11 replies to this topic

[nnadalinn]

Hi guys,

 

Can anybody recommend a supplement to address pain in both knees that occurs in situations such as going upstairs, playing tennis, etc? I'm a 34-year-old male, so this pain is worrying. I'll get an appointment with a doctor if the pain doesn't go away, but in the meantime I'd like to give some supplements a try. I'm confused about the reported (in)efficacy of chondroitin, glucosamine, MSM, etc., and I can't even get my head around which gelatine or which of the three types of collagen to take, etc. As far as supplements go, I currently take only D3 vitamin (5,000 units) daily.

 

Thanks

[Dorian Grey]

SAM-e (S-Adenosylmethionine)  has been shown to work equally well compared to NSAID meds for arthritis.  

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/12019049

 

"SAMe appears to be as effective as NSAIDs in reducing pain and improving functional limitation in patients with OA without the adverse effects often associated with NSAID therapies."

 

-----------------------------

 

SAM-e will not give instant (but temporary) relief like dropping an aspirin or ibuprofen, but after 2 to 4 weeks of daily use, SAM-e may give more or less continuous relief from arthritis pain.  

 

SAM-e is expensive and typically comes in a 400mg dose, but cheaper 200mg pills are available if you seek them out.  I have found the 200mg dose taken only twice a day on an empty stomach to be quite effective for me.  At your young age, the lower dosage may be all you need too.  

 

SAM-e is remarkably safe and actually has other health benefits.  It is contraindicated in those with bipolar disorder.  

 

Here's a report comparing SAM-e to Celebrex. 

 

http://www.biomedcen...m/1471-2474/5/6

 

"SAMe has a slower onset of action but is as effective as celecoxib in the management of symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. Longer studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of SAMe and the optimal dose to be used."

Edited by synesthesia, 24 November 2014 - 06:14 PM.

[Julia36]

glucosimine to build cartiledge: Vit C may precurse that.

 

But the biggest general one is loads of mixed vegetables!

 

 

[nnadalinn]

Thank you very much guys, especially what @synesthesia pointed out is complete news to me, so I'll certainly give SAM-e a shot. 

 

SAM-e will not give instant (but temporary) relief like dropping an aspirin or ibuprofen, but after 2 to 4 weeks of daily use, SAM-e may give more or less continuous relief from arthritis pain.  

 

SAM-e is expensive and typically comes in a 400mg dose, but cheaper 200mg pills are available if you seek them out.  I have found the 200mg dose taken only twice a day on an empty stomach to be quite effective for me.  At your young age, the lower dosage may be all you need too.  

 

SAM-e is remarkably safe and actually has other health benefits.  It is contraindicated in those with bipolar disorder.  

 

[Dorian Grey]

Thanks nnadalinn, I first became interested in SAM-e for reasons other than arthritis, but as I'm in my mid 50s I was having some minor arthritis issues.  I was surprised when my minor knee and back pain all but vanished a short time after I started taking it.  

 

My girlfriend is (was!) not a supplement user, but when she started mentioning her aches and pains more often I convinced her to try it.  She is now sold and taking it regularly.  The 200mg dosage twice daily is working for her too.  We've both had friends at work who've now tried it and are getting good reports on their results too.  

 

Noticed you're in Europe...  Believe SAM-e is known as "AdoMet" over on your side of the pond.  Take it on an empty stomach for best results.  Some makers of SAM-e say you can take it with food, but I haven't had any problems taking it properly (an hour before meals).  

 

SAM-e is a delicate compound and will lose potency once multi-use bottles are opened.  Many now incorporate individual foil blister pack packaging, which I think is a good idea.  If your SAM-e is not packaged this way, store it tightly capped in a cool/dark place.  Fresher is better, so try to find some that is at least a year away from its expiration date.  

[nnadalinn]

Thanks synesthesia! I'm going to get my SAM-e from iherb. Strangely enough, even if ordering from there involves some extra customs fees there's no cheaper place than that. Mind you, I should've got my stack of supps when I was on holiday in NYC three months ago, but somehow I didn't get around to that, so I have no other recourse but to happily pay the customs fees now :-)

 

As for making sure that what I get is blister pack packaging, I found a few forum threads earlier today wherein some knowledgeable guys (including you, I believe!) made it clear how important it is to get the blister pack packaging. Thank you again for your advice!

[albedo]

I did not make the step to SAM-e but looking to it for my wife's hands OA. It is a priced supplement and I am looking at the two sources LEF in US and SuperSmart in EU. I had in the past some issues with my knees (but no major pain) and found some benefit using UC-II from LEF. Sorry I cannot report any real experience.

 

You might be interested to this study:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm....books/NBK11886/

 

"... Out of 13 unique studies considered, 10 studies were included in a meta-analysis of the efficacy of SAMe to decrease pain of osteoarthritis.

• One large randomized clinical trial showed an effect size in favor of SAMe of 0.20 (95% CI [-0.39, - 0.02]) compared to placebo, thus demonstrating a decrease in the pain of osteoarthritis.
• Compared to treatment with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medication, treatment with SAMe was not associated with a statistically significant difference in outcomes (effect size 0.11; 95% CI [0.56, 0.35])...."

 

Edited by albedo, 26 November 2014 - 10:23 AM.

[nnadalinn]

Thank you @albedo and @colonycitizen for taking the time to reply to me and sorry it's taken me so long to reply back. :-)

 

Anyhow, I've already started taking a combo product of glucosamine and chondroitin that I've bought locally, plus my SAM-e from iherb is on its way, so I'll give this all a shot first. If that doesn't pan out somehow, I'll add Boswellia and MSM to my regimen.

 

I'm also due to start a PT for my back next year, so as soon as I'm there I might enquire about knee pain as well.

 

Thank you again guys!

[Adaptogen]

Cissus is definitely worth looking into - examine.com/supplements/Cissus+quadrangularis/

Edited by Adaptogen, 27 November 2014 - 10:24 AM.

[nnadalinn]

Thank you Mr Adaptogen, that looks like another likely addition to my regimen! :-)

[shp5]

if you're 34 years old then there's some chance that it's a functional problem, even though 2 affected sides sound more like arthritis. Where in Europe do you live? find a good physical therapist (who has a few years of experience in manual therapy or osteopathy) and let him take a look at it.

 

as for supps: MSM + jarrosil or biosil + vit c + gelatin for connective tissue regeneration. luminosity started a good thread on it.

Edited by shp5, 27 November 2014 - 09:16 PM.

[nnadalinn]

if you're 34 years old then there's some chance that it's a functional problem, even though 2 affected sides sound more like arthritis. Where in Europe do you live? find a good physical therapist (who has a few years of experience in manual therapy or osteopathy) and let him take a look at it.

 

as for supps: MSM + jarrosil or biosil + vit c + gelatin for connective tissue regeneration. luminosity started a good thread on it.

 

Thank you @shp5 on weighing in! I happen to be in Slovakia, and actually as close as it gets to (5 minutes' drive) to where you're from, i.e. Austria :-)