Can I use glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate if Im allergic to sulfates?
To be safe, patients with sulfate allergies should just take glucosamine hydrochloride (not sulfate), and skip the chondroitin sulfate. (Chondroitin in anything but a sulfated form.) Shark cartilage may be a substitute for the chondroitin sulfate, but there’s no guarantee that the shark cartilage is not sulfated, as well. I do not recommend experimenting to see if your sulfate allergy applies to these substances. People can have allergies to almost anything they can put in their mouths. Despite reading many studies and hearing from hundreds of patients taking glucosamine and chondroitin, I have yet to find anyone with a true allergy to glucosamine and chondroitin sulfates. (a true allergy would produce symptoms such as hives, itching, breathing difficulties, swelling, a drop in blood pressure, passing out, etc.) Still, I suspect that there are people who will be allergic to glucosamine and chondroitin, just as there are people who are allergic to peanuts, strawberries or shellfish and
