In a newsletter wide survey that was conducted in July of 2014, many UC’ers who are part of iHaveUC wanted to hear from the masses about their experiences with L-Glutamine and several other supplements. So this page was created as a place for those of you to voice your own personal review of how L-Glutamine as a supplement has played a part (or not a part) in controlling your ulcerative colitis symptoms.
crazy digital picture of l-glutamine
With so many different supplements available to the hundreds of thousands of UC’ers around the world, it can be very hard if not impossible at times to decide upon what might help you out or not.
So, once again, if you have any experience yourself with L-Glutamine (or just plain “glutamine” as some people do call it by a different name even though there’s no difference), definitely let the rest of the UC’ers of the site know your thoughts.
From wikipedia’s page:
Glutamine (abbreviated as Gln or Q, and often called L-glutamine) is one of the 20 amino acids encoded by the standard genetic code. It is considered a conditionally essential amino acid.
Here are some scienctific studies with regards to Glutamine and Colitis:
- Glutamine supplementation attenuates expressions of adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors on T cells in a murine model of acute colitis.
- Effects of dietary glutamine on the homeostasis of CD4+ T cells in mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced acute colitis.
- Use of butyrate or glutamine in enema solution reduces inflammation and fibrosis in experimental diversion colitis.
Add Your Review of L-Glutamine or “Glutamine” by clicking the button below:
All of the posts from “Annonymous UC” are from ulcerative colitis people who anonymously submitted stories or Doctor Reviews, medication, supplement reviews etc… I post all these stories to the site, but they’re different from my own personal stories so hopefully this account makes more sense:) -Adam – founder of iHaveUC.com
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I have had UC for over 20 years. I am not on any medication. I take L-glutamine, probiotics, lion's mane mushroom & MSM daily which are all supplements that help heal the gut. I suggest UC sufferers give it a try.
Every naturopath type doctor recommends L-Glutamine to me. I typically take it for awhile then stop. I've never seen any difference, good or bad.
I have tried L-Glutamine on and off a few different times with no benefits. I recently tried it again for about 4+ weeks. It appears to have given me watery diarrhea and very loose stools. As soon as I stopped taking it the diarrhea and loose stools stopped.
am so grateful to glutamine. it has been a real help to me. when i take it i feel a warm glow of appreciation from my gut. it helps me to keep more comfortable and feel less inflammed.
This worked for me greatly. I should say do not start if you are having a flare!!!. Your gut needs time to rest and shed the dead mucous. Do a clear liquid diet for as long as you can 3 to 5 days. Then start the supplement with a probiotic. This aids im the rebuilding of the gut cells. I tale these 2 every day 3 times a day and i amd doing great
I am 67 years old- I have colitis since 1995 (today 5/13/17) -I started using L-Glutamine -August 2016- two -500 mg tablets-before breakfast---IT WORKS FOR ME-
I have been able to reduce the lialda from 4 tablets a day to 2 tablets to a day-and
the feeling of urgency to go-- to the bathroom -has gone.... I have have good results from this supplement.
Have had UC since I was 22 and am now 39. Hospitalized 3 times after having severe reactions to prescribed UC meds. Only thing that would put me in remissions was long bouts of high amounts of steroids which tore my body down. Started doing my own research and read about L-Glutemine. Every time I start seeing symptoms or get upset stomach I take it in the morning and in the evening before food. It has literally changed my life. Stops cramping, bleeding and after a couple week any other signs of UC flare up! My heart goes out to anyone suffering with this ugly disease. Be blessed!
Some background about my UC before I talk about my experience with L-glutamine- I've been diagnosed for over 10 years. Sometimes symptoms were that bad and I was losing so much blood that I've had to be admitted to hospital. I used to take mesalamine both orally and rectally for treatment but didn't like what I'd read about steroidal treatments so avoided those. I tended to have 2-3 flare ups a year each lasting around 2 months and I wasn't sure the meds were being effective. I read a lot of medical studies, as I'm sure many of you have, and I decided whilst in the middle of a bad flare to experiment with L-glutamine, Aloe vera and probiotic capsules. My symptoms cleared up in a week and I've never had a severe flare 3 years later. I don't take any of these things regularly (perhaps I should!) but if I start to feel any warning signs I make sure I start taking them again. At first I wasn't sure which component was having the most effect but I have since just used L-glutamine on its own and any pre-symptoms of a flare have subsided quickly. I do believe however the aloe vera and pro-biotics helped in the middle of a flare the alleviate the discomfort. I no longer take any medication and am free to eat (and drink) whatever I like - this includes things I would have avoided in the past: coffee, straight spirits, heavily spiced food. I realise these things some to behave very differently in different people but I'm convinced that the L-glutamine has had an impact in my life. In terms of dosage I never went crazy. Just took 1-2 500mg capsules before breakfast everyday and as I said when I have no symptoms for a while I don't bother.
19 years of diagnosed UC. I had just finished a 6 week course of prednisone to deal with a bad flare up and my wife read a study about L-Glutamine. I started with 1500mg per day and have been totally symptom free for 3 months including 1 month with no other drugs for the first time in 19 years. It really worked for me
At the suggestion of my (awesome!) nutritionist, I tried L-Glutamine in both capsule and powder form. Both worsened my UC symptoms - Made the stool mucusy and watery and urgent and frequent, which was not fun. I've never tried it for more than two or three days at a time.
It's okay, I used a combination of this and a probiotic supplement in lieu of the Lialda. I was fine for a couple months and then the flare ups picked up again. Back on the Lialda. I will take the L-Glutamine from time to time though as a supplement.
Hi,
I have been using l-glutatime for treatment of my ulcerative colitis for a couple of month. Problem is I am not always consistent with taking it. I must say that the times I have used it, I did notice a difference and and things seem to get better. I'm not real clear on what dosages I should be taking either. I need more instruction and information. I've read so may different articles about this amino acid being able to help with UC that I do believe it helps, you just have to be consistent. I still take my conventional medications and I use probiotics as well. I am so tired of taking so much medication, even taking the l-glutamine gets old. I have seen a positive effect when I take it. The max dosage I tried was one heap teaspoon per day.
Mild Lt side UC dx in 2010, responded to Llialda with a few flares afterwards but never was able to get rid of the urgency or loose stools. After reading reviews of L glutamine on this site I decided to give it a try along with a strong probiotic. Within 2 days my stools were firm and formed and I had no urgency whatsoever. Its only been 3 weeks but i have reduced my Llialda intake dramatically and feel great. This is a game changer for me since I avoided going out if a bathroom was not readily available. TY Adam for this informative website which allows people with the disease to disseminate information that may not be available from our clinical providers.
After reading about supplelemts to help my UC, Lglutemine was one of the first I bought as well as Bromeline. Both oF them together with food every morning was a great help in keeping my flairs at bay. Definitely recommend L Glutemine. Oh and also ALoe Vera juice !!
I tried Glutamine a couple of times and it gives me a major headache with no noticable effect.
What really made a difference for me has been heavy doses of Vitamin D & K, plus extra magnesium, calcium and boron. People with UC have an imbalance with their intestinal flora., which is linked to K2 deficiency. K2 is linked to calcium and D absorption as well and they all work together to regulate the immune system. Once I began increasing those vitamins and minerals, my symptoms have decreased. I also take colloidal minerals with enzymes to assist with digesting grains and dairy. Pro-biotics keep my flora going strong as well.
I bout it when i followed jini patels protocol. It made zero difference with my diarrhea. I also took it during other flares but was still hospitalized and on prednisone during these times. The max dose i tried was 15 grams per day.
I've been using L-Glutamine for a year and a half and it has stopped the blood! After being hospitalized in Feb 2013, I started taking L-Glut after tapering out of a 6 week Prednisone treatment. (this is when I joined this community!) I have been symptom free since April 2013 by taking L-Glut, vitamin D, VSL, Apple Cidar Vinegar in AM and Afternoon, Multivitamin, Fish oil, Aloe Juice, Tumeric, and slippery elm (late afternoon and evenings). This combo has saved me from a flare!
I also attend accupunture 2-3 times a month when I'm feeling bloated (usually in conjunction with PMS) Community accupuncture clinic donation based fee (very affordable). Vinyasa Yoga and Walking 2-3 days a week. To the person who is concerned about cost, I've found very affordable websites such as Sundrops.com and my local health/food market/collective to buy supplements. I spend about $80 to $200 every 3 months or so; but I think this is worth investing in my health and not being on prescriptions. :)
Ever since I read about L-Glutamine on this website I ordered it immediately. I started taking one pill every day. That was about 2 months ago. Immediately I saw results in a healthier bowel movement (more firm). I am not sure what else it is doing, but I will definitely continue using it.
I first started taking powdered L-Glutamine during my first flare - I did not notice much of a difference at that time, but nothing except for 2 months of prednisone was able to get my healing to start. I have found that when I start to feel symptoms creeping up it seems to help - as long as they aren't too out of control. This summer I have been making a frozen banana treat in the vitamix almost every day (better than ice cream and easier on my tummy!) - I always add 1-2 big tablespoons of L-Glutamine and am doing well. I'm a fan.
I started supplementing with L-Glutamine last year while beeing in a severe flare that landed me in the hospital.I took it for about2 months.It did neither help nor hurt me.Maybe my muscle soreness got better but I'm not sure that came from this supplement. I also stsrted taking Magnesium so maybe that helped with muscle soreness.
Yes, there are SO many supplements out there! We would all be broke if we took everything that we wanted to take... I had a HORRIBLE flare up for months in 2012... I finally got it semi-under control (where I could leave the house, but was still feeling pretty crappy) but I was still bleeding all the time and a holistic nurse recommended that I add Glutamine to the other bazillion supplements that I take... so I tried it... and 3 days later, the bleeding stopped! I took Glutamine every day for at least a year after that. I stopped taking Glutamine simply because now I have other issues that I am dealing with and I am spending my money on other supplements. I highly recommend the Glutamine, especially if you have bleeding issues. I used a small wire whisk and mixed mine with coconut water and chugged it down. -- All the best to all of you
I take one T-spoon mixed in Aloe Vera Juice every morning and have not seen any blood for almost a year, and the cost won’t break the bank.
Then:
diagnosed-August 2013 Left-Sided UC moderate to severe. Symptoms – the works
Meds – Lialda, Apriso, Uceris, Prednisone(caused central sirus retinopathy)
Now:
In Remission(1yr), no meds
Supplements -Chlorella, Spirulina, Probiotics, Glutamine, Flaxseed, Fish Oil, Astaxanathin
Thank you so much for your post Kevin. I was diagnosed with the exact same thing you have to a T and I have been trying to figure out what to take/eat to try and calm it down without remicade or the other billion of meds my doctor has told me to take (time to find a new doctor). Any how, I appreciate you sharing your experience and knowledge! Wishing you well.
I’m so glad to hear people are finally taking their health into their own hands.I tried l glutamine and in worked great for me . I also took L- argine and phosphatidyl choline. Also saw palmetto which is a natural muscle relaxerand antiinflamatory .I’ts not just for men!I have been symptom free for over a year and a half .
Everyone knows that I am an advocate for L-glutamine. It’s been in my daily life for about three years. I have also been med free that long. I highly recommend it (along with a good probiotic by the way).
Along with colon healing, it is also recommended for tissue healing after surgery, so, yes, it’s a good thing to take!
:)
Bev,
You should be proud of yourself for I doubt we would be reviewing supplements and more natural alternatives (outside the thread’s) without you! I really hoped this would happen, it’s like he (Adam) is reading our minds..
Best to you and the great man….
Thank you Graham. You are the best!
You know, I still do bleed every so often, even with the much touted L-glutamine. I will also still always take it, though, as I believe things would be ‘worse’ without it at times…
Case in point, just this past week I ate tomatoes fresh from my vines three days in a row, and guess what happened? Yep, what I like to affectionately call a ‘mini flare’. As soon as I stopped eating them, and getting rid of them (wink wink), all is much better. I had no idea that tomatoes did not ‘agree’ with me. They were kind of ‘thick skinned’…perhaps that is why. I could not figure out where I went wrong, and then I thought…the tomatoes!!This never happened with last years’ crop for some reason. Just goes to show that we even change within ourselves from time to time! What a pain UC is…
I wonder if I could have a strawberry margherita…hmmmm
Tomatoes, strawberries… hmmm… could it be histamine intolerance? Maybe worth investigating. I believe HI is a big factor with me.
I am doing yet again L Glutamine and a very watered down aloe vera. I do believe that supplements without the needed dietary changes do little to no good.
Get rid of the seeds in your tomatoes ind you’ll be fine
Also worked VERY well for me. I was bleeding and going many times every morning for several hours. Also generally feeling bad and losing weight. Stated taking the Glutamine (been over a year now) along with Aloe Vera and VSL #3. Made quite a difference. I now am very regular with no bleeding and formed bowel movements. Feel much better and am able to do things again without worry of getting the sudden strong urges to go.
Sorry but it didn’t help at all for me along with aloe Vera and a good probiotic ! But I had noticed my Colitis got worse for me since I gave up smoking 9 Years ago ? And apparently smoking is good for it says my Doctor ? But I have no intensions of ever going back to smoking ? So since being in a flare since Christmas and 2months on steroids to no avail I tried the next best thing a Nicorette Inhaler ? And Low and behold after 3 days of using it night time only for about 20 minutes or so the bleeding stopped that was about 3 months ago and Fingers crossed still doing fine
I use glutamine daily it is a great anti inflammatory. I drink a protein shake with added glutamine most mornings.
I take l-glutamine powder every morning – very important that it’s taken on an empty stomach at least 30 mins before breakfast!!
I’ve been taking it now for about four years along with another few supplements and a probiotic.
I had very aggressive UC before deciding to change everything in my life that might be causing flare ups.
L-glutamine was included in my plan and will remain there.
It’s quite difficult to know exactly what works but I have a strong feeling that glutamine is playing a very large role in keeping me well.
Aidan
Dublin – Ireland
I totally agree. This is my exact story as well.
Hi Aiden, how much l-glutamine are you taking? I’m in d middle of a flare up of UC for the last 6 months, relentless. I have a bottle of powder form here.. is there an initial dose that worked for you?
Doesn’t seem that l glutamine helped our daughter. The biggest doze she took was one tsp. a day. She did it for over a year. We stopped a month ago and didn’t notice any difference. She also tried Phosphatidylcholine and byturate– didn’t seem to make any difference….
L glutamine has helped my son. He takes 1 scoop first thing in the morning and 2 scoops before bed.
I think this is the next supplement I’m going to try. People here are talking about teaspoons, and scoops of the stuff. What’s the actual dosage? Are there different forms of it? Is it available in capsule form?
I go to a wellness doctor. When you feel you are getting a flare. You can take it three times a day. Teaspoon in the morning, afternoon and in the evening. For maintenance once flare is under control. One teaspoon per day. Hope this helps.
I started taking L-Glutamine about 4 months ago in an effort to get off budesonide. It definitely helps. I am not sure if I am taking it in the right amount but just followed the directions of 1/2 teaspoon a day in a glass of water. I take budesonide twice a week. and the other days I take the L-Glutamine. Have read the labels on different brands and they vary as to time of day to take and amount. This is something I am not clear on either. I also read that powder was better and others say capsules. My doctor is no help on this. He thinks medication is the answer. I don’t.
Roberta,
I agree with you. My doctor don’t endorse the supplements other than probiotics. I am so tired of taking all of this medication and not really getting any benefit from them. It’s so frustrating. I have two large bottles of l-glut powder and I’m gonna start taking it again. I drink it is juice in the morning but perhaps I need to drink it three times a day to really get a good result.
I have been on a regimen of azathioprine, budesonide, with asacol$$/lialda$$$$/balazide sodium (in that order). Plus 20mg prednisone tapers about twice a year (as compared with 4x or more/year at higher dosages in the old days (and it is pretty good think not to start at over 20mg pred because that is as much fun as falling down the stairs). I have been on a strict-as-possible SCD diet for over a year, make my own probiotic yogurt, exercise a lot. My doctor has generally found that even when I don’t feel my colitis is active, it actually is in a mild flare. I go from mild to moderate, keep really bad flares under control sort-of, and don’t try to experiment by going on and off medication. Since my Silver insurance won’t cover Humiera for UC, we are back with Pred, and idea of Humiera was starting for freak me out. I paid for all the chest xrays and stuff before it became clear as mud that Humiera was not covered. That is a separate essay though. So…
In past few months I have taken L-Glutamine 2 heaping tsps/day and sometimes and a probiotic “Megaflora”. The L-Glutamine seems to have a somewhat calming/constipating effect which is welcome. I have no idea if it actually reduces inflammation but it seems to affect symptoms somewhat. Or that could be the medication. There are plenty of other things that seem to push symptoms the wrong way–more than a cup of coffee, more than a glass or two of dry wine, too much fresh fruit. etc. I feel when I have bouts of diarrhea that L-glutamine does some of what an OTC anti-diarrhea med like loperamide will do, and kind of calm spasms and reduce the trips (wish we could all get frequent flyer miles for trips to the toilet ;) I would be in the super platinum five-star generals club). In general, and for decades, I have found that when I have a moderate flare, nothing I eat or take really turns it around besides Prednisone, and when I have a mild flare I can spend my whole day guessing about what food or drink is “at fault” when the truth is that none of the diet or supplements started the flare and none end it, but many can have some small effect. I think the diet and maybe the L-Glutamine (which I only heard about through this site) have reduced my symptoms and may have increased the time between my Predisone tapers. That’s just me.
Hi My daughter is 8, and was wondering is it safe for her to take Glutamine? she is with a naturopathic doctor who has given her a mixture which contain Glu, which she hates taking due to the taste. Just wondering how much was safe to give.
I read on Adams website wherr someone recommended “fermented” l-glutaine. Is there a difference between regular l-glutamine vs. Fermented”. Im in the middle of a 7-month flare and trying everything to stop the bleeding. It gets pretty scary when it wont stop. Prednisone didnt help at all. :(. Thank you
We live in Spain. My husband (Fred) suffered what was probably a mild flare of UC in 2012. The doctors (I think) cauterised the area, gave him prednisone and some mesalazine suppositories and all seemed fine. He took 1G of mesalazine (Salofalk is the make in Spain) every day. Then in 2014 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. They thought that the radiation treatment he needed could cause a UC flare so his oncologist prescribed him glutamine to take 3 times a day during his treatment. All seemed fine. A week or so after his radiation had finished he stopped taking the glutamine and within a week he was bleeding heavily and had diarrhea. He was put on 3 weeks of pred and a mesalazine suppository for 45 days, along with his usual daily dose of 1G mesalazine. Things seemed to improve but after 42 days he started bleeding again and had an even heavier bleed the following week, which frightened us to death. The docs put him back on the same treatment and after 5 days of pred he was still bleeding quite heavily. I (Gail) was researching the problem when I came across this website. After reading stories on this website, Fred started taking glutamine again (2 days ago) along with a strong probiotic. As of today his bleeding seems to have stopped!! But his stools are very runny still. I am hoping this is the start of things improving. Our GP didn’t seem interested in the glutamine when I showed him the box and just said that if he was eating ok he didn’t need it. Well, nothing else seemed to be working. So, we’ll see how it goes.
I’m trying to find a good quality L glutamine supplement. Anybody have any tips? It seems the pills have too many illegal ingredients for IBD’ers and the powder ‘may’ contain traces of milk, gluten, soy etc. which is also not the best.
Jim I’ve been using a protein powder called Vega sport. It’s a vegan based protein. I had to switch from whey because it bothered my stomach. Anyhow, it has 5000 mg of glutamine. I take a scoop 2x a day. I have to say it tastes terrible, but it’s worth it because i’ve had a major reduction in my symptoms. I think for a lot of people that say glutamine doesn’t work for them need to check their dosage. I was originally taking a glutamine pill (500mg) 2x a day and it did nothing.
hi diane i agree- a small amount of glutamine never worked for me but 5g three times a day when i flare really helps. i stop it when i no longer need it but always keep it in the house.
the one I use is north coast fermented l-glutamine
https://www.svncanada.com/product/1456/north-coast-naturals-fermented-glutamine-300g
its not very expensive
Hello,
I would try the one from IronVegan.
Their fermented Protein is UC friendly, no Pea in it which hurts my colon.
Their L-glutamine is also fermented.
I’m puzzled by those reporting L-Glutamine tastes terrible – I use the Jarrow powder (no other ingredients) and it has no taste at all, but a slightly grainy texture – maybe it is texture that folks are referring to…?
L-glutamine works… I use it with aloe Vera pills, the best probiotics I have found that help uc. It is called renew life flora smart. It is plant based. Dairy free. It is a time release capsulation. Releases through out the day. Only 6 billion and very affordable.wish I found it long ago because other brands made my symptoms worse. I take liquid capsule prenatal vitamins, b complex, vitamin d and fish oil. I have stayed in remission. I’m never gassy and I can cheat often when I use to have to pay each time I did… I am still following blood type and Paleo diet
I have had UC since 1999. Stopped all medication in 2006 due to horrible side effects. I manage the condition with diet, supplements and stress reduction. But I am currently flaring. I have been perfectly fine for the past two years and then took antibiotics from the doctor for an unrelated health issue. And they set me off :( :( SCREAM……….. But L-glutamine works for me. I use the Musashi brand in Australia. In powder form, one teaspoon in water per day to calm a flare. As part of my healing protocol, I use a few other things too like : Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice root) in liquid form, B12, Zinc, Vitamin D3, and another Australian product called Intstamine which contains slippery elm, aloe vera, and curcumin. Also occasionally take boswellia. Limit my dairy and gluten intake. Stick to fish or chicken, no red meat. Lots of steamed vegetables. I know doctors say diet has no negative effect but they are wrong.
I have read that there is a difference between L Glutamine and Glutamine peptides. L Glutamine is NOT bonded to other amino acids. Glutamine peptides ARE bonded with other amino acids with peptide bonds. This makes it more stable and better assimilated by the body.
Does this mean that Glutamine peptides are better for treating UC? Any help or advice is appreciated.
Has anybody acquired insomnia from taking L-glutamate?
Please note that when using supplement therepy be aware of the side affects of pharma drugs. You will not know what is causing ur flare until you weed out the issue. For example i see many of you using l glutamine WITH lialda or other forms of mesalamine. Look at the possible side affects and research them. They are known to cause colitis! So why dr.s still give it out i do t know.
What do you mean? L glutamine could cause colitis? Or the mix of medication with it? I have never read anywhere that this supplement could do that, but if you have any evidence please share it. I an daily taking glutamine and collagen.
Thanx
When taking L-Glutamine on an empty stomach in the morning, can it be taken with EVOO? Should one be taken before the other? Thanks.
It works but sadly I got Insomnia and odd visual symptoms while taking it I took 5g a day which maybe to much but the visual and sleep disturbances are putting me off.