Curcumin and Arthritis

[EPguy]

There are members here taking curcumin for OA. Question is how long did it take to find a benefit, if there was one?

I ask on behalf of my husband who just got an Rx of NSAID for a new knee arthritis Dx. I understand curc can be equally effective for some.

Adding a bit more info, my brother regained normal use of his fingers from OA, but only with a combo of both Curc and fish oil. He had a big improvement.

[hunter5582]

My rheumatologist recommended curcumin for OA when NSAIDs and Lyrica did not help. Curcumin has been more effective than anything else I ever tried. It makes the difference between being functional or not, particularly in the hands.

My Integrative Medicine doc also recommends curcumin as part of managing the systemic inflammation associated with the JAK2 mutation. She also prescribed L-Glutathione and SPM Active (a fish oil derivative). This combination is working well for me. No issues with tolerance, including not potentiating the aspirin.

Note that many curcumin supplements are worthless. Turmeric/curcumin does not readily pass through he intestinal endothelium. It needs help. My doc recommends the CurcuWIN formulation, found in various brands. I use the Spring Valley brand which is available at Walmart.

[EPguy in reply to hunter5582]

Agree on the newer curc formulations being effective. Posts here are very promising and my husband is now trying it.

I got the CurcuWIN several years ago based on your reference to it. But I don't have any joint issues (other than 1/2 hour after the fateful flu vax) so maybe it's redundant for me. I re-challenged with it yesterday hoping maybe some Sjo benefit. Seems I'm now intolerant to it, similar to glutathione which is now poison to me in any form.

I will be sure my husband gets some CMP panels for the 1st few months as there is increasing evidence of rare liver toxicity with the new formulas:

" These high bioavailability forms of purified curcumin were subsequently linked to several cases of liver injury and mentioned as a possible cause of outbreaks of acute hepatitis with jaundice in Italy." "The latency to onset of liver injury has varied from a few weeks to as long as eight months but is typically 1 to 4 months. The onset is insidious with fatigue, nausea and poor appetite followed by dark urine and jaundice."

Prompt stopping of therapy when injury is evident provides: " most cases resolve completely without evidence of chronic injury or bile duct loss"

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK5...

For is MPNs we get CMPs regularly so there should be no surprises. But the basic metabolic panel does not measure the AST ALT of interest.

[Camelian in reply to hunter5582]

Hi hunterI have PV JAK2 and I also have polymyalgia rheumatic for which I'm taking steroids with lots of side effects. I've been thinking of trying supplements to help with my over all wellbeing and I am thinking of trying CurcuWIN for the reasons you mentioned plus I read it can help with digestion issues which I also suffer from and exacerbated by steroids. I was taking 30 mg landsoprazol to help with digestion but a recent dexa scan identified osteopenia so I'm trying to reduce this medication currently down to 15mg. I'm in the UK and have looked on Amazon for CurcuWIN but can't find it can you put on a photo of what the pack/bottle looks like so I know what I'm looking for. Also is there any other supplements good for digestion you know of that won't affect PV I'm only taking aspirin and venesection at the moment to manage my PV

Many thanks.

[hunter5582 in reply to Camelian]

CurcuWIN is a liposomal formulation of curcumin that is readily bioavailable. It is found in various brands. I use the Spring Valley brand, which is available in the USA. According to ChatGPT these brands use the CurcuWIN formulation in the UK: Nature's Best Curcusorb+ – Lamberts Healthcare Curcumin Ultra - Nutri-Link CurcuWIN 500. Note that I did not verify this information.

Given the complexity of managing multiple conditions, it would be a good idea to get input from a medical provider who is familiar with complementary health interventions. I consult with an Integrative medicine doctor for this reason. Functional medicine doctors often have this expertise as well.

Hope you find success finding something that works for you.

[jon1972]

This is an interesting post to me because I recently stopped taking Curcumin and my knuckles have started locking up on me over the past few weeks. I never made the connection because I wasn't even aware it was used for arthritis. I suppose it could still be a coincidence but interesting nevertheless

[EPguy in reply to jon1972]

That is a good test, you had no bias to expect it to work. Why did you stop?

[jon1972 in reply to EPguy]

I just ran out and haven't got around to re-ordering since I'm in the middle of moving. I'll be getting more soon

[william-Indo]

I am taking tumeric with black pepper and coconut oil mix together.It is very cheap and work very well.

I live in tropical and very easy to have this ingredients fresh and cheap

Cheers

[Spanelmad]

I personally take the nsaid but the mad spaniel takes a curcurmin/ fish oil combination for arthritis after his elbow ops.

[Nickthedevil]

I have been taking curcumin with piperine for several years. I have arthritis in most joints, including feet and the curcumin has helped enormously. I noticed a difference after a couple of weeks, particularly in my feet

[Val_P]

I have been taking Turmeric for several years now. I could barely walk up the stairs without crawling. It took a while to get into my system probably about 6/8 weeks but I feel so much better. I bought a year supply so after the year I stopped taking them and before to long my hips, knees and lower back was once again crippling me. I now am on a repeat subscription.

[Meatloaf9]

My wife started taking turmeric with black pepper for OA in her hands, nothing else worked, she doesn't drop things any longer and is not in pain at all. It took 3 or 4 weeks for her to get relief. We are all different. Best to you.