I have suffered from gout for over 2 years and I'm on allinpurinol 600mg a day

thankyou, I will be going first thing Monday, 

Thankyou, I have never been monitored since I was diagonised two years ago when I was admitted into hospital and had my knee aspirated, the doctor just double up the dose when I kept getting flare ups, which seems to have worked with my right knee. I will go to doctors on Monday all being well I can walk, and ask for a blood test.

Over two years now without a break , take anti inflammatory as soon as I feel a flare up starting, dose was increased 18 months ago to 600mg.

i have been told by my doctor not to stop taking it, and if I do and re start to expect a flare up 10 days later. To be honest I would be scared to stop and re start, the pain at the moment is just bearable the thought of having a big flare up scares me to death as I'm sure I now have it in other joint of the knee

I'm shocked reading this that I have never had a blood test, and jhad the allinpurinol increased to 600mg. Like most gout suffers I can tell when I'm about to have attacked, but was surprised to be getting the symptoms in my other knee with being on the medication. I have put myself on a strict diet to try to protect my knees, I feel the doctors just fob me off but this time I am demanding a blood test. Can you tell me what are acceptable levels. It scares me that 800mg is max dose and I nearly there. 

Avoid wheat, of any type,esepcially rye, mostly found in cereals, bread and pasta. Avoid salmon, herring, spinach and organ meats.

Ask for the test, maybe you need to be a little more assertive. Even I had the test done, and I had it mild. I always seem to get checked because my uric acid is always a notch above normal, so keeping it low is important. Hope you get it done. Best of luck.

Thankyou for your advice I will be acting on it

I take bromelain & curcumin. Seems to work in keeping me away from inflammation or bouts of attacks.

Wonderful, but what doses and how frequently? 

 

Hi David, I have been fortunate in having attacks only a few times in my life and I take the pills only when I feel a bit of  a tinge coming on. I take Bromelain 1000mg, and 1000mg of curcumin. I take it for about a week or until I feel the pain is gone. However, I have noticed that when I exercise my gout doesn't flare up. Do you exercise? My doctor told me to exercise and it has helped in keeping me free of horrible flare ups for about 15 years. Nowadays, I get warning signs before a big one is about to come on so I attack it before I let it get to that painful point.

Like you I cannot eat wheat cereals, in fact I try to stay away from wheat as much as I can due to gout flare ups.  We can only hope that we don't form crsytals in our bodies if we eat the right foods but exercise I believe helps stave off gout attacks when we eat the right foods. Have a nice day.

Morning Patrathegreat,

Yes, that's interesting. I do feel that excercise and weight control do have an effect. I don't actually exercise as such, apart from brisk walking about town whilst shoppin or actually walking into town now and then. As a 76 year old, I'm pretty active and usually run up stairs two at a time. Like you I do feel that we are our own first defences against the condition and that we all have different ways of achieving this as the disease seems to be so variable. There are sites that state that you cannot get gout from a fruit and vegetables; only meat products, when many many of us know that this is a load of tosh; ergo our wheat and or high bran problems. Talking to doctors about it is like conversing with aliens as they seem to have little understanding, and as our younger daughter said, who worked in doctors' surgery, "Dad, they are only taught, lotions and potions, constructive real life solutions are beyond them." Anyway thanks for the information, I'll try more exercise; cut a bit off the waistline; although I'm not really overweight, and try some of your curcumin.

Lets al ltry and get our lives back; we can onlty do it ourselves cos we're the only ones who know what it's like!!!!  Sufferers of the world unite! We only have our painful toes and joints to lose! 

David

Can you tell me what dose of allinpurinol you are on please? And if you have had this stopped and been given something else. Life is so miserable at the moment, I keep going to work even when I have a fare up as I'm sure my bosses would try to get rid of me if I h a lot of sickness due to the gout. I would willing have knee replace to to get rid of the pain but I no this isn't a option for us gout sufferers, nor is knee washouts.

Sorry ros, I've never tried allinpurinol. I know somebody who swears by it, but what put me off were the incidents in the States where people have died of anaphylactic shock even after taking it for six years or more. However, I've not seen any cases reported here in UK. I mentioned this to a local pharmacist and she said that that might be why GPs here in UK now are advised to take their patients off of it periodically.,

David

               

@patra

Thanks for the info on Bromelain. I may give it a go as I'm out of my head with ongoing pain after my last attack which began end of May.

Hello, I've suffered gout on and off; seems more like on, since 1976. Doctors have given me prescriptions for all types but have nevcer offered allipurinol, and I've never requested it for reasons given in my posting earlier. Howver in 2013 i had a severe attack from early april and in Septemberr i went ot my GP in desperstion. My large toe was going from scarlet to black and then black and yellow; so much that my wife thought I would get gangrene, and thepain you will know. This time my GP put me on INDOMETACIN and OMEPRAZOLE. The Omeprazole to be taken once a day, apaprently to protectthe stomach and the INDOMETACIN once; three times daily. Now this sems to work most of the times but it doea sometimes affect my stomach and for this rrason I treat it with care. Usually the attack will fade in two dyas; which is bliss. However, becasue of r=fears for my stomach lining, I keep off of it as much as possinle and have been living off ibuprofen; in fact I've been popping thme like sweets. This has lowered my haemoglobin levels as posted earlier and now after doing two days on the GP's medicines, I'm trying to use Bromelain instead as there are no registered side efects. I take 1,000mg on an empty stomach first thing, and thne repeat at midday and again later in the evening. So far it seems to be working, but only time will tell. I do know the desperation with gout pain, it drains you, makes you feel like giving in; exhausts you. It is really amazing the amount of sites; especially American who make claims for cures, and yet when you read further on it transpires that they are as ignorant as everybody else and they look like just scams. One site claims that you can only suffer a gout attack from eating animal products and that it is actually inpossible to have a gout attack caused by any vegetable matter. Well I and thusand others know that is just not true. High bran cereals will have me in agony. If a drug compnay were to come up with a gout cure they would make a mint and could live off of it until the licence ran out. Good luck guys; cos it looks as though in the main the ladies are missing out on this one. Lucky you!

I'll keep yopu all posted on the Bromelain idea and how it's working.

David 

David

Thankyou David, I didn't know that, I have arranged to see my Gp and will be asking the questions, when I started Allinporinal the Gp said it was for life, scary that people have had  anaphylactic shock 6 years down the line.

Take it with turmeric. Turmeric reduces inflammation. But if it gets bad I also drink cherry juice.

It took me a while to figure out that high GDU Bromelain works much better. I suggest 2800 GDU or 3000 GDU

Thanks, will take more of it then.

I was never given omeprazole, and it felt like i had burned a hole in my stomach when I took Indomethacin. So I stopped asking for it.

Thanks for the information, David. I took Indomethicin one time and had acute and scary shortness of breath, dizziness, visual disturbances, and, well, generally I felt like I was about to die. Called the pharmacy and they instructed me to stop taking it.

GOing to pick up some Bromelain tomorrow. I feel like it's moving into my fingers tonight. This is doing my head in!

You're right about the sites claiming 'cures.' All scams. The idea that animal products alone are responsible for gout is ludicrous. If I have too much wheat, I'll get a flare. 

Keep the faith everyone.

GDU is short for Gelatin Disolving Unit, in other words, potency. Potency can vary as Bromelain is an enzyme from Pineapple.  It is sold with a GDU value and mg, such as 2500 GDU/500 Mg. 500 Mg of high potency works well for me.

Actually there are number of suppliments such as Quercetin/Bromelain (from vegetables, plant pigment) that reduce your Uric acid levels. This is an anti oxidant,  has many other health benefits.

I hope this helps someone.

Yes, Andrew, thanks for the information.  Good info, anything to help reduce uric acid levels.