Can I keep taking anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen if I go on glucosamine and chondroitin?
The brief answer is… Yes. Some people take Celebrex®, Aleve®, Advil®, ibuprofen or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) chronically for pain control. I advise patients to stay on their NSAID while taking both glucosamine and chondroitin, or ASU. After taking the supplements for a few weeks, and if your doctor approves, you can try to slowly wean off of the anti-inflammatory medication. Try to decrease the medication dose slowly, perhaps about 10% per week. this is often performed by skipping an occasional doses or using a lower dose tablet over time. In my patients, I consider it a great victory to eventually eliminate the medication. Fortunately, large numbers of people are able to either reduce or eliminate their reliance on these drugs by following the principles in my nine-step treatment program. Using chondroitin alone (not even in combination) showed a 67% reduction in NSAID use in a large study of 11,000 people. ASU can also reduce the need for chondroitin. As
