Finding the right arthritis alternative medicine depends on many factors. What type of arthritis do you have? How severe are you symptoms? Are they progressive? What are you hoping to accomplish? Arthritis is a debilitating disease that damages the joints in our bodies. The most complained about symptom of course is pain which is why arthritis medicine can be so important to a patient.

Mainstream arthritis medicines have caused some uncomfortable side effects that have led many to look for an arthritis alternative medicine. When you think of alternative medicine you may very well just jump to herbal remedies in your mind and those are an arthritis alternative medicine but other therapies like acupuncture for example can also be included.

It is hard to avoid the mainstream drugs that are prescribed for certain kinds of arthritis. If you still watch the nightly news it appears there is a commercial every fifteen minutes about the top 3 medical ailments of the day. These would be some sort of libido pill, cholesterol lowering pill or of course an arthritis pill. Without naming specific brands not every pill works for all arthritis sufferers. What’s more some arthritis sufferers are more active than others and expect more.

Certain over the counter supplements have become popular at the arthritis alternative medicine of choice. The most popular supplements include some combination of glucosomine.

There are different forms of glucosomine combinations some that seem to work better than others. Glucosomine sulfate seems to be better reviewed than glucosomine hydrochloride. Though I am not in the typical age range for arthritis I have been a pretty active person particularly in sports and the arthritis in my knees really prevented me from being as active as I wanted. I take a supplement daily that combines glucosomine, hydrocloric acid and chondroitin and have found that I can exercise more regularly now. The truth though is that the same arthritis alternative medicine that works for me can cause unacceptable side effects in others.

If you look at reviews for specific over the counter arthritis medicines you will find that some users complain about gastrointestinal issues ranging from mild gas to severe diarrhea. The problems seem to stem from other ingredients that may be mixed in to these over the counter arthritis alternative medicines. The best course of action when you have a problem like this is to stop using the pills immediately. If you are looking to find an arthritis alternative medicine odds are you may have already tried some prescribed remedies and had some problem with them.

Recent news reports often highlight how prescription drugs may be causing more severe side effects than initially understood. This makes us all gun shy when it comes to trying some of the highly advertised prescription brands. If you are considering traditional arthritis medicines beyond day to day pain relief you definitely should have your list of questions ready for your doctor. Do some research and don’t be afraid to bring up arthritis alternative medicine options. You may be surprised to find that they are knowledgeable about those too.

Author Bio: Alex is a freelance writer.