Glucosamine is an amino sugar which is produced naturally in the body. Glucosamine plays a key role in building cartilage, the tough connective tissue that cushions your joints.

Glucosamine is used as an effective treatment for osteoarthritis (OA). Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that occurs when cartilage breaks down and is lost. It usually occurs as people age. In is known that glucosamine supplements have decreased the joint pain of osteoarthritis.

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Many patients take either acetaminophen (Tylenol) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve) ), for OA pain. Note, some of these drugs can cause cramps, stomach upset, constipation, and in some cases, stomach ulcers or diarrhea.

Glucosamine Uses:

Osteoarthritis

Glucosamine supplements may be an effective treatment for Osteoarthritis, particularly OA of the knee or hip. It is known that glucosamine Reduces OA pain, Reduces joint swelling and stiffness, Improves function in patients with hip or knee OA, Provides relief from Osteoarthritis symptoms for several months after treatment is stopped.

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are two inflammatory bowel diseases marked by chronic, frequent bloody diarrhea. Some preliminary clinical evidence suggests that N-acetyl glucosamine oral supplements or enemas may help improve symptoms of IBD in children who have not improved with standard treatment.

Dietary Sources of Glucosamine:

There are no major food sources of glucosamine, so patients who want to take it must take supplements. Most Glucosamine supplements are made from chitin, the hard outer shells of shrimp, lobsters, and crabs. Other forms of glucosamine are available for people who are allergic to shellfish.

Available Forms of Glucosamine:

Glucosamine is available in oral supplements as glucosamine hydrochloride, glucosamine sulfate, and n-acetyl glucosamine. These products may come in capsule, tablet, and powder forms. It is often combined with chondroitin and sometimes manganese as well. Manganese is a trace element necessary for normal bone health. The total amount of manganese from foods and supplements should not exceed 11 mg daily, but several combination supplements for arthritis (containing chondroitin, glucosamine, and manganese) have more than that. Read labels carefully, and consider choosing a supplement without manganese.

Glucosamine hydrochloride has been reported to be better absorbed by your body.

Glucosamine is also available as an injection that your doctor can insert directly into a joint. N-acetyl glucosamine is also available as an enema.

How to Take Glucosamine:

Pediatric

Glucosamine is not recommended for children. It is mainly used to treat osteoarthritis (a condition that mainly affects adults), and its safety for children has not been studied.

Adults:

For osteoarthritis: Glucosamine sulfate or hydrochloride, 500 mg, 3 times a day, for 1-3 months. Once daily dosing as 1.5 g (1,500 mg) may also be used.

You may need to take supplements on a long-term basis to reduce the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis.

Precautions:

Because of the potential for side effects of Glucosamine and interactions with medications, dietary supplements should be taken only under the supervision of your doctor.

Studies suggest that glucosamine is a safe medication, and causes only minor side effects such as stomach upset, indigestion, gas, heartburn, bloating, and diarrhea.

If these occur, try taking glucosamine with food. Patients with peptic ulcers should take glucosamine sulfate with food.

Glucosamine sulfate may contain high amounts of potassium or sodium. Patients on a restricted diet or who take potassium-sparing diuretics should carefully check the label before taking any glucosamine supplements.

People with diabetes should have their blood sugar checked on a regular basis. Glucosamine may cause insulin to work less effectively.

Some of glucosamine supplements are made from shellfish, so people with shellfish allergies should talk to their health care professional before using them.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid taking glucosamine, since it has not been studied for safety in these groups.

Possible Interactions of glucosamine:

If you are using any of the following medications, you should not take glucosamine or make any adjustments to your medications without first talking to your doctor.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – If you use NSAIDs to relive the pain of OA, taking glucosamine may reduce the dose of NSAIDs you should take. Since NSAIDs can cause stomach bleeding, reducing the dosage can help. Talk to your pharmacist, however, before starting to take glucosamine, since it can take several months before any improvements are felt.

Insulin or Blood sugar lowering medications – Glucosamine may change the dose needed for blood sugar lowering medications and insulin. If you take these medications for diabetes, talk to your doctor before you start using glucosamine.

Glucosamine Side Effects
Glucosamine is a dietary supplement that lacks the damaging side effects and long term toxicity of COX-2 inhibitors or NSAIDS such as ibuprofen or aspirin.

How Safe is Glucosamine?

Glucosamine is overall a very safe substance. It has been studied clinically since the very early 80’s – so patients have been taking it safely for over 20 years. There are only a few possible side effects of Glucosamine you need to watch out for when taking Glucosamine.

Shellfish Allergies
Because most Glucosamine is derived from shellfish (only a few manufacturers offer it derived from corn), you should consult your pharmacist before you start Glucosamine therapy. If the Glucosamine is pure but derived from shellfish, it is still possible that patients who are allergic to shellfish can take Glucosamine. Because the allergic reaction is to proteins in shellfish and Glucosamine is derived from Chitin, a carbohydrate, it is safe to try Glucosamine under the guidance of a pharmacist because the processing that takes place to extract the Glucosamine destroys any proteins and the antigens that the your body would normally react to. Anyway, the official recommendation is that if you have an allergy to shellfish, you should avoid glucosamine.

Diabetics and Glucosamine
Insulin levels with Glucosamine (HCL or Sulfate) can be subject to certain fluctuations, particularly in diabetics. Glucosamine is technically a carbohydrate (a sugar), but your body is not able to convert Glucosamine into Glucose. Hence, Glucosamine does not directly provide additional sources of Glucose. In diabetic patients, many factors can lead to changing blood levels and as a result it is important to check with your doctor prior to starting Glucosamine therapy and to be sure that you are very careful about monitoring levels of your blood sugar while on Glucosamine. Read the latest update on Glucosamine for Diabetics.

Overdose of Glucosamine
Extremely high levels of Glucosamine can cause gastric fluctuations such as soft stools, nausea or diarrhea. Glucosamine does not have to be taken with meals but it would be convenient to mix it with a drink.

Except for those above advisements, Glucosamine has a long track record of being very safe, unlike the NSAIDS or COX-2 drugs, which have a long and very well known history of being toxic you long term. Notice on the box of aspirin how it states that it is for the temporary relief of arthritis pain. Not only are these foreign substances, (Glucosamine is natural and in your joints right now) even the later generation COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx or have some serious side effects. Also NSAIDS and COX-2 inhibitors do nothing but cover up the pain. If you stop taking COX-2 or NSAIDS inhibitors, the pain quickly comes back. With Glucosamine, there is a residual effect. Even if you stop taking it, you will still be protected for a certain period of time. Maintaining a daily dose is the best way for maximum relief of joint discomfort and joint protection, Glucosamine will be increasingly effective for a long term treatment while granted you continue its administration.

If you are about to buy Glucosamine, we recommend you to order it in Canadian pharmacy. You’ll get qualitative medication and you will save money…