Gout Pal Interactive

I have read in several places, in sources that go back a half century, that sodium bicarbonate is an exceollent urinary acidifier. The presumption then is made that it increases urate excretion because it prevent the formation or uric acid and the dissolved urate ions are more easily excreted.I believe this is true.

Now the rub. I, like many other gout sufferers have hypertension and heart disease (not too serious) and must take antihypertensives. Trouble is I'm a low renin hypertensive and my hpertension is volume driven. Thus the pills that WORK for me are pretty much the diuretics…that's what caused my gout (secondary gout I guess you'd call it.) So, although I would LOVE to try daily bicarbonate, a tablespoonful of the soldium rich salt, baking soda, is out of the question.

What I am toying with is POTASSIUM BICARBONATE. I even went so far as to try to order online but all I could find was the preposterously sized commercial stuff…like a 55 gallon DRUM of it.

I have to take large potassium supplement ANYWAY if I am taking Lasix so the KHCO3 whould be ideal. Another alternative would be Magnesium bicarbonate, but try to find THAT!

So anyhoo, here I sit eating aspirin like M&M's thinking that I need a uricosuric…maybe I'll take the easier route and go to the MD and ask for sulfinpyrazone or probenecid (never took either.)

I've ordered a couple pounds of potassium bicarbonate, food grade, and I hope to be able to start a trial soon. After a few weeks I will arrange a doctor's visit and a serum uric acid test.

I HOPE the stuff doesn't taste any worse than sodium bicarbonate which I don't mind.

I, of course will stop my potassium sparing BP med (losartan) and my daily potassium supplements (10 MeQ KCl) so as not to overload on K+.