Glucosamine Sulfate

[wesimkins]

Hi! After reading a few posts and after the past few weeks of worsening in my sons tics I thought about adding in Glucosamine Sulfate. I know it was in an older formula of Kirkman Spectrum Complete which we have been using since March. I do not know where to begin dosing him at. He is 59lbs. Also can I still continue the epsom salt baths or could that be an overload to his system? If your familiar with the supplement, id love to hear from you. Thanks :-)

[Cj60]

Hello,

 

We started supplementing the GS after seeing a rise in our son's tics from mid July through mid September. That rise has since returned to the levels we were accustomed to seeing.

 

The wane could be due to seasonal waxing and waning. This was the second year that we saw a noticeable rise in mid summer. Last year, things settled significantly around November, after a couple of months of diet modifications and magnesium supplementation. The most noteworthy decrease last year, however, came after we added the Kirkmans multi. This year, the wane came after we added the GS to the now GS-less Kirkman supplement.

 

I should note that I *think* that my son is benefitting from the GS becuase it is providing his body with needed sulfate, something I've kept an eye on over the past year. Kirkmans' site states "Glucosamine Sulfate Capsules are a convenient and efficient way of adding sulfate to the diet. The benefits of sulfate appear to be linked to an enzyme system known as phenol sulfotransferase (PST). Sulfate deficiency may explain why some individuals are sensitive to a variety of phenol-containing foods, such as apples, grapes, berries, onions, potatoes, chocolate, food colorings, and some herbs and spices." While this list is abbreviated, it contains several items which have been determined, either through testing or observation, to adversely affect my son. That's why I was comfortable supplementing the GS back into his multi. He is 75 lbs. and I mix the contents of a 500 mg capsule into his vitamin each morning. The earlier form of the Kirkmans Spectrum Complete contained 200 mg/serving of GS. While he seldom takes epsom salt baths these days, I've noticed no ill effects when he does. But I'm not at all informed regarding the potential side effects of too much suflate. I'd check with a qualified professional on that one.

 

Finally, googling PST should lead to some helpful information concerning sulfates.

 

Hope this helps,

Chris

Edited October 29, 2011 by Cj60

[wesimkins]

Thank you for your reply. I am splitting a 500 mg capsule. Today is only day 2 and his tics are continuing to worsen. Hopefully they will settle down soon :-) Since this is our first year we havent quite gotten used to the idea of them going away only to come back.