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Adequan Joint Repair
Pharmaceutical Name: Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan
Active Life: up to 96 hours
Polysulfated glycosaminoglycan is a veterinary medicine that is used to treat
degenerative joint conditions in animals such as degenerative and/or traumatic
arthritis, ligament damage, and numerous other conditions (1). The compound is
manufactured for the specific treatment in equine and canine medicine, but it
not limited to simply those animals. It is prescribed to a vast array of
species.
In terms of human use, there have been no products containing polysulfated
glycosaminoglycan that have been approved for human use. However this has not
stopped countless individuals from self medicating with the help of this drug.
The attractive qualities of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan include its ability
to help rapidly reduce inflammation in damaged joints and help to regenerate
some connective tissue and ligaments that have been damaged. Users often
reported relieving their immediate joint pain within only a few
administrations of the drug. While the effects are not instantaneous, the drug
is relatively fast acting.
Polysulfated glycosaminoglycan is similar chemically to mucopolysaccharides,
which are found in cartilaginous tissues. It is also an analog of heparin;
heparin being an anticoagulant. The drug works by inhibiting proteolytic
enzymes that can degrade proteoglycans (2). This in turn impedes the
decreasing connective tissue flexibility, resistance to compression and
resiliency of degenerating joints (1).
It should be noted that polysulfated glycosaminoglycan is ineffective for
treatment of acute trauma to joints, tendons or ligaments (2) and should not
be used for treating such conditions. This means that severe and sudden
injuries will receive little benefit from the administration of the drug.
Use/Dosing
Due to the fact that there have been no polysulfated glycosaminoglycan
products have been produced that have been approved for human use, there is no
standard dosing procedures for human users. Due to this fact we are left to
rely on the anecdotal reports offered by users that have administered this
drug themselves.
For the most part users have run doses ranging from 1 amp/1 milliliter twice
per week, to as much as 1 amp/milliliter every day. Of course these dosing
schedules are primarily informed by other past users and little else due to
the lack of information about the drug related to human use.
From what is known about polysulfated glycosaminoglycan the usual veterinary
practice is to administer the drug between every 2 to four days for a period
of between four to six weeks for both dogs and horses, the primary animals
that the drug is produced and marketed for (2, 3). It is believed that any
further administration of the drug beyond this protocol would not result any
additional benefit.
As is stated below, toxicity is not a concern with polysulfated
glycosaminoglycan so using too much of the drug is apparently not a health
concern, but rather simply a financial one. Based on this, one may err on the
side of larger doses to help and achieve the maximal benefits from the drug
while understanding that even large, high performance animals are limited to
relatively infrequent dosing in most cases.
Risks/Side Effects
Polysulfated glycosaminoglycan does not exhibit any serious side effects for
users. It is noted in the veterinary literature available that for
intramuscular injections of the compound there are nearly no noticeable side
effects that could be produced. The drug can be administered via
intraarticular injection and some side effects could potentially develop (4),
but for human users this will not be an issue.
Toxicity issues should also not be a major concern for users. In research it
was indicated that even when giving animals five times the recommended amount
of the compound over an extended number of weeks via intramuscular injection,
there were still no signs of toxicity within the treated group (4).
It appears that polysulfated glycosaminoglycan is a relatively safe drug for
most users to administer notwithstanding any unforeseen complications or
individual responses.
References
1. Caron JP, Kaneene JB, Miller R. Results of a survey of
equine practitioners on the use and perceived efficacy of polysulfated
glycosaminoglycan. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1996 Nov 1;209(9):1564-8.
2. Hendrix DV, Ward DA, Barnhill MA. Effects of anti-inflammatory drugs and
preservatives on morphologic characteristics and migration of canine corneal
epithelial cells in tissue culture. Vet Ophthalmol. 2002 Jun;5(2):127-35.
3. Tung JT, Venta PJ, Caron JP. Inducible nitric oxide expression in equine
articular chondrocytes: effects of antiinflammatory compounds. Osteoarthritis
Cartilage. 2002 Jan;10(1):5-12.
4. Susan K. Mikota DVM and Donald C. Plumb, Pharm.D. Elephant Care
International, website. 2003-05.
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