Are Allopurinol Anxieties Helpful or Pointless?

Do allopurinol side effects worry you?
Allopurinol is a powerful drug, so perhaps it is not surprising that many people worry.

Stop worrying and learn how this medication really helps gout, as long as you use it correctly.

Allopurinol Anxieties Purpose

I wrote this allopurinol anxieties article for gout sufferers who won’t take allopurinol because they fear its side effects. Because I want to encourage you to discuss these fears with your doctor or other health adviser. Then you can work with professionals to overcome those fears or find alternative treatments to get your uric acid levels safe. So this article supports the Purpose of GoutPal.com within a GoutPal Plan for Gout Victims.

Ideally you will start one of the other plans identified by answering Questions for Gout Sufferers.

Allopurinol Anxieties

I list the standard allopurinol side effects below, but before you look at these, you need to know about one side effect that is rarely explained properly.

This is not a side effect of allopurinol as such, as it applies to all uric acid lowering therapies. When you lower uric acid properly, to a level that gets rid of old uric acid crystals, the melting uric acid crystals can trigger a gout flare. So this is sometimes painful. But it is an expected consequence of proper treatment. Which is easily controlled by six months with a gout pain care package.

Don’t avoid allopurinol just because it might trigger a painful flare. This is one side effect that you should welcome, as it indicates that you are getting better. This effect will diminish, as long as you continue taking allopurinol daily and get your uric acid level checked frequently.

As I’ve said many times in the gout forums:

If you take allopurinol you might get a gout flare. If you do nothing, you will get a gout flare.

See below for More Allopurinol Information including more on the most common, but least discussed of allopurinol side effects: pain.

Allopurinol Side Effects

Note that the side effects listed below are not experienced by everyone. Some are common, others rare, some people have no side effects, or are happy to accept a little discomfort in exchange for the permanent relief from acute gout attacks. As with all treatments, you must decide what is best for you in your particular circumstances and you must discuss side effects fully with your doctor before you start to take any drug and whenever you experience any adverse effects.

The following list may not be complete – if you experience any other problem that you think may be related to taking the drug, then you must consult your doctor.

Minor side effects that may go away

You only need to consult your doctor if these become severe

Indigestion
Drowsiness
Headache
Stomach pain
Unusual hair loss
Diarrhea
Nausea, unless with skin rash – this is serious – see below

Serious side effects

The most serious side effect is known as Allopurinol Hypersensitivity Syndrome (AHS) which affects 1 in 1000 patients. The risk of AHS increases with age. You must stop taking the drug and consult your doctor if you have any of the following

Aching or painful muscles
Blood in stools
Blood in urine
Breathing troubled or short
Bruising or bleeding without obvious cause
Chest tight or wheezing
Chills
Eyes irritated or red or yellow
Fever
Fingernails loose
Glands swollen or painful
Hands or feet numb, tingling, painful or weak
Hives
Itching
Lethargy (tiredness or weakness without obvious cause)
Lower back or side pain
Mouth or lips sore, ulcerated or showing white spots
Painful or difficult urination
Rapid weight gain
Rash, especially with vomiting or nausea
Red pinpoint skin spots
Skin red, tender, burning or peeling
Skin sores
Skin thickened or scaly
Skin yellow
Sore, bleeding lips
Swelling of face, feet, fingers, lower legs or stomach
Tarry, black stools
Throat sore and feverish
Urine suddenly decreases in amount

More Allopurinol Information

Read more vital allopurinol information:


Minimize Allopurinol Side Effects: To minimize allopurinol side effects the best approach is to start low. Some people should avoid allopurinol altogether. Get risk reduction advice now.
Are Allopurinol Side Effects Serious?: Allopurinol side effects worry many people, so just how serious are they?
3 Vital Allopurinol Dosage Rules: Allopurinol dosage needs to be planned, measured and adjusted for different treatment phases. A standard 300 mg dose might be just what you need – but make sure that it is set by diagnosis and judgment, not by dangerous guesswork.
Allopurinol For Gout Control: In-depth look at the management of gout using allopurinol.
Allopurinol Drug Not Just For Gout: Though mostly used in gouty arthritis, the allopurinol drug has found to be useful for other conditions.

Is this Allopurinol For Gout right for me photo — Is this Allopurinol For Gout right for me?

Your Allopurinol Anxieties

Have you seen other alternative spellings? Or do you have any questions, experiences, or opinions about allopurinol side effects? Then please tell me about your allopurinol side effect concerns in the gout forum.

Leave Allopurinol Anxieties to read more about allopurinol side effects. Or continue with your GoutPal Victims Plan.

Allopurinol Anxieties Feedback

I created this website to help me overcome allopurinol anxieties. Now, allopurinol is my best friend. So I don’t need this information. But I’d like to make it more relevant to you.

I can only help you if I know more about your particular concerns about allopurinol. Then I can change my message so it helps you solve your personal allopurinol issues. So before you tell me, here is some feedback that I’m currently reviewing to try and make this page better:

23 Nov 2019: Are Allopurinol and Uloric the same?

My response to that is that they are not the same. But they both help gout patients by treating excess uric acid. So they need similar gout patient treatment plans to manage each stage of gout recovery. Therefore, you must discuss those stages with your doctor. Especially to arrange blood tests and prescription dose reviews.

However, in the context of this page, I believe the concern here is if Uloric has the same side effects as Allopurinol. In which case, they are very different. Because they act on different parts of your body so the effects are different for each drug. Therefore, you must discuss your concerns with your doctor. Specifically to arrange appropriate screening tests. Then to discuss the points I covered in the previous paragraph.

Please remember: to find more related pages that are relevant to you, use the search box near the top of every page.

Common Terms: allopurinol, weight