Join the forum discussion on this post - (2) PostsAllopurinol and gout is becoming something of a hot topic.
I’ve written about it in the past.
You can see my earlier posts about allopurinol.
I’m becoming very concerned about the way allopurinol is being used, and the advice that is given about it.
I really need more information from you now. My personal experience of allopurinol is almost non-existent, but collectively, we have a vast knowledge bank of how allopurinol is being used.
I’ve started a thread in the gout treatment forum where we can share our knowledge. Please contribute with your experience of allopurinol and gout. I’m looking for all experiences, positive or negative, serious or slight. If you are a gout sufferer and you’ve never heard of allopurinol, then I’d love to know about it.
Over the next few months, I want to build a profile of how us gout patients are actually treated. This is a chance for you to share your feelings and make a real difference.
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Why would a medical doctor dismiss gout as a diagnosis when a patient has a previous history of gout? This recently happened to my mom and I’d like to sue her doctor for the pain and suffering it has caused her.
my husband cannot take allopurinol for his gout. When he tried it his lymph nodes hurt and his immune system went crazy. it was a documented rare side effect in his physician’s pda
Chris, this underlines how important it is to take allopurinol under proper, experienced, medical supervision.
Initial dose should always be low, and take care to carefully check for side-effects. Serious side-effects are rare, but you don’t want to be the rare statistic do you?
Dosage should be gradually increased until uric acid is maintained below 6mg/dL.
My allopurinol pages on GoutPal.com have more details.
I am a 53 year old female and have had kidney stones for past 30 years but had never been told about the possibility of gout. My mother suffered with gout as I was growing up but didn’t realize the uric acid connection. In 2002 I had 2 large uric acid kidney stones removed from my right kidney and those were the first that had been tested to determine the type of stones that I had. During the past 3 years I have had pain in both feet which I have been trying to diagnose with my family doctors help. I thought the pain might be low potassium, magnesium, or whatever. This past week my right foot became so swollen and sore that I could not put my shoe on or sleep. The pain was really bad when I tried to stand or walk and ended up crawling to the bathroom. After 1 day I went to the ER as my doctor could not see me for several days. The ER doctor diagnosed gout and gave me a prescription for some indomethacin 50 mg. The pharmacist said to take with food and water, which I have been doing. I experienced some nausea, however, it has helped the gout pain in my foot immensely. I have to take for next 10 days. He said to see my family doctor in a week about starting allopurinol, so I am interested in what experiences other people have had and will it help prevent my kidney stone issue. In your opinion is it more important to have medical supervision of my family doctor, an urologist, or another specialist or all three? Thanks, Joy
Where gout is straightforward, and responding to treatment, then the family doctor is often the best choice. If there are complications, then a rheumatologist is probably a better bet.
Try your family doctor first. The procedure is to start with a fairly low dose of allopurinol (usually 100mg), then proceed to increase the dose if there are no serious side effects until your uric acid level is below 6mg/dL. Unfortunately, some doctors omit this vital monitoring and dose adjusting phase, and simply give you the allopurinol prescription and leave you on your own.
This is not good enough. You must have frequent uric acid tests until your uric level is stabilized below 6mg/dL. Anything less is a waste of time. During the first few months, you can expect gout flares, though these will reduce in frequency and intensity. Persevere through this phase with help from a suitable pain relief – there are many alternatives to indocin, so find something that works for you. My free gout guide on pain relief may help you and your doctor decide which is best.
Allopurinol should help the kidney stone issue, but be sure to drink plenty of water. Your doctor may also advise baking soda to alkalize the urine and reduce the risk of stones forming.
Put on Allipurinol recently for gout. After six weeks went up to 300mg daily. I have now developed really bad 24 hour tinnitus. Came off the drug three weeks ago and still no improvement. Feel really depressed, can’t imagine not getting rid of it.
Check the new drug Uloric. It is FDA approved after 40 years of Allopurinol-only approval.
See Febuxostat: Be Euphoric About Uloric for details. Also extensive discussion of uloric in the gout forum (see search box below)