I don’t think they get the creature’s permission before extracting it. Some brands of glucosamine add chondroitin, which improves the effects of glucosamine. Chondroitin is taken from the cartilage of sharks, cows and pigs.

Quest do a vegan glucosamine, which I gather isn’t derived from shellfish, and isn’t more expensive than the normal one (available from Goodness Direct – see below – among other places)


~ PRICES ~
Shop around. It is available in health food shops and some chemists, as well as mail order and on the Internet. It is frequently on offer in Holland & Barrett. There are a few different types – glucosamine sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride, etc. Some people believe the sulfate form to be the most effective one, but that is probably because more studies have been done on that. The sulfate version is more expensive than the hydrochloride version though. There is also a topical (gel) version now.

www.health-store.co.uk have Health Perception’s Glucosamine Sulphate, 90 tablets for £19.99; 30 tablets for £14.99

Goodness Direct (www.goodnessdirect.co.uk) have Natures Aid Glucosamine Sulphate, 30 tablets (1000mg) for £4.49; Power Health’s Glucosamine Sulphate, 30 tablets (750 mg) for £4.25; and Quest’s Glucosamine Sulphate, 30 tablets (500 mg) for £6.31.

The prices are confusing, as they range from £2.99 for a 30-tablet pack in Home Bargain to £20 a pack of a good, reputable make. I would aim to go for the best quality you could afford because, in the supplement world, quality counts.


~ IMPORTANT DISCOVERY ~
Doctors will tell you that there haven’t been sufficient studies done yet to prove that it works. Arthritics who are freed from debilitating pain will tell you they don’t give a stuff what the studies do or don’t say, just that it work
s for them. (Although I did an Internet search to see what studies have been done and found hundreds. Most show it is as effective as something like Ibuprofen for pain relief.)

My father took it for a couple of months one Summer and it worked for him (less pain, improved movement - he was able to swim again); my husband took it and it didn’t help. My father took again for a few months it in the Winter and it didn’t do any good. He put that down to the cold and damp making his arthritis too bad to help. BUT – important information coming up – we have recently found out why it didn’t work in Winter. Here it is :

My husband asked his physiotherapist about glucosamine. She came out with the usual stuff about lack of proof, but did say that a lot of her patients claimed it gave them pain relief and improved mobility. But she added that it does NOT work alongside any drug – the glucosamine becomes completely ineffective. So if you are taking painkillers, antidepressants or anti-inflammatories to help your arthritis don’t take glucosamine as well. You will be wasting your money.

This explains why it didn’t work for my father in Winter and why it didn’t work for my husband at all. My husband is on long-term antidepressants, and my father has to take lots of painkillers in Winter. When he took glucosamine in Summer he wasn’t taking lots of painkillers because his arthritis is not as bad in the heat (although he still gets very stiff, which is why he was taking the glucosamine).

Now I think this is a pretty important finding. Glucosamine isn’t cheap and it is annoying to find out that you have been wasting your money. Arthritics are often on a cocktail of drugs so any glucosamine they take isn’t going to be as effective as it should be.

The manufacturers recommend you try glucosamine for 6-8 weeks, to give it a fair chance. I would recommend taking it when y
ou are on holiday and seeing if you can get it into your system and working within a couple of weeks, then hopefully you won’t need loads of painkillers and anti-inflammatories when you get back.

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