Taking Colchicine on vacation

[Rebecca Nahid]

Right now I suspect I may be in the throes of another attack 🙁 I just keep saying in my head “Really?!” in an incredulous tone because as I told you before on here uric acid is 0.27 mm/ol. But as Keith pointed out maybe still old uric acid crystals dissolving, I’ve been on Allopurinol for 6 months now so hope that is the case. I am due to go to Turkey in September for a little over a week, really do not want an attack while I am there, is it okay to take twice daily colchicine while I am there? When I first started with Allopurinol I was on it for nearly 6 weeks and during a holiday to the states it was very comforting to know it was keeping any attacks at bay. What do others think? Thank you

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There is a standard colchicine dose for gout. But be flexible depending on your plan and your symptoms.

[nobody]

Makes sense.
If you’ve been on the same colchicine dose for 6 weeks, you know exactly what to expect. If you got some side effects last time, you might want to try a smaller dose. But there’s no particular reason to avoid going back on colchicine for a couple of weeks.
You don’t need to start taking colchicine now in order to get some protection in September. But you could take it today because you feel an attack is starting.

[d q]

Yes, indeed you can however try to keep distance between yourself and sick people especially hospitals prior to going and whilst you are there as colchicine reduces your immunity capabilities.

One thing I would like to ask is have your attacks become less intense since starting allopurinol 6 months ago or are they still the same on the pain scale? If they are getting less painful allopurinol is indeed working and your crystals are getting less and less. If they are not however then you are still going through the primary stages of debulking.

[Rebecca Nahid]

Luckily I didn’t have too side effects with colchicine just some slight upset stomach in the early days and insomnia strangely, but now I’m quite used to it so I agree with you both I would definitely take it may be a few days before I go away I find on holiday that my immune system never suffered any way of all the fresh air sunshine and healthy food which no doubt Turkey will have lots of fruits and vegetables

Since starting allopurinol in February I have had to further attacks one in May one in July they may one wasn’t very good but the July one definitely went away a lot quicker in fact after 2 days of rest and diclofenac I was up and around again like normal so yes fingers crossed! Thank you and definitely ignoring my previous doctor he told me to up my dose of allopurinol 300 mg at such a low level of uric acid I’m not even going to go there!

[d q]

That’s good news – Well done.

Yes, if you have control of uric acid at lower doses of Allopurinol then you are fine to stay there. Just make sure you monitor your Blood, Kidney and Liver function levels with your regular uric acid tests.

Out of curiosity, what dose of Diclofenac do you take and for how long after the attack do you continue for?

[Rebecca Nahid]

What has always worked for me it’s just to get straight onto the diclofenac tablets they’re the diclofenac 50mg. I just take three times a day while I’ve got an acute flare up and then normally two days or so afterwards even when I feel like I’m 100% out of the woods never experienced any side effects so far and yes I have all my liver functions done regularly and all brilliant

[d q]

Perfect – well done. 🙂

Turkey! My sister has been to Istanbul and Borsa and says it’s lovely.

I look forward to going one day 🙂

[Rebecca Nahid]

My Vacation Plan for Colchicine, Diet, and Exercise

Just wanted to run this by you all I’m off to Turkey on Friday for 10 days looking forward to it staying at an all-inclusive hotel. I visited Turkey many times before so I know that the hotels don’t tend to offer much in the way of soya products for my vegan diet for dairy free cheese etc I would eat plenty of beans chickpeas hummus fresh fruits and salads from the hotel buffet

I will also buy some dairy-free milk that they do sell on the supermarket to keep my calcium levels good. Exercise Wise I’m not planning on anything strenuous and can’t swim at the moment but I’m planning on doing water walking do you think that will be beneficial and not harm my gout?

Also I plan to take a preventative dose of colchicine as really do not want gout to flare up do you think this is a good idea thank you 🙂

[Keith Taylor]

Hi Rebecca,

Working backward through your points:

Colchicine For Gout

I’ve added a few notes to Colchicine For Gout about stopping and restarting preventative colchicine.

Fundamentally, it’s all about your perception of risk. Also, highly dependent on when was your last gout attack, and when did you last have uric acid above 5mg/dL. Because the longer those two periods are, the less chance you have of getting a gout attack. So, if you are worried, and had no problems with colchicine in the past then you should be OK. But, as with most aspects of practical gout management – the devil is in the detail.

As regards your other points:
Exercise and Gout
I don’t know what ‘water walking’ is. But did you read our recent discussion about exercise and gout? Because, as you can see, opinions differ.

Calcium
I’m not aware of any gout issues regarding calcium (except for pseudo gout, of course). But, this high calcium foods list might be useful to you. It is presented starting with foods in order of highest calcium per 100 calories. But, you can sort and search however you like.

Vegan Gout Diet
As for vegan diets for gout, that’s a huge topic, unless I’m over-complicating it. Because we don’t actually know why common vegan diets are bad for gout. So, all I can assume is, it’s due to one or more of the common vegan diet deficiencies:

• Polyunsaturated Fats, especially EPA, DHA, and ALA. I think this is very relevant to gout. But, I haven’t got my research to a point where I can suggest any practical advice.
• Vitamin D – not likely to be a problem on a beach vacation!
• Iron – lower than usual iron could be good for gout sufferers. But requires a competent doctor to assess all the issues associated with low iron.
• Vitamin B-12 – I’ve not started investigating the relationship to gout yet.
• Zinc – also not started investigating. But, it’s been mentioned in the forums, without any real analysis with respect to gout.

So, I’d say, whatever you are doing in the UK to avoid these common vegan diet issues should be transferable to Turkey. But, check customs regulations first regarding importing supplements, if you take any. As for potential gout affects, it’s probably not an issue if your allopurinol is still keeping your uric acid safe.

[nobody]

I doubt there’s much controversy about exercising in water. I never hurt myself that way. The water holds your weight and slows your movements so your joints are protected.

I’d be more worried about microbes on uncooked food than about anything gout-related. I’ve been sick enough times that I prefer eating well-cooked food when eating out.
I don’t know for a fact that you’re especially vulnerable if you take colchicine for a short while but I would be especially careful with food if I was taking colchicine.

I have no idea how “dairy-free milk” is made.
Everything else is fine as long as you take enough allopurinol. I’d go easy on grapes and other very sweet fruits though.

[Rebecca Nahid]

Thank you very much to both of you for your detailed answers. sorry I didn’t explain my exercise very well water walking is just that walking in the swimming pool, normally in the shallow End working up to walking in the slightly deeper end the water takes the way so I presume it will be good for any sort of foot or leg injury.

Personally I think the vegan diet being bad for gout one of the aspects is vegans who do don’t supplement and don’t get enough calcium I’ve seen vegans are go to restaurants and a happy just to have a plate of chips or salad I do take a multivitamin supplement the dairy-free milk I take is fortified with calcium and all my blood test shows that I am not deficient in anything.

I will have no trouble getting them through customs have been taking multivitamins for the last 7 years and going on holiday to different parts of the world you should see the stuff my mum takes in her mini suitcase it’s like a drugs cabinet lol the main thing that worries me is the heat I don’t think my uric acid has ever been that high.

[Author]

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