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Allopurinol and gout attackes

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Hi. Any help or advise would be really appreciated please. After having regular gout attacks my doctor has put me on allopurinol. I had to take colchicine for 2 weeks before I started taking one tablet (100mg) of allopurinol per day. I had to continue on the colchince along side the allopurinol for a further 2 weeks in case the allopurinol caused a gout attack (which it did) I had numerous attacks in two months but had no pain relief from the doctor except paracetomal. I had a blood test after 2 months on allopurinol then the doc raised the allopurinal to 200mg per day, still didn't prescribe additional pain relief. I am due another blood test in early december but i'm not sure i am going to continue on the allopurinol as the attacks have been constants since i have been taking 200mg. I have had severe attacks in my toe, then ankle, most recently in my keft elbow and index finger, which were both inflamed and painfully unbearable. my finger was so swollen i went to nhs direct who prescribed diclofenac. when this attack was finally subsiding the gout decided to attack my right shoulder , after speaking with nurse at my doctors surgery i was prescribed dihydrocodeine, along side paracetamol and ibrobrufon. I know i have come a long way on the allopurinol but the thought of the doctor raising the allopurinol again after my next blood test brings me out in a sweat. I don't know how much longer i can bear the pain. I am getting anxious, short tempered and basically quite depressed now. any advise would be really, really appreciated. Thanks.

SYFY

6 likes, 116 replies

116 Replies

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  • akegolfrman
    akegolfrman Guest

    Posted

    Hello Guest

    I am embarking exactly the same course as yourself and concerned......

    I will keep you posted.

    After fighting it with colchicine and anti-inflammatories then your post worries me.

    How are you nowadays?

  • triron
    triron Guest

    Posted

    I too have gout. Just seen the specialist doctor who wants to increase my Allopurinol to 300mg with Coclchicine, only problem for me is Colchicine gives me diorrhea. At my advancing years that is something I most certainly do not want.
  • georgina73979
    georgina73979 Guest

    Posted

    Hiya

    I started on allopurinol yesterday as i have been having acute attacks of gout over the last few weeks .... The doctor has prescribed 100mgs a day but if i get gout during the next two weeks i have to start taking 200 mgs daily.... Last night i went to bed at 8pm because i felt so tired and slept for 13 hrs... I got up at 9am today and was asleep again by midday for 3 hrs... I havent had any twinges of gout yet but i have started itching all over... I am taking a colchicine nightly just in case gout appears... I cannot take anti inflammotories as i have angina... Its turned into a complete nightmare... I have suffered gout for 8 yrs now but could keep it relatively under control with Naproxen but since taking colchicine all it does is make me nauseas and gives me diarrhea... 

    • james86315
      james86315 georgina73979

      Posted

      Hi Georgina,

      I have been on Allopurinol 300 for two years approx. Everything seemed O/K except like you I sleep sometime for 10 hours plus. This summer we went to the Dordogne for a holiday, the hotel served unlimited wine F.O.C. unfortunately, I drank too much, which wasn't all that much.

      But, it has triggered off quite a dose of gout.I've been trying for over 3 weeks to contain it.

      I am now semi vegitarian eating no red meats shell fish etc. so I am waiting to see whats next..

      I hope that your treatment works out for you.

      James

    • georgina73979
      georgina73979 james86315

      Posted

      Hi James

      Unfortunately i have had to give up on allopurinol it was making me nauseas my skin was itching all the time and i had a rash so at the moment i am being a slave to food no alcohol shellfish or red meats and taking colchicine as and when i need it and i am taking apple cider vinegar tablets and sour cherry capsules which seem to be helping... Hope your gout settles down soon..

      Georgina

    • keith48631
      keith48631 georgina73979

      Posted

      Ask your doctor for ARCOXIA 120mgs these tablets are brilliant I never have to take more than two tablets, ie one a day for two days and I get complete relief. Don't take no for an answer.
    • arne60008
      arne60008 georgina73979

      Posted

      That's what it does gives you diarrhea

      So it can flush it out it give you a flu type syptom

    • Always.icki
      Always.icki james86315

      Posted

      Hello!

      Before you started taking allopurinol, were you having flares? Thank you,

    • simon10619
      simon10619 Always.icki

      Posted

      As a result of gout attacks/flares, my blood urate level was checked and the Doctor prescribed Allupurinol to be taken daily. This stopped the attacks for some while (years). However after further attacks and a measured high urate level the allopurinol dose was increased (200mmg to 400mmg) Though the blood urate level is now down I have still have had gout attacks. I understand that this is the gout crystals gradually dissipating and may last for several months. I hope this is the case!
    • rustygecko
      rustygecko simon10619

      Posted

      Yes. That is the case - urate being cleaned out.

      However what is interesting is why it’s gone up. Are you drinking less water or living somewhere hotter? Have you put on / lost weight? Are you taking another medication (even aspirin)? 

      It may be of course you’ve just got ol...you’ve just matured. 

  • james86315
    james86315 Guest

    Posted

    Hi Georgina,

    I'm sorry Allopurinol isn't working for you. Apart for the heavy sleeping, it has been O/K so far.

    I see you are taking vinegar, does that not add to the acid in your body?

    I am drinking pure Cherry Juice from a farm in the South of England.

    It hasn't worked miracles yet, fingers crossed.

    I hope things work out well for you.

  • triron
    triron Guest

    Posted

    I have taken Allopurinol for about fifteen years, I too have side effects such as dry flaking skin patches, reflux, (more tablets to quell that). Also I have been on a course of Colchicine with another tablet, forgotten the name, both of which gave me diorrhea so bad it became almost impossible to leave the house or even venture into the garden. Recently my regular Allopurinol tablets were changed for another brand, the dry skin began to be replaced by healthy non-flaking skin and scalp irritation began to clear-up but that was short lived as I am back on the regular brand now. Well, it was good while it lasted. I have never tried so called natural remedies and am unlikely to now as my gout attacks have reduced from a three-four weekly occurence to having had only two attacks this year, both quite mild. I take great care of my diet eating anything I like but, seriously but only in moderation, Steak, twice a year, Christmas and birthday, half glass of wine Sundays, half measure of Plymouth Gin as a treat once a week etc: but then I am also diabetic.
  • james86315
    james86315 Guest

    Posted

    Hi I've been on 300mg allopurinol for a couple of years with a good result. Then I decided to drop it down to 200mg. Unfortunatelt this didn't work for me, so back up to 300mg again.

    I think Allopurinol takes time to work, that's what I found when first using it, and when restarting at 300mg.

    I am now controlling my diet more rigorously and hoping for the best.

    Good Luck

  • timothy12884
    timothy12884 Guest

    Posted

    SYFY sorry to hear about your problem. I had gout also and was put on Allopurinol. I believe the gout was gone in 3 days, but I didn't know what was going on. I was swelling up in my foot top and ankel, my fingers to my elbow. Well now I know that the swelling was from the Allopurinol, I must be allergic to it or something. I have tried to make my body more alcaline Vs acidic. 30 days of suffering thinking it was the gout, but it was the reaction to the Allopurinol for the last 27 days. I was getting really depressed from all the pain also. 

      My advice is to drink tart cherry juice, a cup a day. I cut out all shell fish ( shrimp, oysters, crabs, etc. )  Make some alkaline water, cut a lemon in 1/8 ths don't squeeze the lemon just put it in a jug of 64 oz. and let it set for 8 hours.  Drink a cup of that every day or so. I cut back on all beef and pork for 30 days, and ate mostly salads and fruits and vegetables. I did eat 6 or 8 oz of chicken in a salad or sandwich one meal every 1/3 day. I started eating cereal again, hadn't had milk in years. Now I use 1% milkfat. with some corn flakes or rasin bran every morning. 

    Drink plenty of water to keep hydrated. I drink ~ 1 gal./ day. Be creative with your veggies, I like salads from Chick Filet, salad works, my own especially with apples and nuts. Coleslaw is another favorite along with broccoli salad. Look up on Google gout diets, uric acid charts and foods. My pain was severe so I stuck to the diet pretty close, yes I cheated a couple of times. I cut out all soda and fruit drinks with High Fructgose Corn Syrup - HFCS, Gator aid, and Energy drinks and caffine.

    The blood test came back with 14.34 uric acid count before starting the diet.

    The blood test came back with 4 uric acid count after the diet and 6 is considered normal. There was 4 weeks and 2 days between blood tests.

       I did lots of smoothies with bannana, blueberries, pineapple, and apples, grapes. Be careful too much fruit will clean you out, but you are probably staying home any way, I did. Check out Web MD and Diets for Gout foods to avoid. Sometimes info. will conflict between sites, but you'll get the idea for what to avoid in your diet.

    • Da1234
      Da1234 timothy12884

      Posted

      Timothy12884, thank you for sharing your experience. 

      Are you saying that you were able to reduce your uric acid level from 14.34mg/DL to 4mg/DL over 4 weeks without medication, and with a strict diet alone?

      If so, this is encouraging as my uric acid level tested 2 weeks ago was 9.1mg/DL, and I am very reluctant to get on an Allopurinol regiment. I'd rather bring it down with diet. 

    • timothy12884
      timothy12884 Da1234

      Posted

      Yes for the begginning of my diet I was very strick. No cold cuts, hot dogs, hamburgers or any beef, no shell fish, no organ meat, cut out all soda and fruit juices drank lots of water puting a lemon sliced into 1/8's but not squeezed in a 2 qt container and letting it set overnight. Plus plain water.

      I ate alkaline vegetables and tried real hard to get 4-5 fruits per day. Not necessarily a high volume of fruits maybe 12 grapes, 6 rasberrys, an apple, bannana, peach, orange, etc. I also started eating squash, never had time to do it much before. I drank 8 oz. tart cherry juice for a month.

      Snacked on celery with PB instead of cookies. And found this alkalizing 

      pHresh greens 10 oz. size on the internet. It cost about $35. but I still have some left. Just a teaspoon in with the water about 8 oz of water. I still have some left from the original buy. It's worked for me. You may like different foods than I do but find the alkaline ones you like and use them for you health. Your kidneys and joints will feel better, mind sure did.

    • nancy6459
      nancy6459 Da1234

      Posted

      I was on 300mg Allopurinol for over a year.  I had a constant severe rash that I couldn’t get rid of and I gained 27 lbs.  I didn’t feel the way I should.  I was always tired, irritable and cranky.  I woke up one day and said I wasn’t going to take the Allopurinol anymore and I stopped.  That was in August of this year.  I haven’t had a flare up and my rash is completely gone.  I have more energy and genuinely happy.  I’m careful what I eat and NO alcohol.  I’ve lost 17 lbs of the 27 lbs I gained  without dieting.  I will never take it again.  What a job it did on me!  I hope it didn’t do any damage.
    • SailorSSDO
      SailorSSDO nancy6459

      Posted

      Hi Nancy,

      Good luck on this effort.  I'm glad to see your initial efforts are positive.  However it would be a really good idea to get frequent urate tests to see what is going on chemically.  If your levels are going up and especially >6 you are in definite risk of a re occurance!  Also, since side effects don't commonly kick in until the uric acid crystals in your blood crystalize and start building up in your joints, they could be more than moderate from the onset.

      In this case, It may be better to see if you can switch to an alternative gout med then allopurinol to avoid the side effects.

      3 things I'd think about eating/drinking daily if you don't already, supported by strong science.  Tart cherry juice/tart cherries (I use CherryActiv), Vitamin C (500mg) 3-5 cups of coffee a day (I know!).  I've posted the cites on these studies elsewhere in this blog.

      There is limited scientific studies supporting eating fresh celery/fresh celery juice... I just posted cites and warning on this topic here.

      cheers

      SSDO

    • jx41870
      jx41870 timothy12884

      Posted

      Peanuts are actually a legume and should be limited or avoided.

      ​(beans and especially the garbanzos used in hummus are bad, too)

    • rustygecko
      rustygecko jx41870

      Posted

      httprolleyesEvidence shows that the purine content of beans and vegetables does not aggravate the symptoms of gout and you can safely eat beans anyway you like them. The only thing you should worry about is how much animal-based protein you ingest cause meats like pork, beef, lamb, lobster, shrimp and organ meats will aggravate gout symptoms as per this 2004 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study found that people that ate more animal-based protein had a 40% to 50% higher risk of developing gout. The authors of the study which included H.K. Choi also concluded that the consumption of beans does not appear to trigger gout symptoms. In fact people with gout should replace animal-based protein foods with beans and other plant-based proteins.

      www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa035700

    • jx41870
      jx41870 rustygecko

      Posted

      hi Rusty, I've mentioned this on the forum recently, I've read that too, but in my case it was just wrong.  OK I was eating a *lot* of hummus, but it was clearly the trigger for my first attack.

      ?Which you know makes sense, if most of the uric acid problem is not even tied to diet, then even a small push from diet is going to be enough to cause problems in some cases.

    • rustygecko
      rustygecko jx41870

      Posted

      Absolutely! If you’re uric acid is high then anything can push it over the top. But if your Uric acid is high, you’re looking at heart attacks and a load of other ailments too.
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