Trigosamine™ is a fairly new and novel supplement for joint pain. Trigosamine is unique in that it contains hyaluronic acid - a natural component of joint fluid. The studies surrounding Trigosamine are limited but it appears to be fairly well tolerated.

One of the reasons I started looking into Trigosamine is because I had a patient ask me about it for her mother who was on expensive prescription medications for her joint pain. Now, while joint pain can mean a lot of things it does indicate that she probably had an arthritis component to it.

Trigosamine Facts

Trigosamine is actually the brand name for a product that contains three ingredients: glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronate (see Trigosamine Ingredient image below)

Glucosamine and chondroitin are probably familiar to you and I've written before about glucosamine studies which you may want to take a look at. However, the hyaluronic acid ingredient may be new to you.

Hyaluronic Acid

Right now, in your joints, you have hyaluronate. It's essentially a natural component of your synovial fluid (the fluid surrounding your joints that allows them to stay lubricated and move without grinding).

The theory behind Trigosamine is that many people who have joint pain have joints that aren't well lubricated enough. Which can happen as you age. So, if you can 're-lubricate' the joints naturally it's the best option.

Trigosamine Studies

Frankly, the studies surrounding Trigosamine aren't as impressive as they'd like to make them sound. Here's an excerpt from Trigosamine's corporate site:

"Dr. Joseph Dietz, PhD1, "Early clinical results2 show that Hyaluronate, like that in Trigosamine™ is effectively absorbed by the digestive system and enters the body's bloodstream where it is available to work on the joints3. Hyaluronate's lubricating properties are impressive. This super-slippery and resilient compound is what permits your joints to slide smoothly and comfortably over one another. Trigosamine supplements your body with a full 13 mg of Hyaluronate."

When you look at the fine print you'll find Dr. Dietz is an employee of the distributor of Trigosamine and the clinical results they are referencing were from an unpublished study.

However, nitpicking aside, the study did show that Trigosamine does appear to be absorbed into the system and gets into the joint fluid - which is the most important thing.

Trigosamine Side Effects

Something that is missing from Trigosamine is a discussion of the products potential side effects.

While glucosamine and chondroitin have a lot of discussion about possible side effects, overall they are pretty well tolerated. By hyaluronic acid is kind of a wild card. I searched online and found a few discussion forums and discovered that the most common themes I was seeing was that customers complained of stomach side effects. Namely bloating and gas and even nausea and cramping. In some cases the they were severe enough to cause the patient to stop taking Trigosamine.

Trigosamine Dose

As you can see from the Trigosamine image below the recommended dose is 3 capsules daily. With each bottle lasting you a month. The manufacturer of Trigosamine does offer (at the time of this writing) a 90 day money back guarantee - which (as long as they truly honor it) is a great deal.

According to the website you could order a 4 months supply (4 bottles) of Trigosamine for $86 (minus shipping and handling).

Trigosamine Conclusion

At a little over $20 a month Trigosamine is not a bad deal. Particularly if it helps your joint pain.

True, ibuprofen will be cheaper than that but, I wouldn't want to take ibuprofen long term for a number of reasons. But particularly the stomach side effects and the fact that it's not really addressing the root cause of the problem. Celebrex is a little more effective but with it's cost (multiples of Trigosamine) and the heart concerns which knocked it's close cousins Bextra® and Vioxx® off the market I personally would not want my mother taking it.

Which, in my opinion, leaves Trigosamine as a good possible alternative - especially with a money-back guarantee (less shipping and handling). You'll never get that kind of deal from a pharmacy :-)

You will want to make sure you don't have any allergies like shellfish or that you suffer from any kind of asthma or related condition.

If you have any feedback (good or bad) on Trigosamine I'd love to hear it.