Ibuprofin Triggered My Gout

[Bil Howard]

I have been gout free for almost a year. The last time I had it, it was triggered by a pain reliever that I had taken for my back pain. From that point forward I only used Naproxin (Alleve) for pain or fever. A week ago, I was having some back pain and didn’t have any Naproxin, so I took two Ibuprofin every 6 hours for a day and a half… The following afternoon I felt my gout flaring up and by that evening, it was full blown and one of the worst I’ve had yet. The only other thing that changed in my diet was some hot sauce that I’d received from a friend from Peru. I am suspicious of the Ibuprofin because I had the same thing happen with another pain reliever, but could the Aji Sauce be causing it this time?

[Keith Taylor]

Cause or coincidence? We’ll never know without lots more information.

Every gout sufferer, myself included, tries to link events and determine gout triggers.

I stopped doing it when I learned one very important gout fact. Gout attacks happen as a response to uric acid crystals forming, and as a response to uric acid crystals dissolving.

Here’s two very important things to think about.

1. Aji Sauce, as I understand it, is simply Aj? Amarillo peppers blended with a little water or vegetable oil. It’s the sort of thing that I would put into the category of “probably helps reduce uric acid as part of a healthy balanced diet.” I have no idea if this sauce did trigger an attack, but if it did, it is most likely to be old crystals dissolving, which is a very good thing. To prove this, abstain from the sauce for two weeks and get a uric acid test. Then consume the sauce for two weeks without changing other eating patterns. Test uric acid again. Repeat this until you get a statistically confident result. (Note – I don’t actually expect anyone to do this, but it is the only way to answer the cause or coincidence question when it comes to any food or drink item)

2. Back pain could well be an early indication of a gout attack. You should definitely check with your doctor about back pain and gout, especially if the pain is in the lower back.

[Keith Taylor]

Any more thoughts on this @bil-howard

Have there been any recent changes? How about ingredients in that Aji pepper sauce? Traditional sauces are very simple, but in today’s world, maybe other ingredients have been added?

More importantly, whereabouts in your back is the pain?

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