I have knee issues and have been taking a Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplement every day. Each capsule contains 500mg of Glucosamine and 400mg of Chondroitin and the bottle says to take one capsule 3 times a day. Anyone know anything about these supplements and how much is actually needed per day to have any effect? I know a lot of manufacturers overstate the daily dosage so you end up buying more. Sometimes it seems like it helps, other times it doesn't, but it's all I've got to work with right now. I've also bought another brand of the same supplement in the past but they had me take two capsules only once a day....does it matter whether I take them all at once or space them out throughout the day? Thanks!

My husband has a trick knee and swears by his glu/chron combo. Says it allows him to swim as much as he wants. My 14 yr old border collie takes about 1000 mg/d per the vets orders and has been able to keep running 2 miles a day even with both ACL's blown and severe arthritis in both knees. Of course he is a border collie -- he'll keep running til his last breath

I've been wondering about the g/c myself. I guess I have what you might call a "mild issue" with my left knee. It's been clicking for months whenever I go upstairs (after I started the weight loss) and it also definitely feels the effects of my exercise before the right one does. And I have noticed over the years that I do tend to lean on it more or let my left side bear most of the weight when required. It doesn't hurt or anything but I imagine it's wearing down faster than the other one.
Are there any side effects with the g/c? Do you think it might help someone like me who has a mild thing right now? At this point, I'm not sure if my exercising is making my knee worse, stronger or both. I knew an elderly lady a few years ago who swore by it for her arthritis but I'm not exactly in the same boat.
BTW...love your avatar, Once! Love elephants!

My doctor told me to take Glucosamine and Advil for knee and joint problems. It helps a lot! I just checked and mine are two per day for a total of 1500 mg daily. I haven't noticed any side effects at all. I take both of the capsules in the mornings but I would guess it might be better to spread them out; I need to start doing that I guess.

Thanks for the info, girls. Trekkie, I haven't gotten any side effects from them either and I think you're much better off starting to take it now while your problem is just mild. Mine is moderate, but some days if I jog it feels like someone whacked me in the knee with a hammer! As you can imagine I don't do much jogging. I started having problems two years ago and it has gradually gotten worse the more I exercise. My left leg is shorter than my right, which seems to be the reason...I guess I'm putting extra stress on it every time I step. I just don't know if it's an actual bone length problem or I'm just out of alignment. A chiropractor wanted $800 to go to him 3 times a week for a month to find out...not an option!

And thanks, I love the elephants too...obviously

DH and I swear by Glucosamine, I don't take Chondroitin because someone said if the plain Glucosamine works, it's much cheaper than the combination of both. I take the recommended dosage, but sometimes I slack off only take 1/day it still works.... Sometimes I completely forget for a couple of weeks then my knees start telling me its time for their Glucosamine, I take the dosage till the pain stops then take only one/day...

I take the plain Glucosamine also . . . without it, I don't think I'd be walking much. Take 500 in the AM and 500 in the PM (and sometimes an extra 500 at bedtime if the day has been very damp or I've been very active) but usually just the 1000 total. Maybe I'm part border collie.

I did not realize the plain glucosamine was cheaper. The last bottle I bought has Chondroitan but I just got it at Costco and didn't pay all that much attention to the difference between the two. Still, it was probably cheaper buying it there. I get lax about taking it too sometimes and can tell it when I do!

Okay, I just bought a bottle of Eckerd's brand MSM Plus Glucosamine (kind of funny that I who have a visceral loathing of seafood will take pills derived from shellfish--hope my system doesn't know the difference, lol). It's 500 mg MSM, 400 mg Glu, and 250 mg Bromelain. I had to look up MSM and Bromelain to see what they are and do, lol. Bromelain sounds interesting: (I highlighted the only thing that applies to me, lol)

Bromelain is found in pineapple and other tropical fruit. Bromelain is a mini pharmacy. People use bromelain to help digestion and indigestion, to help prevent blood clots from forming, for back aches,bronchitis, for burn debridement, osteoarthritis, and sinus discomfort because of its anti inflammatory properties and possibly for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and MS. Bromelain may increase the potency of antibiotics and chemotherapy. Bromelain also contains perioxidase, acid phosphatase, protease inhibitors and calcium. Bromelain is being used in some cat's supplements to help prevent hairballs.

Hopefully, this will help with my knee. Meantime, if I cough up a hairball I'll let ya know.