Looking for alternative treatments. Recommendations?

FelicityD
FelicityD Bots Posts: 39
edited 19. Oct 2015, 15:11 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi everyone, I haven't posted for a while. I was diagnosed with knee OA last summer and more recently with midfoot OA. I have been on and off Naproxen and it's been giving me really bad indigestion and stomach pain.

I am sick of the side effects and am now looking for something sustainable, more natural to reduce the inflammation and pain.. me's thinking there must be something natural, which works and which has less side effects? Does anyone have experience with any supplements like devils claw, rose hip, glucosamine or the stuff like jointace, arthro pro or arthro360?… I cant just buy it all at H&B and start popping a dozen pills, can I?!

Very interesting also the article on the Daily Express front page today about the methotrexate trials on OA patients.. maybe I should get my hands on some :roll: .. but then that is not natural :cry:

Comments

  • Francie7532
    Francie7532 Member Posts: 40
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I have tried a few supps jointace and joint rx. I think it worked ok for some time, but I couldnt avoid Naproxen.
    My GP recommended I should take 2g of glucosamine, chondroitin and omega-3 per day, which is working fine. Much less pain since I started that. I wont try anything that has no science to back it up like devils claw and what not. Arthro360 and arthro pro look interesting though .. esp arthro360, because it also has omegas.   
  • daffy2
    daffy2 Member Posts: 1,636
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I don't have experience with anything other than glucosamine/chondroitin for my OA, but there is quite a bit of useful information here
    http://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/treatments/natural/supplements-herbs/guide/
    Opinion and experiences tend to be quite polarised on this topic - there are those who have found something which suits and helps and others who have found nothing that 'works'. I found the glucosamine/chondroitin did nothing for my joints(and seemed to upset my gut), but a lady on the Arthritis Care course I attended had excellent results for her hands. Do bear in mind that just because something is 'natural' doesn't mean it's without adverse effects, and like prescription and other drugs the possibility of interactions has to be checked. If you see 'research findings' quoted be sure to check the sample size, what sort of study/trial it relates to, and who conducted it. Generally 'the jury's out' for many of the alternatives available; there is a lack of study, and those that have been done may be inconclusive, so you'll find that bodies such as AC won't recommend them.
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Meth is far from natural. I take it for RA, along with folic acid to mitigate against the side effects. Trials of it for some OA patients have been ongoing for a while. You can read more about them on the Arthritis Research UK site which says this about complementary meds http://tinyurl.com/ak3g5f2

    Before taking any supplements please read carefully what the NHS says about them http://tinyurl.com/njd77zz .

    Sorry to be blunt but I'm in a bit of a rush.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • Tia1723
    Tia1723 Bots Posts: 43
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I agree with stickywicket. Stay clear of the meth! The complementary meds link is useful.

    I have been taking arthro pro by aminoexpert for a while and am really happy with it. Mainly, because I have much less pain and have all but stopped taking Oxaprozin. It combines many of the complementary meds so I don't have to take 10 different pills and I just take a few extra omega-3 caps per day.

    For me complimentary is the only way forward. Once I realised there's nothing I could do about arthur I spoke to my GP and we decided to manage the symptoms naturally.

    I agree with Daffy2 that there is no one-fits-all and everyone has to find something that works for them. I disagree on that lack of studies though (sorry Daffy :D) because there are loads of them. Good advice that you should always check who conducted the study. Sometimes studies are too small (e.g. 20 participants) or worse, sponsored. That is why I prefer to read just meta studies or papers, which summarise whole topics.

    Basically, you have to do your own research to find something you think will suit you and *then, very important* discuss it with your GP or pharmacist. The key here is education. Just start googleing and have a look around pubmed:

    Either way, you should definitely try Glucosamine and Chondroitin. This article cites over 80 studies and concludes that "we should consider the use of glucosamine as a combination therapy with other drugs or other nutraceuticals, such as omega3 fatty acid or manganese ascorbate.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3392795/

    See how you get on. Always talk to your GP. The long-term goal of reducing your dependency on NSAIDs will easily take a few months depending on how your body responds.. if at all, but it is worth trying IMHO.

    Sorry it’s a bit of ramble ... I hope it makes some sense. Good luck
  • FelicityD
    FelicityD Bots Posts: 39
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    whow! I just logged back and am amazed about the response. Thank you all!
    OK I won't touch the meth. :vampire:
    Will do some research on the research :lol: Don't think I will bother with buying all the stuff separtely so the combo pills arthro pro and arthro 360 def appeal. I just need to find out how much extra omega3 I should be taking, have a chat with my GP and decide on one of the two.