My husband suffers from low back pain. His doctor sad it was arthritis due to poor posture when he was younger. He has tried paracetamol, ibuprofen, Glucosamine+chondroitin, fish oil, heat packs and exercises. They all have limited effect and did not last long. Ibuprofen worked well, but he was concerned of side effects.
Recently he bought a supplement with Glucosamine+Chondroitin with MSM. THis took about 80% of his pain away. I wonder what is MSM and if there are any side effects to it?
Hi Sorry to hear your husband is suffering. I understand his concern about side effects of ibuprofen long term. My husband takes ibuprofen 400 prescribed by gp but also take omeprazole to protect the stomach. Omeprazole is what is known as PPI proton pump inhibitor they are used for ulcers and reflux etc. He seems happy with both but manages on only 1 or 2 ibuprofen a day. I too have arthritis but can't take it. With regard to glucosamine and chondroitin with msm. The msm is methylsulfonylmethane. Google it it will tell you about benefits side effects safety etc. I also take Glucosamine with chondroitin but not with MSM. The jury seems to be out as to whether they help or not some patients they they are wonderful some not. I think it is also to do with having a higher dose. If your husband finds it works then great. Healthspan online is a good site for supplements and vitamins and you can find information which might help you.
Lastly has he been referred for physio. It is horrible being in pain hope he can find a regime which helps and which he is happy with. All the best.
Thanks for that quick reply libralady13. I googled it like you said. It came up as "naturally occuring" and "Possibly safe". So I guess even the experts don't know exactly. I just wonder if anyone has given it a go and what they think.
To see how dramatic an improvement it gave him. It just seems too good to be true. From being in pain to playing badminton. It's pretty darn good improvement if you ask me.
Hmm.. Maybe he's taking something I don't know. ;-)
So glad he back to being active because that will also help in the long run. Do you know what dose he takes of the glucosamine and chondroitin and the brand. The reason I ask is because I had one prescribed by gp a few years a go and I think it helped. It was taken off prescription and I stopped using it. I have started again after buying it from amazon but not sure if it is helping now maybe my arthritis is too severe now. but always willing to try another brand.
Here's the link:
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I certainly hope this will help you. His arthritis is still considered mild-moderate. I guess if you don't try it you won't know.
In one of the articles I googled said MSM has anti-inflammatory properties. Perhaps that's why it worked so well... A natural ibuprofen, perhaps. Without the nasty side effects.
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Hi
I dont think I can add to the answers.....Just to say I tried it once but I dont think I [was patient enough and gave up too quickly
Love
Eileen
Hi Jac,
MSM has been a buzz supplement for years. In my experience once the cushions r gone supplements cannot replace them.. My doc explained it a combination of wear & tear, age & injury to the back..
really PT helps the best..
*Groan.. his pain returned again after some lifting today. He did say it was not as bad as before. But from his look, you can tell he's expecting a miracle from it. I guess like most treatments, MSM helps, but only to a certain extent.
Let's hope tomorrow will be better for him.
Hi
I think like a lot of us {maybe most of us} when we first have arthritis we are always looking for that miracle cure I know I did. I know now that it is not curable but it is manageable. I suppose he has to find that out in his own time
Love
Eileen
Thanks eileen.
We know there is no cure for arthritis. But if there is something that can keep him functional and lets him do what he wants, he's a happy chap. The thing that works best was ibuprofen/voltaren/celebrex. But at the back of our mind, there's always a worry of kidney failure.
Aside from that the next best pill we know is this Combo supplement. He's used Glucosamine+Chondroitin before, but not with this effect. Naturally I'd worry about side effects, but I couldnt find any so far.. So here's hoping this will keep him going for a while. :-)
Hi Jacqhhk
Acceptance is the first step.....he will be a happy chappie if he can accept it then take it from there
Be careful with anti inflammatories.....make sure your GP prescribes a stomach med {to stop ulcers} Mine didnt....I had to ask
Lots of things help one person but not another
Good luck
Eileen
Hi jacqhhk
If you think the MSM is helpful, you can kick up the dose of it by buying just the msm itself in a capsule, tablet or powder form. When purchasing it, be sure it has the optimsm label on it. That will be the purest form available.
Another supplement you can look into that has received glowing reviews on Amazon is Wobenzym N. Appears to be quite helpful for those suffering from arthritis. It's rather expensive for a supplement as you may have to take a fairly high dose of it, which is harmless. It may also take a month or more before your husband sees any benefit from it, but there's no harm in trying it.
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Best of health to you and your husband.
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Hi
MSM is a natural pain killer. I am not aware of any side effects though and want to believe as he uses it his pains should subside completely.
Thanks scooter. He is travelling fairly well at the moment. Though I'd hear about it if he misses his dose. There seems to be no bad effects so far. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed.