Is It Okay to Take a Glucosamine-chondroitin Supplement Before and After Otoplasty?

Question

I take a routine glucosamine-chondroitin liquid supplement daily, 2 tablespoons a day as instructed. I take this because of an old herniated lumbar disc injury. The supplement also contains horsetail as well as collagen, vitamin B complex, vitamin D3 and zinc. I've always found it to be beneficial on my back, but is there any reason I should not take it when going through otoplasty (ear pinning?) It is supposed to help strengthen cartilage , would this in fact be helpful for recovery? Thank you!

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

Glucosamine-Chondroitin should not be taken immediately before or after surgery as they can promote bleeding after the procedure.  Although they are herbal substances, they can mimic heparin, which is a blood thinner.

	 

	It is not clear how glucosamine-chondroitin will impact cartilage after an otoplasty, but more than likely it will have minimal change in either a positive or negative manner based on anecdotal evidence.

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

Glucosamine-chondroitin liquid supplement should not interfere with your planned Otoplasty surgery. In addition Supplements containing collagen, vitamin B complex, vitamin D3 and zinc.should also not affect your surgery. When in doubt, check with your surgeon.

Mark Domanski, MD · Answer

There is a lot of debate about glucosamine-chondroitin.  If it helps you with your back issues, it's hard to argue with good results!
But large molecules have difficulty being absorbed in the intestine.  Thus there is some scientific uncertainty if the amount of glucosamine-chondroitin that is absorbed actually makes a difference.
Once again, if it helps you, thats fine.  But scientifically, it shouldn't make a difference on your ear cartilage.  So probably ok to take.
For specific advice, please ask your surgeon on what he or she recommends.

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD · Answer

In today's era of nutritional supplements, it is not a surprise that you would wonder whether such a compound would have any effect on your ear cartilage surgery. In theory you would think that it would. But there is no known evidence that it has any effect on cartilage repair in the ear or any other cartilage not in a synovial-lined cavity. Conversely, there is no known side effect either so I would not alter your normal oral regimen.

Edward E. Dickerson, IV, MD · Answer

To be safe you should definitely consult your surgeon before the treatment. There is no research or evidence for or against the use of glucosamine-chondroitin supplements before and after an otoplasty. There are few side effects to using this supplement, but it is always best to get the opinion and consent of your doctor first. There are also no studies done to show whether or not it helps with the recovery from an otoplasty.

	"Dr.D"

Michael R. Menachof, MD · Answer

There is no evidence that this supplement will help or hurt you around the time of your surgery. The supplements we want all patients to stop are those that increase the likelihood of bleeding. This does not do that so it would probably be okay to take although I wouldn't expect it to improve the overall outcome of the surgery. Good luck.

James McMahan, MD (retired) · Answer

Thank you for your question. Although there is no evidence that taking glucosamine-chondroitin supplements will be helpful in your recovery from an otoplasty, it should not cause any problems either.

Is It Okay to Take a Glucosamine-chondroitin Supplement Before and After Otoplasty?

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