Stages of Gout Recovery: Your 6 Step Plan

Stages of Gout Recovery explains the stages you experience from starting uric acid treatment to being completely free from the risk of gout returning. So you can see how to adopt a step-by-step plan. Then you have the facts you need to make gout recovery quicker if you wish. Because there is no set time for gout recovery. But you can influence the time it takes to get rid of gout by making treatment choices that are best for you.

Stages of Gout Recovery Audience

I wrote Stages of Gout Recovery for all gout sufferers who want to understand how to be permanently free from gout. Because experience (and hundreds of gout recovery studies) shows that gout sufferers recover faster when they understand the stages of gout recovery. But you must know that gout prevention depends on uric acid control. So this is not about acute gout flares, which I cover in my gout attack recovery information.

Therefore, if you are looking for information about the stages of gout attacks, you can find it using the search box near the top of each page. But, if you are not convinced of the need to control uric acid, you should start with Questions for Gout Sufferers.

Stages of Gout Recovery

I will present the stages of recovery for a gout patient using allopurinol. Because allopurinol is the most common uric acid treatment for gout recovery. But, I will add notes for gout sufferers who are more interested in other drugs, or herbal gout medicine, or natural gout diet improvements.

1. Suitability Tests

Certain racial groups are more at risk of Allopurinol Hypersensitivity Syndrome (ASH). So, if you are in one of the high-risk groups, consider genetic screening to reduce the risk of allopurinol side effects.

For all alternatives to allopurinol, you should take a 24-hour uric acid urine test. Also, all gout sufferers need to get blood tests before uric acid treatment. So get your results for uric acid, kidney function, and liver function. Especially if you are considering febuxostat (Uloric) you must insist on liver function tests before and throughout your treatment. Because some doctors are less than diligent about blood tests. But liver function monitoring is vital with Uloric.

Note that natural and herbal medicines can also have side effects. So you must still get those three blood tests even if you plan your gout recovery with lifestyle changes or dietary supplements. In fact, the tests are even more important for herbal medicines. As these are usually sold without clinical trials.

2. Start Safe Dose

The safe starting dose for allopurinol is 100 mg per day. But your doctor might advise 50 mg per day depending on your medical history. For allopurinol alternatives, see my specific advice for your chosen uric acid treatment.

Also, when you start your treatment, arrange for your next blood tests in 2 to 6 weeks.

3. Titrate to Debulking Dose

From your safe dose test results, your doctor will advise if you should stay on 100 mg allopurinol, or increase to 200 mg per day. Then you repeat the cycle of testing and dose adjustment until you reach a safe uric acid level that encourages old crystals to dissolve (uric acid crystal debulking). Safe is always below 6 mg/dL. But the lower you get your uric acid, the faster old crystals will dissolve.

4. Monitor Gout Recovery

Once you have got your uric acid below 6 mg/dL, you should keep a record of gout symptoms. How you do that depends on your style. But you should be able to see that gout attacks become less widespread, less intense, and less frequent.

5. Adjust to Maintenance Dose

After six months without gout symptoms, you can consider yourself recovered. But always remember that our bodies and our personal circumstances keep changing. So we have one more stage of gout recovery…

6. Annual Checks

You want to make sure that gout never returns. So get those important three blood tests at least once per year. Then you can truly enjoy being free from gout and free from the fear of gout.

Stages of Your Gout Recovery

Start your gout recovery today with stage 1 above. Then work through each stage at your own pace. But remember, you do not have to face it alone. Because you can get personal help with your gout recovery whenever you want it.

Leave Stages of Gout Recovery to see more about Recovery Plans for Gout Sufferers.