Taking glucosamine etc during off season?

Do you guys keep on taking glucosamine pills during the off season or only when riding regularly? I read somewhere sometime ago that it is supposed to be good for you if you keep on taking them most of the time but can not be sure.

glucosamine and condroiten(sp?) year round it's real good for joints

i take it too.... i take it year around... it does the body good...

I thinks its good too. At least my knees feel a lot better when I use them. Hopefully it's not just psychological.

They still haven't proven if its better for you, and reports have shown that those $20 bottles don't even have the advertised amounts of what they claim. Oh well.

I take one every night. I find that there's a huge difference between the different brands. I switched to a generic brand once and I could really feel it in my knees, so I always just stick with the trusty GNC brand now.

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=58502&catid=2332

I took glucosamine or Chondroitin for almost two years after I hurt my knees and didn't ever really feel a big improvement. (basically two years of pain) I then, without looking for benefits, started increasing the amount of fish I ate. Within a month my knees felt almost totally better. I quit on the glucosamine and think the fish is what really makes the difference.

...everybody will react differently to it or in different combinations......I have found glucosamine to work for me and also something called microlactin which gets rid of inflammation in your joints (and that is usually where the pain is from). But I dont take it year round when I am feeling better I take a break.....your body will get used to it and then it may lose its effectiveness (it does usually say for therapeutic use only...which implies its not to be taken for ever ). If you take it when boarding and when you think you need it for a few months it will give you that extra shot you need.

Blew out the cartilage in my right knee while playing hockey when I was 12 (22yrs ago) requiring arthroscopic surgery to remove the pieces of cartilage that were just floating around in the knee.

Just dealt with the pain as needed since then (e.g. lots of Motrin)

About 6 years ago I started taking Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM daily. In Spring 2006 I had a minor knee injury and decided to get it checked out just in case.

Went to UofM Medical Center for testing and an MRI... they came back with pictures of my now seemingly undamaged knee. Even the doctors were surprised at how much cartilage there now was.

That said, I swear by the stuff and have tried it in all sorts of forms. Personally, I don't care for the liquid cough syrup style or the canned drinks.

It's basically a cartilage build up pill, I don't really agree that it helps joint pain or maneuverability. My knee's have tons of cartilage build up under my caps, apparently looking like the Rocky's. I started to take the pills and my knee's hurt even worse.

Again it can be to each his own, and under certain circumstances especially.

I took it everyday when I was really big into working out and I never noticed much of a difference but everybody is different

..........look at who is saying it works.....we are mostly over 30.....you guys when your around 20 I cant really see the need for it as your joints should still be pretty good....generally speaking....thus your not going to feel a difference if you got decent joints....your pain maybe from another cause other than cartlidge.

Yeah that makes since I didn't really think about it like that

offseason i take deca-bol and

you should take glucossamine year round, condroitin has never been proven to help with joints!!! it and has also been linked to prostate cancer!!! make sure if your taking glucossatrin it doesn't have condroitin in it!!!! i sell a glucossamine product through my company, it is the best product on the market!! you get what you pay for with this product!! if anyone is interested in it let me know? www.kaldude.unfranchise.com you can also find all the research behind our product at www.mascience.com EVERYONE should be taking glucossamine!! ours stimulates your body to produce its own cartlige to repair your body!!

have a great night!
kal
414-801-0297
www.kaldude.unfranchise.com

Guys please don't think that this stuff actually re-grows cartilage in your joints. I work in the medical field and have spoken to several doctors about these supplements. All of them said no they do not replace cartilage (it is impossible). One of them said it would be like a bald man taking a pill and expecting all of his hair to grow back. It's just not gonna happen. But I am a firm believer that if it makes your pain better and it's legal then do it.

exactly how much research have you done on this subject?? who are these doctors you speak of and what is their knowledge of glucossimine?? im going to let you in on a little secret from the time they start school till they are done "practicing" medicine, they are taught a reactive approach to medicine (you get sick you go to a dr.) we teach a pro active approach to wellness (prevent yourself from getting sick and having to go to the dr.) pretty much they learn what the drug companies want them to about writing prescriptions, and want you to take meds. till the end of life, instead of treating the problem instead of the symptom!!!! if anyone has any ? on this they can contact me at 414-801-0297!! www.kaldude.unfranchise.com, kaldude@unfranchise.com
what are the dr.s # that gave you the information, and will they talk to anyone who is not a patient??????

This is the stuff my ortho recommended:
http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/products/human/cosamin/index.asp
He said it was proven in a study to be effective. Can't remember the name of the study, but here is one on I found:
http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/gait/qa.htm
With that said, I took it for 6 months and never noticed a difference. Been off it for two months and haven't noticed a difference. Going to probably start taking it again soon to give it one more shot. If I remember right, you need to take it consistently for 2-3 months before you are suppose to notice a difference. And you start with a slightly higher dose, a loading dose. Kind of expensive stuff but worth a shot.

reading through the link above, I found this key point interesting in the study:
"For participants in the mild pain subset, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate together or alone did not provide statistically significant pain relief."

(Message edited by chaser on October 29, 2007)

(Message edited by chaser on October 29, 2007)

....that being said i have had good results with the "weber" brand...others didn't seem to do anything but when I use weber I can feel it again.

I take it year round. You are not supposed to start/stop taking it, because like Bob said, it takes 4-6 weeks to start showing results. It has definitely helped me. There was about a 2 month period where I stopped taking it, and I definitely noticed a difference in my knees in the morning.

I've tried a few different brands as well. Some worked better for me than others, including the GNC brand and the "Nature Made" brand sold at Costco.

I hate to take anything like this. Flax seed or fish oil provided you check it out and make sure it's a decent brand not loaded with oxidized oils. But that's about it. You never know what people are putting in those bottles.

I jammed my knee hard coming off the A frame at OWC this summer. It's slowly recovering, very slowly (I'm 52 this week). But it is getting better. Proper rehabilitative exercise and being careful are probably the two most important ingredients for recovery.

John-I don't think that Glucosamine is intended to aide in recovery of injuries, I don't expect it to magically "heal" me...it is a preventative measure to slow down wear and tear of existing joint cartiledge(sp?). I am only 28, and ten years of year-round, high impact board sports has taken a toll on my knees and joints already. I am already assuming I will be in serious pain by the time I am your age, but if taking glucosamine can prolong the longevity of my cartiledge I am all for it, rather that trying to "fix" the problem when it is a lot worse. Just my $.02.

I've been using omega three fish oil for a couple months on the advice of my doctor. I've noticed a big difference in my joints while riding, and my recovery time after workouts.

So omega three fish oil works well for joints too? This is instead of glucosamine or a complement to it? I might have to look into that. Can you get the same amount of Omega 3 by eating a lot of fish? I eat a lot of it anyway.


p.s. (as you can tell, Im pretty interested in this topic.)

Kal, based on your excessive use of punctuation you seem to be very passionate about the subject. I think most doctors agree prevention is important but face it, most people go to the doctor to treat something that has gone wrong so they have to cater to their clients. Honestly the method in which you responded makes it a little tough to take you seriously. Sounds very used car salesman-ish. Just being honest.

However, I take glucosamine and have for a while and while I understand there aren't conclusive results out there, I am always curious.

I did not see on your site the claim that chondrotin may not be good for you. Most OTC brands have condrotin in them, so obviously that information would be of interest to this group. The link http://www.mascience.com/ went to a junk site.

I didn't realize so many people were taking glucosamine. I doubt we will be able to get a conclusive answer, but the more information each of us has to make an intelligent decision the better.

YES i am very passionate about what i do and the products we sell!! i run a business so selling is obviously part of it!! but more importantly the satisfaction i get from being able to help people and make life changing differences is way more important to me than $$$ i get from a sale!! sorry about the link, here it is, www.marketamericascience.com YOU don't have to take me seriously, but you should take YOUR body seriously!! yes most people go to doctors after they have a problem, i believe doctors have a place, and are very helpful in a lot of situations, but if we can do something to prevent going to them we should!! as for me sounding like a used car salesperson, whatever! i never said you must buy my products! most people are so focused on instant gratification! they want to take a suppliment and have results in a few days! your body didn't develop a problem overnight, it takes time for suppliments to help the problem! usually we tell people you should see results with in 3 months time. glucossamine should not be taken to repair a knee problem, that needs surgery. thats not what it is for!

Well from all the research I have done on this subject (including consultations to at least a few orthos) I can safely say that neither the positive nor the negative effects of regular glucosamine use has been proven yet. Various researches are still under way.

I proved that glucosamine/chondrotin works, and I continue to prove it. When I forget to take it, my knees remind me by hurting on my run. And to think, I didn't even have to go to medical school to figure this out.. must have saved myself $200K on that one

Here's a link about the Chrondrotin/prostate cancer thing. It's inconclusive at this point, but food for thought...:
http://www.riversideonline.com/health_reference/Mens-Health/AN01005.cfm

Andrea,

I'm not an expert so I can't tell you definitively whether or not it will work for you. I do know when I complained about being sore all the time from lifting hard in the gym, my doctor suggested I use the omega three. She also told me it helps keep your bad cholesterol levels down. I'm not sure how much fish you would need to eat, but I was told to take 1200mgs a day.

I work in the fitness industry (Personal Trainer), so I'm around supplements a lot.

There are no real conclusive studies FOR or AGAINST Glucosamine yet. It doesn't seem to be harmful, so if it helps-go for it. But it's not something to be taken as needed (like ibuprofen). It's meant as a daily supplement.

Kal- you see that * at the end of all your products' explanations?? That means- "These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA"...

Kal I'm not downing your products man I am just explaining to people that if you tore your meniscus or you had surgery where there was cartilage removed, then taking these supplements is not going to regrow or repair this cartilage. That is also what these Dr's that I spoke with are saying. It is very easy to say "if you take this, then it will decrease your chance of something happening" as oppose to "if you take this it will fix what has already happened". As for not being FDA approved. We could grind up a chair, put it in pill form and sell it as a fat burning supplement in a GNC because nothing in there is approved by the FDA. I personally find it hard to spend money on something that says it could help me over time when I know that diet and exercise will do the same think. But like I said earlier if it makes your pain decrease and it is legal then go for it.

first, the FDA regulates food and drugs, they do not have any control over suppliments. so you are right they do not evaluate our products. also i do think there was a small communication problem before, like i said if you need surgery for something, taking a suppliment is not going to repair your problem. third, most pills are held together with ground up chairs!! they use binders, fillers, and coatings (saw dust, silicone, coatings, etc...) air and water have not been evaluated by the FDA either!!!

Derek Cook uses a product called Regenicare from Univera. I do too and the stuff works. If it can take care of his knees then it can do the same for me.
http://us.univera.com/products/restore/regenicare

Over Memorial wknd I went backpacking for 30 miles and the last day was down steps for 2 miles. My knees were wrecked, one packet of that stuff and it felt like I'd filled the knees with grease. It went from a hobble to a regular stride.