Living with gout

[boots]

Trying to get a handle on this arthritic condition. Are there any others suffering with it on these threads?

 

[Colonel Angus]

I've had it for about 15 years now. It sucks.

 

[boots]

I've had it for about 15 years now. It sucks.

When it hits, its not because of any specific food that I've eaten. Hell, I can drink water all day and it will hit me.

 

[AliceBrenda]

My only consolation is that Cheney has it too.

Avoid: organ meats (liver, kidneys &c), shellfish, mushrooms, rolled oats, spinach, asparagus, lentils.

In the event of an attack, heaviest safe dose of Naproxen can help. Vicodin doesn't work. An old standby is colchisine, which has to be prescribed. It works quickly as well, but has digestive side effects.

Allopurinol in either 100mg or 300mg works well as a preventative, but should not be taken during an attack - your doctor will probably have forgotten to mention that to you.

Alcohol is OK, but in moderation.

 

[boots]

My only consolation is that Cheney has it too.

Avoid: organ meats (liver, kidneys &c), shellfish, mushrooms, rolled oats, spinach, asparagus, lentils.

In the event of an attack, heaviest safe dose of Naproxen can help. Vicodin doesn't work. An old standby is colchisine, which has to be prescribed. It works quickly as well, but has digestive side effects.

Allopurinol in either 100mg or 300mg works well as a preventative, but should not be taken during an attack - your doctor will probably have forgotten to mention that to you.

Alcohol is OK, but in moderation.

Alice, I can avoid those things and by golly, my big toe will still swell up and look like something unmentionable.

 

[hockeybeat]

Talk to David Wells.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Eat a bowl of cherries

 

[AliceBrenda]

My only consolation is that Cheney has it too.

Avoid: organ meats (liver, kidneys &c), shellfish, mushrooms, rolled oats, spinach, asparagus, lentils.

In the event of an attack, heaviest safe dose of Naproxen can help. Vicodin doesn't work. An old standby is colchisine, which has to be prescribed. It works quickly as well, but has digestive side effects.

Allopurinol in either 100mg or 300mg works well as a preventative, but should not be taken during an attack - your doctor will probably have forgotten to mention that to you.

Alcohol is OK, but in moderation.

Alice, I can avoid those things and by golly, my big toe will still swell up and look like something unmentionable.

My only consolation is that Cheney has it too.

Avoid: organ meats (liver, kidneys &c), shellfish, mushrooms, rolled oats, spinach, asparagus, lentils.

In the event of an attack, heaviest safe dose of Naproxen can help. Vicodin doesn't work. An old standby is colchisine, which has to be prescribed. It works quickly as well, but has digestive side effects.

Allopurinol in either 100mg or 300mg works well as a preventative, but should not be taken during an attack - your doctor will probably have forgotten to mention that to you.

Alcohol is OK, but in moderation.

Alice, I can avoid those things and by golly, my big toe will still swell up and look like something unmentionable.

The allopurinol and/or an herbal supplement called Go-Out Plex (Vitamin Express, San Francisco) are supposed to help prevent that. Naproxen should slow it down within 24 hours.

Immersion in ice water for 20+ minutes can relieve some of the pain. Might be time to see a specialist. Doc Talk may have more informed thoughts on this subject.

 

[boots]

My only consolation is that Cheney has it too.

Avoid: organ meats (liver, kidneys &c), shellfish, mushrooms, rolled oats, spinach, asparagus, lentils.

In the event of an attack, heaviest safe dose of Naproxen can help. Vicodin doesn't work. An old standby is colchisine, which has to be prescribed. It works quickly as well, but has digestive side effects.

Allopurinol in either 100mg or 300mg works well as a preventative, but should not be taken during an attack - your doctor will probably have forgotten to mention that to you.

Alcohol is OK, but in moderation.

Alice, I can avoid those things and by golly, my big toe will still swell up and look like something unmentionable.

My only consolation is that Cheney has it too.

Avoid: organ meats (liver, kidneys &c), shellfish, mushrooms, rolled oats, spinach, asparagus, lentils.

In the event of an attack, heaviest safe dose of Naproxen can help. Vicodin doesn't work. An old standby is colchisine, which has to be prescribed. It works quickly as well, but has digestive side effects.

Allopurinol in either 100mg or 300mg works well as a preventative, but should not be taken during an attack - your doctor will probably have forgotten to mention that to you.

Alcohol is OK, but in moderation.

Alice, I can avoid those things and by golly, my big toe will still swell up and look like something unmentionable.

The allopurinol and/or an herbal supplement called Go-Out Plex (Vitamin Express, San Francisco) are supposed to help prevent that. Naproxen should slow it down within 24 hours.

Immersion in ice water for 20+ minutes can relieve some of the pain. Might be time to see a specialist. Doc Talk may have more informed thoughts on this subject.

I can take pain. It's more of an inconvenience.

 

[sportschick]

My grandpa smokes dope for his. It's legal in Montana and drives grandma nuts.

 

[casty33]

I have lived with gout for more than 30 years, though I haven't had an attack (thank God) in the last 20. I used to take Xyloprim but doctor changed that to Allopurinol (300 mg.), which I take every day. It works, believe me.

Back in the beginning, I had attacks in the knee, ankle and (the worst and most painful, for me) wrist. And yes, when you get an attack, colchicine is the best remedy, but be careful of the diarrhea that may follow.

But believe me, Allopurinol works. (Plus, I gave up drinking about 20 years ago).

 

[Meat Loaf]

I have it in my right ankle. At first, it was so severe that the doctor just thought I broke my foot until he X-rayed. I've got a small batch of pills for the swelling.

I also have arthritis in my left knee from a previous surgery to remove torn meniscus. There are times when I can't put weight on the joint, and I'll walk with a cane.

Most forms of hydrocodone (like Vicodin) are useless because I'm allergic. I took it after the knee surgery in 2003 and broke out into a full-body rash. I took Benadryl for that. Needless to say, I didn't know my ****ing name for a while. I went without painkillers when I had two wisdom teeth pulled the same day. The chief photographer has dubbed me the toughest mother****er he knows.

I make sure to buy comfortable, supportive shoes, even if a pair of blue Nikes clashes with slacks and a tie.

 

[OTD]

I got it a couple years ago. Worst was about 1 1/2 years ago when I had it in my toe/foot for 2 weeks. I actually considered cutting my foot off with an ax it hurt so bad. I've been on Allopurinol since and have had no bad flareups.

I might forget my anniversary, my kids' birthdays or where I put my car keys but I NEVER forget to take my Allopurinol.

 

[Trouser_Buddah]

Wow...I didn't realize it was this common...best wishes to all.

 

[Colonel Angus]

Another anti-inflammatory you can take (it's prescription) is indomethacin. It can often turn an attack around, especially when you use it w/colchicine (which does indeed have various unpleasant gastric side effects).

I'm allergic to allopurinol, so my doctor put me on probenecid, which does essentially the same thing. I've also stopped drinking. I don't know which one it's due to (possibly both) but I have significantly fewer attacks today than I used to.

My doc also says I have pseudo-gout, which is like gout except the crystals formed are calcium pyrophosphate instead of uric acid. I've had my knee really swell up a few times and had to have it drain.

 

[DocTalk]

The drug of choice for an acute flare of gout (an inborn error of the body not to metabolize uric acid) is Indomethacin 50mg three times a day. steroids can sometimes be usde. Colchicine has fallen out of favor because of teh high potential fro side effect.

Allopurinol decreases the body's production of uric acid and is therefore used as a preventive drug, but is not usually prescribed in the acute flare.

 

[boots]

The drug of choice for an acute flare of gout (an inborn error of the body not to metabolize uric acid) is Indomethacin 50mg three times a day. steroids can sometimes be usde. Colchicine has fallen out of favor because of teh high potential fro side effect.

Allopurinol decreases the body's production of uric acid and is therefore used as a preventive drug, but is not usually prescribed in the acute flare.

Doc, can you talk about Uric Acid and what exactly is it.

 

[Lucas Wiseman]

Let's be careful out there. Gout is a serious problem.

 

[BYH]

Let's be careful out there. Gout is a serious problem.

That's serious quality.

The odds the originator of this thread actually has gout? About 1 in 1 million.

 

[Pete Wevurski]

Used to take Indocin to treat an attack -- I recall it erased the pain in an hour or so -- but so does 800mg of Ibuprofen if you're caught without Indocin.

However, since I've been taking Allopurinol, I can't remember the last time I had a flareup. Is Allopurinol that good? Or, in old age, has my memory gotten so bad? (Thankfully, the former.)