1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Gout and Pseudogout

Allopurinol and stomach upset.

Posted , 5 users are following.

rustygecko
rustygecko

I found that allopurinol was upsetting my stomach. I tried hiding the tab in a piece of banana - which had some success, but it's difficult to swallow.

More recently I have been swilling a mouthful of water around my mouth and letting the tablet dissolve. I have found this, followed by another glass of water completely stops the stomach issues.

Has anyone else had similar issues with allopurinol?

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • ChrisW
    ChrisW rustygecko

    Posted

    Hi

    Yes i found too much allupurinol was particularly nasty, so I only take 100mg a day. How much have you been prescribed?

    You could always try milk or Actimel as a stomach protector alternatively see your GP and get something like Omeprazole.

    Alternatively try and use something other than Allopurinol, like Febuxostat or Sulfinpyrazone or Benzbromarone

    Thanks

    • rustygecko
      rustygecko ChrisW

      Posted

      I need 300mg to finish off last tophus. I've found that by letting it dissolve in my mouth I get no side effects at al! Discovered it by chance 4 weeks ago.

    • rustygecko
      rustygecko ChrisW

      Posted

      I think the advice of milk (or a dash of cream) would be excellent advice, and I'll give it a go.

  • Guest
    Guest rustygecko

    Posted

    I took 4 tablets over 2 days and thought I was going to die. At one point I genuinly believed that my liver had desolved and passed through my backside. Needless to say I stopped taking it. The next attack of gout I had was so bad I tried it again. Two tablets in and I was dying again. I really don't why the medical profession don't use it as laxative ?

    • rustygecko
      rustygecko Guest

      Posted

      I do not understand why you began taking allopurinol during a gout attack at all. It is most clear that it should never be used like that; indeed, it will make a gout attack worse! Second allopurinol is *long-term* cleaning out of the acid from the body tissues, not short term fix.Thirdly you should always start allopurinol with lowest dose for safety.

      As for affecting the digestion like that - I think it •may• be kicking in suddenly with a high dose. I found it had slight effect of diarrhea for just a few days after I was on it a week, then again when increased dose, but it quickly settled down.

    • ChrisW
      ChrisW Guest

      Posted

      You really need to take colchicine for an attack plus an anti-imflammatory, admittedly if you take too much cochicine it will upset your stomach but it will treat the attack

      As rustygecko says, allopurinol is to reduce the uric acid not to treat an attack

      Thanks

    • Guest
      Guest rustygecko

      Posted

      Whoops, I was getting mixed up with colchisine. My mistake. However, I was told by my doctor, and the instructions on the medecine bottle clearly say "must be taken with a full glass of water"

    • rustygecko
      rustygecko Guest

      Posted

      Of course, and in fact it is sensible to take with 2-3 glasses of water.

      However I found that with water alone and with food it damaged my stomach. However allowing it to dissolve before swallowing (with 2-3 glasses of water), my stomach has recovered.

    • rustygecko
      rustygecko

      Posted

      By the way, there was some research which indicated that if colchesine tablets were cut into 2, and taken over a longer period, it gave many less issues.
  • rustygecko
    rustygecko

    Posted

    Update: a year+ down the line and I no longer have any issues at all with the allopurinol and just take it as I like, with a glass of water. It’s strange how it became a non issue, as there was a point that it was hurting my stomach so much that I thought I’d have to pack it in. 
  • fiona71269
    fiona71269 rustygecko

    Posted

    Hi,this is my ist input on this forum.im hopeless at swallowing any tablets,so I crush them including allopurinol,and take with full glass water,they don't upset my stomach I think because I always take omoprazole.

    • rustygecko
      rustygecko fiona71269

      Posted

      Thanks

      In the end I found my body just adapted and the stomach irritation just ended. 

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.