Hello mulling,
When discussing brand name versus generic medications, generics are
usually as good as brand name. The difference is important when very
precise amounts of medication is essential. Drugs such as coumadin,
digoxin, and dilantin need to be taken as constant and exact amounts,
making brand names medically important for patients who need these
medicines.
I?m not saying this applies to your doctor, but some doctors and
staff are influenced by pharmacy reps that provide them with
discounts, free samples, free pens, free tablets, free clocks, and
other perks for the office. Some doctors are not familiar with
supplements at all, and your doctor may be familiar only with Cosamin.
Your doctor may not have taken into account your budget constraints or
the price of recommending a brand name.
For supplements, like chondroitin, MSM, vitamins, minerals, etc., an
exact dosage is not critical. In general, only a certain amount of any
supplement is able to be absorbed by the body, and the rest is
eliminated.
When comparing prices, be sure to look at the dosage you need. Some
supplements may come in smaller doses, requiring one to consume more
tablets per day. Compare the price per pill and add up the price of
each pill, in the quantity you need to take each day, to get your
daily price. Consider how MANY pills you will need to take.
(Recent studies have also shown adding MSN to your
glucosamine/chondroitin regimen has proved to be very beneficial to
arthritics! Ask your doctor about adding MSN too.)
?ConsumerLab.com provides independent test results and information to
help consumers and healthcare professionals evaluate health, wellness,
and nutrition products. It publishes results of its tests online at
www.consumerlab.com, including listings of brands that have passed
testing. Products that pass CL's testing are eligible to bear the CL
Seal of Approval. CL addresses a growing need of consumers and
healthcare professionals for better information to guide the selection
of health, wellness, and nutrition products.?
http://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/Nutrition%20Supplements.htm
From my research, you will see below that Cosamin is a Consumer Labs
approved supplement, as well as brands such as Puritan?s Pride and
Nature Made, among others. To save money, buy in large quantities.
Puritan?s Pride seems to be the least expensive, and this company has
a good reputation.
According to the site below, Cosamin is approved by ConsumerLabs, but
it is not the ONLY chondroitin/glucosamine product mentioned;
Puritan?s Pride is listed as well.
?Glucosamine and Chondroitin:
Chondroitin is an expensive material, so experts have been concerned
about the quality and quantity of the ingredient in supplements.
Because chondroitin typically comes from cow cartilage, an additional
concern has been whether the products may be contaminated with the
causative agent of Mad Cow disease (known scientifically as bovine
spongiform encephalitis or BSE). The risk, however, seems to be
miniscule because the prion thought to be the causative agent of the
disease exists only in very low levels in cartilage; it's most
abundant in nervous and glandular tissues. In addition, some
manufacturers have stated that the process used to make chondroitin
supplements should inactivate the prion - although this hasn't been
shown conclusively. Unfortunately, there's no simple way to test for
BSE prion contamination in supplements, so products in this review
weren't evaluated for contamination.?
http://www.consumerlab.com/results/gluco.asp
Puritan's Pride
===============
These Puritan?s Pride Advanced Softgels contain MSM, glucosamine and
condroitin, Vitamins C and E, and cost $45.79 USD for two bottles of
180 capsules. The label states you need to take 3 per day. Two bottles
give you enough capsules for 120 days, at a cost of about $0.38 per
day
http://www.puritan.com/pages/categories.asp?CID=45&AFID=13&SAFID=google&sc=1792
Nature Made
===========
Nature Made is another well respected brand, that gets approval form
CL. This bottle is $15.99 for 48 tablets, and the label states you
need to take 3 tablets a day, at a cost of about $1.00 per day. Buying
in a larger quantity is cheaper.
http://www.drugstore.com/qxp69457_333181_sespider/nature_made/tripleflex_maximum_strength_glucosamine_chondroitin_plus_msm_tablets.htm
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=69457&catid=2332&trx=29384&tab=0#0
Amazon.com carries a Nature Made product for $12.99 for 48 tablets.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000DJAPB/sr=1-2/qid=1107384975/ref=sr_1_2/104-3304022-1577551?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=3760931&s=hpc&v=glance
Walgreens has Nature Made for $0.34 per tablet, 50 per bottle, for
$16.99. Recommended dosage is 3 tablets a day for $1.02 per day.
Clearly buying a large bottle is cheaper.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jhtml?PRODID=360165&CATID=100180&ext=nat_676781
Cosamin:
========
Amazon has this for $55.99 for 210 capsules. Take 3 capsules for the
first month or two, and one a day after that. This comes to $0.80 per
day the first month or two, and $0.26 per day after that, when taking
one per day.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000537O8/sr=1-1/qid=1107385092/ref=sr_1_1/104-3304022-1577551?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=3760931&s=hpc&v=glance
Safety:
If you are allergic to seafood, do not take chondroitin!
From the FDA:
·?Who is responsible for ensuring the safety and efficacy of dietary supplements?
Under the law, manufacturers of dietary supplements are responsible
for making sure their products are safe before they go to market. They
are also responsible for determining that the claims on their labels
are accurate and truthful. Dietary supplement products are not
reviewed by the government before they are marketed, but FDA has the
responsibility to take action against any unsafe dietary supplement
product that reaches the market. If FDA can prove that claims on
marketed dietary supplement products are false and misleading, the
agency may take action also against products with such claims.?
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-savvy.html#basic
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-savvy.html#tips
To summarize, mulling, in order to find your supplements at the best
price, I would suggest going to your local Wal Mart, Walgreens, Osco,
CVS, etc. and look for the largest bottle of Nature Made, Puritan?s
Pride or Cosamin, on sale if possible. Check the expiration date on
the bottle to assure you will be using all of the product before it
expires. Divide the total price by the number of pills in the bottle
to get the price per pill. Then multiply the price per pill by the
number you will take per day to arrive at the daily cost. I would feel
comfortable taking any of the above brands. Do not limit yourself to
Cosamin, unless you prefer that brand. Buying a large quantity at a
local store will also save shipping costs.
I hope this has helped you. If any part of my answer is unclear,
please request an Answer Clarification, before rating. This will allow
me to assist you further, if possible.
Regards, Crabcakes
Search terms
glucosamine chondroitin reviews
glucosamine + chondroitin |
