OT - glucosamine and chondroitin?

poet_kelly
on 2/14/14 9:08 am - OH

Today I saw a rheumatologist, who informed me I have fibromyalgia and also osteoarthritis in my hands.  Among other things, she recommended I take glucosamine and chondroitin.  So I came home and did a little research and it seems like there isn't a lot of conclusive data to show those supplements do anything for arthritis or other joint pain and joint problems.  They are also really expensive.  I stopped at Rite Aid on my way home and picked up a 20 day supply for $12 and that was the cheapest option available.  In addition, the glucosamine in the one I picked up comes from shrimp, which I gather from the research I did is very common, and the chondroitin in supplements usually comes from cow cartilage.  I am a vegetarian and while I'm not a vegan, I do eat dairy products, I don't feel very good about taking a supplement made from shrimp and cows.  So I'm not at all sure I want to take these.

Anyone else take them?  Have they helped you?

View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com          Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR.  If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor.  Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me.  If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her.    Check out my blog.

 

Gwen M.
on 2/14/14 9:13 am
VSG on 03/13/14

My dad takes them both and swears by them.  When he's had to stop taking them prior to surgery, he definitely notices a huge difference in his pain/quality of life.  

(My dog's mobility was also greatly enhanced after adding these supplements to his diet.)

VSG with Dr. Salameh - 3/13/2014
Diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder and started Vyvanse - 7/22/2016
Reconstructive Surgeries with Dr. Michaels - 6/5/2017 (LBL & brachioplasty), 8/14/2017 (UBL & mastopexy), 11/6/2017 (medial leg lift)

Age 42 Height 5'4" HW 319 (1/3/2014) SW 293 (3/13/2014) CW 149 (7/16/2017)
Next Goal 145 - normal BMI | Total Weight Lost 170

TrendWeight | Food Blog (sort of functional) | Journal (down for maintenance)

Laura in Texas
on 2/16/14 1:45 am

They helped my dog, too, and greatly improved her life.

Laura in Texas

53 years old; 5'7" tall; HW: 339 (BMI=53); GW: 140 CW: 170 (BMI=27)

RNY: 09-17-08 Dr. Garth Davis

brachioplasty: 12-18-09 Dr. Wainwright; lbl/bl: 06-28-11 Dr. LoMonaco

"May your choices reflect your hopes and not your fears."

Professor Sonja!!!!
on 2/14/14 9:37 am - Miami, FL
RNY on 08/15/12

I took it for about a year but I stopped taking it about a month or so ago because it just doesn't make a difference in my arthritis (I have end stage arthritis in both knees and need a TKR in both knees).  I have noticed no increase in pain since stopping taking them.  My ortho advised me that most people don't benefit from it.  I swallow enough pills so I'm not going to swallow more if they don't help.  

 

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Cicerogirl, The PhD
Version

on 2/14/14 12:52 pm - OH

My ortho surgeon said the same thing, but I wasn't sure if it was just because it would, potentially, be something that might limit his business or whether he was being honest.  Didn't do a damn thing for me, even when the arthritis was just "moderate" so I didn't even consider trying it again once I hit the "severe" point (since even steroid injections and the Synvisc were of limited help).

i know you have cortisone shots, but have you ever tried the Synvisc or similar injections?

14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained

You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

Professor Sonja!!!!
on 2/14/14 9:43 pm - Miami, FL
RNY on 08/15/12

I did the Synvisc injections for a year.  It helped some but the cortisone seems to help more at this point.  I'm pretty much at that severe point in pain (although much better than when I weighed 348 lbs). 

 

Come keep it real in R&R 3.0 Want an invite? PM me here.

 

    

Cicerogirl, The PhD
Version

on 2/14/14 9:56 pm - OH

Yep, BTDT.  When the ynvisc wasn't helping and the cortisone only helped for about a month, that's when I pulled the trigger on the TKR.  It hurts like hell, no doubt about that, and it does take a while for complete healing, but I haev no regrets whatsoever! (Even right now when, between the fall I took and the sub-zero temps, they are both stiff and painful!)

14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained

You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

Grim_Traveller
on 2/15/14 2:57 am
RNY on 08/21/12
On February 15, 2014 at 5:56 AM Pacific Time, ****rogirl wrote:

Yep, BTDT.  When the ynvisc wasn't helping and the cortisone only helped for about a month, that's when I pulled the trigger on the TKR.  It hurts like hell, no doubt about that, and it does take a while for complete healing, but I haev no regrets whatsoever! (Even right now when, between the fall I took and the sub-zero temps, they are both stiff and painful!)

Same here. I did synvisc every six months for about seven years, maybe, and it seemed to help a little less each time.

Losing the weight probably would have helped the pain, but I have also increased my activity quite a bit, so the overall pain is about equal to before WLS. 

I'm leaning toward doing both TKR next fall.

6'3" tall, male.

Highest weight was 475. RNY on 08/21/12. Current weight: 198.

M1 -24; M2 -21; M3 -19; M4 -21; M5 -13; M6 -21; M7 -10; M8 -16; M9 -10; M10 -8; M11 -6; M12 -5.

Cicerogirl, The PhD
Version

on 2/15/14 4:33 am - OH

Losing 190 pounds did very little for the pain in my knees, but by the time I had surgery it already hurt just to bend them even without any weight on them at all (and you could hear the "crunching" if the room was quiet).

I used the Synvisc for 4 years, also with diminishing effect.  Just a note: if you live someplace where it gets cold, I suggest doing the TKR in early fall rather than mid to ate fall since the cold, even a couple of months post-op, apparently routinely causes stiffness and pain.  I was not aware of that.

I did my first one in early March and the second one in early November, and as soon as the rally cold January weather hit, the newly replaced knee took a huge step backwards I  terms of swelling and pain (which routinely lasts, to varying degrees, up to 6 months post-op)

14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained

You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

Grim_Traveller
on 2/15/14 12:34 pm
RNY on 08/21/12

Thanks Lora. As far as the timing, I was thinking about after lawn mowing and raking season, but before snow shoveling time. But the cold weather and swelling gives me something to think about. Maybe early March, toward the end of snow season, before lawn mowing starts would also work, that way the weather would be getting progressively warmer for those six months, rather than colder.

6'3" tall, male.

Highest weight was 475. RNY on 08/21/12. Current weight: 198.

M1 -24; M2 -21; M3 -19; M4 -21; M5 -13; M6 -21; M7 -10; M8 -16; M9 -10; M10 -8; M11 -6; M12 -5.

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