Arthritis sufferer dies after taking (alternative health) remedy

[Book Lover]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/04/narthritis104.xml

<snip>

Dr Dillon said the patient's liver had been normal and something had attacked it over a period of a few weeks.

"He had been taking glucosamine to help with pain and arthritis in his joints. The dating of his illness was within a very short time frame of starting to take that," he said.

"We had two other cases where the patient became ill after taking this. We were becoming suspicious of glucosamine causing a reaction and causing liver failure."

<snip>

"We have an association between glucosamine and this event and that is clearly very worrying," he said. "I cannot prove it is causal because there have not been enough cases to explore it more widely."

<snip>

[Deja Q]

1. Fair enough. Glucosamine users, go and die so we can help this chap out.

:silly:

[MannyGoldstein]

2. But Since It's Natural, It Must Be Safer And More Effective

No?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. How come these articles about how 1 person died from something natural....

.. are never followed by one of the primary causes of death in the U.S., which is PRESCRIBED chemical medication? That's kept nice and tidily under wraps in the name of profit.

[Sal Minella]

9. Of course it is. Merck isn't making billions on glucosamine.

Be reasonable.

[hvn_nbr_2]

19. The "only anecdotal evidence" meme doesn't apply when attacking supplements. nt

[flyingfysh]

7. lots of poisons are all-natural

Think of mushrooms, for example. People have died from cyanide naturally occurring in apricot pits.

[Bobbieo]

8. Think of ricin made from castor beans.

[Warpy]

3. More studies about this are clearly needed

especially to see if it's associated with a particular brand, indicating that brand has a contamination problem, or with a particular source for a group of brands, same problem.

Millions of people have taken this stuff and reported good results for osteoarthritis with no problems.

In the meantime, it might not be a bad idea to get a CMP instead of a BMP with your yearly medical checks. The larger test also checks liver enzymes and the cost is the same.

[Book Lover]

5. For the folks playing at home,

a CMP is a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel and a BMP is the Basic Metabolic Panel (terms seems self-explanatory to me).

[Mojorabbit]

10. I'd be interested

to know where that particular brand of glucosamine this person was taking was manafactured.

[enlightenment]

12. Yearly medical checks? What are those? :-)

I agree that they should be looking at the brand or source as well as what else the individual might have been taking, etc. One person does not a crisis make.

[mzmolly]

17. Exactly. Various brands can be contaminated. I research what I take at consumerlab.

But, I don't take much in the way of supps so?

http://www.consumerlab.com/

[Dr.Phool]

6. I've been taking glucosamine for years with no ill effects.

Unless I quit taking it for a month or so, and my joints start hurting like hell.

My doctor said it is effective, and my vet recommended (and kicked) it for my 2 aging dogs, who are having joint issues.

[madmom]

11. My dad swears by it, also gives it to his aging dog.

[RebelOne]

21. I give it to my Rottweiler and it has helped her arthritis. n/t

[DavidDvorkin]

13. This is really questionable

Large numbers of people take glucosamine supplements and don't experience this bad effect.

[Donnachaidh]

14. Fearmongering reports to scare people into going back to their physicians

For all the NEW drugs that have six or seven pages of side effects. THOSE are safe, Big Pharma says. :sarcasm:

Of course, you'll have to mortgage your house to pay for their SAFE drugs. :sarcasm:

I'll bet there's information about the overall health of this patient being left out. And I use glucosamine, with NO ill effects.

[trotsky]

15. Just as even larger numbers of people took Vioxx and didn't die.

Yet Vioxx was recalled and Merck is being sued nonetheless.

Man whatever happened to a basic knowledge of statistics and logic?

[RebelOne]

22. But I do know someone who was taking Vioxx and did die. n/t

[trotsky]

23. Which illustrates perfectly the need to understand statistics

and what "anecdotal evidence" means.

[mzmolly]

16. It's not "alternative medicine" in Europe.

"No proof of causation". Pretty difficult to prove X causes Y when Y is found among those not taking X.

But, this is good to know, thanks for sharing.

From WIKI: In Europe, glucosamine is approved as a medical drug and is sold in the form of glucosamine sulphate. In this case, evidence of safety and efficacy is required for the medical use of glucosamine and several guidelines have recommended its use as an effective and safe therapy for osteoarthritis. Actually, the Task Force of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) committee recently granted glucosamine sulfate a level of toxicity of 5 in a 0-100 scale,<20> and recent OARSI (OsteoArthritis Research Society International) guidelines for hip and knee osteoarthritis also confirm its excellent safety profile.<21>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucosamine">MORE

[HysteryDiagnosis]

18. I can see the movie now.... Attack of the Killer Jello... hoohah...

[xchrom]

20. recommend

[dropkickpa]

24. Maybe

There's an underlying genetic predisposition to fatal reactions to glucosamine. That means we need to ban it.

Well, if you go by anti-vaxer thimerosol guidelines you would.

I wonder, if this were a controlled drug, only available via rx, manufactured to standards pharmaceuticals are subject to, would people be so vehement in their defense of it?

[mzmolly]

25. I don't know anyone who advocates "banning" vaccines.

Ban "thimerosal" yes - vaccines, no.

I wonder, if this were a controlled drug, only available via rx, manufactured to standards pharmaceuticals are subject to, would people be so vehement in their defense of it?

Further, it's a controlled drug in Europe.

[Book Lover]

26. Not according to the doctor whose site I picked up the original

story from http://nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/2008/03/glucosamine-untried-untested-and.html

[mzmolly]

29. Seems he's uneducated on this particular issue.

:hi:

[dropkickpa]

27. Not controlled here

but, people also screamed bloody murder "theys takin mah 'erbs!!!" when review and quality control measures on herbal remedies were suggested here in the US (EU already does this). Get it from a doc=bad in many circles around here.

[mzmolly]

28. Gotcha.

;)

[varkam]

30. Well, that's because all docs are evil shills and care only for money

Dontcha know?