chondroitin

Complementary/Alternative Medicine: This monograph describes a natural or herbal product that is not subject to FDA guidelines for medicines. Patients and clinicians are advised to read package labels carefully to ensure safe and efficacious use.

REMS

Osteoarthritis
Ischemic heart disease
Hyperlipidemia
Osteoporosis
In combination with sodium hyaluronate, for use as a surgical aid in cataract extraction or lens implantation, and as a lubricant

Action ⬆ ⬇

May serve as a building block of articular cartilage. May protect cartilage against degradation. May have antiatherogenic properties.

Therapeutic effects:

Improvement in osteoarthritis symptoms.

Pharmacokinetics ⬆ ⬇

Absorption: 8–18% is absorbed orally.

Distribution: Unknown.

Metabolism/Excretion: Unknown.

Half-Life: Unknown.

Time/Action Profile ⬆ ⬇

ROUTE	ONSET	PEAK	DURATION
PO	unknown	unknown	unknown

Contraind./Precautions ⬆ ⬇

Contraindicated in:

OB: Pregnancy and lactation.

Use Cautiously in:

Asthma (may exacerbate symptoms);
Clotting disorders (may ↑ risk of bleeding);
Prostate cancer (may ↑ risk of metastasis or recurrence).

Adv. Reactions/Side Effects ⬆ ⬇

GI: diarrhea, heartburn, nausea

Hemat: bleeding (antiplatelet effect)

Misc: allergic reactions, edema, hair loss

Interactions ⬆ ⬇

Natural-Drug Products:

Use of chondroitin with anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs, thrombolytics, NSAIDs, some cephalosporins, and valproates may ↑ risk of bleeding.

Natural-Natural Products:

Herbs with anticoagulant or antiplatelet properties may ↑ bleeding risk when combined with chondroitin, including: anise, arnica, chamomile, clove, dong quai, fenugreek, feverfew, ginger, ginkgo, Panax ginseng, licorice, and others.

Route/Dosage ⬆ ⬇

PO (Adults ): Osteoarthritis: 800–2000 mg daily, as a single dose or in 2–3 divided doses. Prevention of recurrent myocardial infarction: 10 g daily in 3 divided doses for 3 mo followed by 1.5 g daily in 3 divided doses as maintenance therapy.
IM (Adults ): Osteoarthritis: 50 mg twice weekly for 8 wk every 4 mo.

Availability ⬆ ⬇

Tablets: ^OTC
Capsules: ^OTC
Injection (not available in US):
Ophthalmic Drops Rx in combination with sodium hyaluronate (Viscoat):

Assessment ⬆ ⬇

Evaluate drug profile before starting therapy with this herbal supplement. If the patient is taking anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs, avoid use of this herb.
Monitor pain (type, location, and intensity) and range of motion on an ongoing basis as an indicator of drug efficacy.
Assess for gastric discomfort and instruct patient to seek out the advice of a health care professional if persistent gastric discomfort occurs.
Assess for signs of bleeding and discontinue herbal supplement promptly and seek out health care professional for follow-up.

Implementation ⬆ ⬇

PO: Administer with food.

Patient/Family Teaching ⬆ ⬇

Advise patients that this herbal supplement is usually taken with glucosamine.
Caution patients who take aspirin or NSAIDs or other non-prescription medications not to take this herbal supplement without conferring with their health care professional.
Instruct patients that this medication works by building up cartilage and that this requires that the medication be taken consistently over a period of time. It is not recommended as a supplemental pain medication.
Advise female patients to notify health care professional if pregnancy is planned or suspected or if breast feeding; avoid use.

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Pronunciation ⬇

Classifications ⬆ ⬇

Indications ⬆ ⬇