Knee Osteoarthritis Treatment: Glucosamine or Tylenol?

Knee osteoarthritis patients want the most effective treatment in terms of pain relief and improved function. Glucosamine sulfate has become a popular osteoarthritis treatment in the past few years. Like any osteoarthritis treatment though, patients vary in their response. According to the February 2007 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, the prescription formulation of glucosamine sulfate (1,500 mg once daily) was compared to 3 grams/day of acetaminophen (Tylenol) and placebo to reduce symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.

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There were 318 study participants with moderately severe osteoarthritis randomly assigned glucosamine sulfate, acetaminophen, or placebo. Researchers concluded glucosamine sulfate was more effective than placebo in treating knee osteoarthritis symptoms. Acetaminophen also had more responders than placebo but it was not considered statistically significant.

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