Arthritis sufferers and the raw deal of drugs

As a person who tends to over, rather than under-medicate herself (I have been known as "the walking pharmacy") I feel really bad for arthritis sufferers. Vioxx, the wonderdrug (and other related COX-2 inhibitors), turned out to seriously raise the risk of heart attacks. Which, unfortunately, Merck and Co. didn't tell anyone about until millions were on the drug. At the height of the scandal, the arthritic were pleading with doctors and the FDA to just find them something that would help without killing them.

Enter glucosamine and chondroitin, two natural components of the joint-cushioning cartilage that is destroyed by arthritic diseases. So, like, by eating these two supplements in pill format we can help build our cartilage back, right, and improve joint movement and fight arthritis?

Nope. Despite the fact that Americans spent $734 million on the supplements in 2004.

The New York Times has a write up of a New England Journal of Medicine study about how these two supplements just don't seem to work. Celebrex (yes, it is a COX-2 inhibitor and does carry heart attack risks) did help to relieve pain while the supplements did no better than placebo in a trial of 1,583 patients over 24 weeks.

Duh. Glucosamine and chondroitin (a modified sugar and part of a protein, respectively) would be broken down and digested before they could ever get to your knees. According to the article, arthritis researchers have no plausible biological mechanism for how glucosamine/chondroitin could work.

I bet there are few people who will stop taking these supplements based on the above data. Including my biologist dad, who takes one (I can't remember) as a preventative measure. And until "they" find out that these two supplements will give you blood clots, bowel cancer or memory loss, I suppose there is no harm in paying $30 to $50 a month for a little comfort. I still take echinacea and vitamin C for my colds.

Comments

[donna]

I used to take Vioxx and glucosamine/chondroitin back when I was having terrible neck pain from two arthritic disks. But I have finally found something that does help - my chiropractor, who I credit with eliminating so much pain and teaching me how to take care of my back and neck, and yoga and pilates, which gave me the muscle strength and training to sit, stand, and move properly.

Drugs are wqonderful, when used properly, and supplements are helpful, when understood - but exercise and a good chiro are even better.

[Celadrin and Glucosamine]

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