Fast Facts

Be sure to read the following important information carefully. This information does not take the place of your doctor's advice. If you do not understand any portion of this information or want to know more, please ask your doctor.

Limbrel

Limbrel is a prescription medical food product for the safe clinical dietary management of the metabolic processes of osteoarthritis under a physician's supervision. Osteoarthritis is also known simply as OA.

Natural ingredients

Limbrel's two key ingredients baicalin and catechin are natural flavonoids from plants. Flavonoids in general are the healthful ingredients that give color to fruits, vegetables, cocoa, red wine and green tea. However, even if someone eats 3 or 4 pounds of fruits and vegetables everyday of the month, it is still almost impossible to get enough beneficial ingredients found in Limbrel from simple changes in eating habits. This is because the natural ingredients in Limbrel are highly purified and specially formulated for the management of osteoarthritis. Although Limbrel has been clinically shown to be safe, it is intended for people with osteoarthritis, and not for the general public. That is also why Limbrel is by prescription only, and not available over-the-counter.

Safety

The ingredients in Limbrel have Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status, a strict food safety standard set by the FDA. In clinical studies, Limbrel's side effects rates were only slightly higher than placebo. Prescribed since 2004, Limbrel has been shown to be GI friendly with very few GI side effects reported. In fact, there have been very few side effects of any kind reported to date for Limbrel (total rate < 0.1%).

The most common side effects of Limbrel are nausea, diarrhea, flatulence, rash and fever, which are usually mild and do not usually require cessation of use of Limbrel. The most serious side effects were a few cases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and elevation of liver tests, all of which resolved without residual effects after discontinuing Limbrel. One case of first trimester miscarriage has been reported in a patient taking 7 prescription drugs concomitantly (including 2 drugs with warnings against use during pregnancy). The relevance of this case to Limbrel is unknown. Clinical studies showed that LIMBREL does not affect platelet function and does not significantly affect pro time in patients taking warfarin. Physicians are recommended to continue their normal practice of checking prothrombin time one to two weeks after initiating new medications in patients anticoagulated with warfarin.

Effectiveness

In both clinical studies and in-market prescription usage under a physician's care, Limbrel has consistently demonstrated significant improvement in validated joint discomfort, stiffness and mobility measures of osteoarthritis through safe, daily dietary management. Limbrel is uniquely effective because Limbrel works with the body to manage osteoarthritis by restoring our bodies' metabolic balance, especially those responsible for inflammation. This approach is in sharp contrast to blocking or shutting down one or two specific enzyme functions to merely mask symptoms short term.

Usage

Recommended use is either one 250 mg or one 500 mg capsule every 12 hours, taken with or without food. The use may be increased to two or more capsules every 12 hours, as directed by a physician. Limbrel may be used while taking acetaminophen.

Packaging

Each bottle of Limbrel contains 60 capsules (30-day supply at the recommended use).

Precautions and Contraindications

Do not take Limbrel if you are hypersensitive to any component of Limbrel. Do not take Limbrel if you are allergic or hypersensitive to fruits, vegetables, Brazilian nuts, cocoa, red wine and tea, Limbrel is not recommended for pregnant or lactating women, pediatric patients, or patients with an active bleeding gastrointestinal ulcer, because it has not been tested in these specific patient types.

For long term use, Limbrel should not be taken together with NSAIDs such as naproxen, ibuprofen, aspirin (except baby aspirin), or with any selective COX-2 inhibitors. NSAIDs and selective COX-2 inhibitors will destroy Limbrel's "balancing" effect.

Limbrel does not contain fructose, glucose, sucrose, lactose, gluten or flavors. Limbrel does not contain any parts or ingredients of nuts, soy, corn, wheat, sugar, or any fruits and vegetables.

Each LIMBREL capsule provides approximately 10 mg of elemental zinc per capsule. The National Academy of Sciences upper acceptable limit for self-administration is 40 mg/day of elemental zinc, the equivalent of four LIMBREL capsules per day. Zinc is considered acutely toxic at 200 mg elemental zinc per day, the equivalent of 20 LIMBREL capsules per day.

If you experience any discomfort while taking Limbrel, inform your doctor immediately.