Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDosageIs It Safe?Side Effects
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Dosage
Is It Safe?
Side Effects
The dose of glucosamine chondroitin you should take forosteoarthritisusually starts higher and gets lower once your symptoms improve.
Glucosamine chondroitinis a supplement with two ingredients: glucosamine and chondroitin. Glucosamine is made from the shells of shellfish, while chondroitin comes from the windpipe (trachea) of cows.
This article will cover how much glucosamine chondroitin you should take if you have arthritis, as well as what you should know about the possible side effects and risks of glucosamine chondroitin supplements.
How to Use Glucosamine Supplements
How Much Glucosamine Chondroitin Should I Take?
The starting dose for most glucosamine chondroitin supplements is typically 1,500 milligrams (mg) of glucosamine and 1,200 mg of chondroitin daily.If you start feeling better after one or two months, you can reduce your dose to 1,000 mg of glucosamine and 800 mg of chondroitin per day.
However, before you start taking glucosamine chondroitin for osteoarthritis, know that its benefits and dosing are still somewhat controversial.
A review study that evaluated the use of glucosamine and chondroitin forknee osteoarthritisdid find that taking oral supplements of either one could reduce pain in the knee, but it also concluded that using both together did not seem to have an additional benefit.
What Do Experts Recommend?The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons advises against using supplements like glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, and glucosamine hydrochloride to treat symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.
What Do Experts Recommend?
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons advises against using supplements like glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, and glucosamine hydrochloride to treat symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.
If you take too little glucosamine chondroitin, you will not get the potential benefits. If you take too much glucosamine chondroitin, you might be more likely to have side effects.
Can I get glucosamine and chondroitin from food?Glucosamine and chondroitinsupplementsare made from animal sources but not ones that you typically eat.Thecartilageand bone marrow of certain animals—like the shells of shellfish and the windpipes of cows—are used to make glucosamine and chondroitin supplements.
Can I get glucosamine and chondroitin from food?
Glucosamine and chondroitinsupplementsare made from animal sources but not ones that you typically eat.Thecartilageand bone marrow of certain animals—like the shells of shellfish and the windpipes of cows—are used to make glucosamine and chondroitin supplements.
Glucosamine and chondroitinsupplementsare made from animal sources but not ones that you typically eat.
Thecartilageand bone marrow of certain animals—like the shells of shellfish and the windpipes of cows—are used to make glucosamine and chondroitin supplements.
Is Chondroitin a Good Arthritis Treatment?
Is Glucosamine Chondroitin Safe for Me to Take?
Glucosamine and chondroitin are safe for most people as long as they are used according to the directions on the supplement label.
Some people should not take a glucosamine chondroitin supplement, including:
Always ask your healthcare provider before trying a new supplement, even one that’s something you can buy over the counter (OTC). There can be risks of taking supplements if you have certain health conditions or are taking other OTC or prescription medications.
Even if it’s safe for you to take glucosamine chondroitin, you might still have side effects, especially if you’re taking a high dose. Possible side effects of glucosamine chondroitin include:
Serious Side Effects of Glucosamine Chondroitin
There have been concerns that glucosamine chondroitin can cause more serious side effects, but the research has not been conclusive.
When to Seek Medical CareIf you have been taking glucosamine chondroitin and experience sudden swelling in your legs, an irregular heartbeat, hives, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, or swelling of the face, tongue, or throat, call 911 or go to your nearest ER.
When to Seek Medical Care
If you have been taking glucosamine chondroitin and experience sudden swelling in your legs, an irregular heartbeat, hives, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, or swelling of the face, tongue, or throat, call 911 or go to your nearest ER.
Does Glucosamine Really Help Arthritis Pain?
Summary
If you want to try using glucosamine chondroitin, talk to your provider. They can make sure that it’s safe for you to try and determine how much glucosamine chondroitin to take. Usually, people start taking glucosamine chondroitin supplements at a higher dose and reduce the amount once their arthritis symptoms start getting better.
Study: Glucosamine and Chondroitin May Offer Cardiovascular Benefits
The Best Joint Supplements for Arthritis
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Vasiliadis HS, Tsikopoulos K.Glucosamine and chondroitin for the treatment of osteoarthritis.World J Orthop. 2017;8(1):1-11. doi:10.5312/wjo.v8.i1.1Souplesse Supplements BV. Glucosamine:Choose the correct dose.Simental-Mendía M, Sánchez-García A, Vilchez-Cavazos F, Acosta-Olivo CA, Peña-Martínez VM, Simental-Mendía LE.Effect of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials.Rheumatol Int. 2018;38(8):1413-1428. doi:10.1007/s00296-018-4077-2American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Glucosamine and chondroitin for osteoarthritis.Tan CSS, Lee SWH.Warfarin and food, herbal or dietary supplement interactions: A systematic review.Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021;87(2):352-374. doi:10.1111/bcp.14404Alshammari E, Alshammari A.Glucosamine effects on lipids and blood pressure.Int J Res Pharm Sci. 2020;11(1):431-6. doi:10.26452/ijrps.v11i1.1838Brown AC.Liver toxicity related to herbs and dietary supplements: Online table of case reports. Part 2 of 5 series.Food Chem Toxicol. 2017;107(Pt A):472-501. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2016.07.001
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Vasiliadis HS, Tsikopoulos K.Glucosamine and chondroitin for the treatment of osteoarthritis.World J Orthop. 2017;8(1):1-11. doi:10.5312/wjo.v8.i1.1Souplesse Supplements BV. Glucosamine:Choose the correct dose.Simental-Mendía M, Sánchez-García A, Vilchez-Cavazos F, Acosta-Olivo CA, Peña-Martínez VM, Simental-Mendía LE.Effect of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials.Rheumatol Int. 2018;38(8):1413-1428. doi:10.1007/s00296-018-4077-2American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Glucosamine and chondroitin for osteoarthritis.Tan CSS, Lee SWH.Warfarin and food, herbal or dietary supplement interactions: A systematic review.Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021;87(2):352-374. doi:10.1111/bcp.14404Alshammari E, Alshammari A.Glucosamine effects on lipids and blood pressure.Int J Res Pharm Sci. 2020;11(1):431-6. doi:10.26452/ijrps.v11i1.1838Brown AC.Liver toxicity related to herbs and dietary supplements: Online table of case reports. Part 2 of 5 series.Food Chem Toxicol. 2017;107(Pt A):472-501. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2016.07.001
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Vasiliadis HS, Tsikopoulos K.Glucosamine and chondroitin for the treatment of osteoarthritis.World J Orthop. 2017;8(1):1-11. doi:10.5312/wjo.v8.i1.1Souplesse Supplements BV. Glucosamine:Choose the correct dose.Simental-Mendía M, Sánchez-García A, Vilchez-Cavazos F, Acosta-Olivo CA, Peña-Martínez VM, Simental-Mendía LE.Effect of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials.Rheumatol Int. 2018;38(8):1413-1428. doi:10.1007/s00296-018-4077-2American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Glucosamine and chondroitin for osteoarthritis.Tan CSS, Lee SWH.Warfarin and food, herbal or dietary supplement interactions: A systematic review.Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021;87(2):352-374. doi:10.1111/bcp.14404Alshammari E, Alshammari A.Glucosamine effects on lipids and blood pressure.Int J Res Pharm Sci. 2020;11(1):431-6. doi:10.26452/ijrps.v11i1.1838Brown AC.Liver toxicity related to herbs and dietary supplements: Online table of case reports. Part 2 of 5 series.Food Chem Toxicol. 2017;107(Pt A):472-501. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2016.07.001
Vasiliadis HS, Tsikopoulos K.Glucosamine and chondroitin for the treatment of osteoarthritis.World J Orthop. 2017;8(1):1-11. doi:10.5312/wjo.v8.i1.1
Souplesse Supplements BV. Glucosamine:Choose the correct dose.
Simental-Mendía M, Sánchez-García A, Vilchez-Cavazos F, Acosta-Olivo CA, Peña-Martínez VM, Simental-Mendía LE.Effect of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials.Rheumatol Int. 2018;38(8):1413-1428. doi:10.1007/s00296-018-4077-2
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Glucosamine and chondroitin for osteoarthritis.
Tan CSS, Lee SWH.Warfarin and food, herbal or dietary supplement interactions: A systematic review.Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021;87(2):352-374. doi:10.1111/bcp.14404
Alshammari E, Alshammari A.Glucosamine effects on lipids and blood pressure.Int J Res Pharm Sci. 2020;11(1):431-6. doi:10.26452/ijrps.v11i1.1838
Brown AC.Liver toxicity related to herbs and dietary supplements: Online table of case reports. Part 2 of 5 series.Food Chem Toxicol. 2017;107(Pt A):472-501. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2016.07.001
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