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Hi fellow sufferers – I have been worried about tempting fate but here goes…..ALLOPURINOL has done the trick for me!!!!!
It took a while and the expected attacks while the uric levels slowly went down but it is ALL worth it. I haven’t had an attack for ages and in the past I did go without attacks for extended periods so I wasn’t too convinced my current situation may not have been a co-incidence.
I am now drinking a bit less than I used to but certainly more than when I was suffering attacks. Well – I figured what is the point of taking the allopurinol religiously if I wasn’t going to see if it worked! And with less caution I am pretty sure it is the allopurinol that is the hero here. I don’t worry unduly about my diet either now. As far as the booze goes I cut down and lost weight so I am still not drinking as much as I used to in an attempt to keep the weight down – and also of course I don’t want to push my luck on the gout front either. But – 2 cans (or pints if in thne pub) of cider a night followed by a galss (sometimes 2) of wine a night and still gout free.
I hope I haven’t tempted fate now!
So – the point of this post? All of you out there a bit sceptical of allopurinol – don’t be – I am almost certain it is resposible for my now gout free existence.
Good luck!I would just like to echo Barrys post. My story started about 8 years ago, I had my gout misdiagnosed by my GP for about 5 years, cortisone injections etc….. Luckily I saw a locum on one trip who sent me to the hospital to see a Rheumatologist who was amazed I had never been tested for gout ( a reason to never look at your GP as someone who knows everything as they don’t..i could go on and on this subject, another time maybe….. )
My uric acid level came back extremely high and she put me onto Allopurinol straight away ( cant thank her enough ). I still had a few attacks over the next year but they became less painful and so i carried on. I couldn’t walk properly as my knees an ankles were so sore due to previous attacks and probably tophi. Two years further on, I am still on Allo and my uric acid is within safe levels and haven’t had a single attack…I now run between 5km and 7km in the gym 3 times a week ( i would have given my last penny to have been able to do that 5 years ago when i was in the most immense pain) I drink beer( lager) about 3 times a week and ashamed to say above the safe guidelines and eat whatever I want. So if anyone is thinking about not taking Allo can i just say that it has basically revolutionalised my life, i am now an active 48 year old who has aspirations of attempting a half marathon this year and a full one on my 50th year. A massive massive thanks my Rheumatologist and the Locum….you have made a miserable pain ridden guy so incredibly happy. PS a big thanks to Gout Pal who I followed once I found it was gout…enough to tell my GP I was going to take 900mg not 300mg ( after the initial test period) for a while and told him that I wouldn’t take no for an answer..he relented…and then after 900mg I decided to try 600mg ( GP warned me about side effects “pffft” )…then I..yes I decide to go to 300mg. Best of luck to you all…my best advice is1) Don’t believe everything your GP says….I never will again
2) Demand to see a Rheumy or failing that ask for a Uric acid test “just in case”,if you think it could be Gout.
3) Don’t believe 300mg Allopurinol is the optimum dose…that’s rubbish.
Apologies if its long but I would hate anyone to suffer like I did due to a GP misdiagnosis.
Likewise, I also have to say allopurinol is the way to go if your gout begins recurring too frequently. I had been managing gout very effectively for about 8 years (4-5 attacks over the period with a few additional instances killed with an early dose of colchicine) when my attacks inexplicably began happening often, and for longer periods of time. Though I had been reluctant to go on medication, the growth of tophi and development of a never-ending attack were the final straws. Although I can’t say allopurinol has been 100% responsible for my success in eliminating gout, it has definitely been key. I would guess taking off about 25 pounds of weight has been equally effective, and a combination of a number of other efforts has helped with my outcome as well. I’m sure there are differences in what will work for everyone, but here’s what’s worked for me:
* 300 mg allopurinol daily (100 mg in the morning, 200 mg at night)
* Taking off the 25 lbs I needed to
* 4 pints of water daily (helps the system flush out uric acid and other toxins)
* 30 minutes of cardio 4-5 days a week* Largely vegetarian diet focusing on balance and diversity of fruits and vegetables
– No red meat
– Chicken, turkey, salmon, or other non-shellfish a few times a month (sushi and shellfish only occasionally)
– 6 oz 100% cherry juice almost every morning
– More yogurt
– 2-4 cups of coffee most days
– Seeking out more “anti-inflammatory” fruits, vegetables, spices (tumeric), and herbs
– Reduced sugar, salt, empty carbs (breads), and concentrated sugars, salts, and yeasts
– Mixed berry, banana, soy milk, cacao, hemp, flax, pecan, coconut oil, spirulina smoothie 5 days a week* Wine no more than a few days a week
– Spirits only occasionally
– Avoid brewers yeast and funky microbrews for the most part, going with a pilsner or lager when I do drink beer (Trumer, Sapporo… )I feel like my gout, which was diagnosed in my early 40s, had gotten way too severe for my age at 48. So I am very pleased that at 50 the combination of allopurinol, weight-loss, and other adjustments has resulted in not even a hint of gout since my “never-ending episode” that went on for months, which seems pretty unbelievable now, considering what I was going through then. My one issue is that while I’ve also eliminated or reduced the 3 tophi I had developed on or around my toes, the one larger tophi at the site of my original outbreak (big toe) is not completely gone, but about 20% of what it had been at its height. Compared with others, this tells me my gout would be pretty severe if only minimally treated. Thus, I am considering upping my dosage from 300 mg to 400 mg allopurinol daily. But after almost two years, I’m wondering if it is even possible to eliminate the one tophus entirely, and if that’s even worth risking monkeying with my dosage given my results?
Bloody Hell! If I’d known great posts like these were coming, I might have planned the move to my new gout forum a little differently. Actually, forget that! There’s still thousands of people reading this every day. And, I’ll continue to run this gout forum for at least the rest of 2016.
As with gout control, I prefer steady gentle changes. 🙂
Barry! Your news is brilliant. Everything you’ve said and done has been right. I think you deserve to be gout free now. I understand the lingering fear. Even after 4 years, I wonder if the dreaded gout may return. And, I’ve been lax about my annual checkup, so thanks for the reminder.
I also drink less than I used to before I got serious about handling my health. I’ve realized as the years pass, I can’t drink all night, every night. Fortunately, I still manage too much occasionally! 😀
Jasper! Great to hear from you again. Very wise words indeed.
“Apologies if its long” ❓ ❓ ❓
No Way! You could write that stuff all day, and I’d never tire of reading it.Please let us know when and where you are running. I’m sure there will be some local gouties who would love to cheer you on.
Gee G-man! Great post. Lots of lovely diet facts.
I’m so pleased you are still taking care of your diet. Too many people think they can do as they like once allopurinol starts. I think your healthy attitude gives you much better chance of a long, fulfilled life.
I’m not sure about the tophi. What have your uric acid blood test results been like?
Barry, Jasper, and G-man,
Thank you so much for taking some time to encourage fellow gout sufferers. You’ve really made my day. 😀Thanks Keith. The information here and subsequent discussion with you then about lowering uric acid to 5 mg/dl for eliminating gout and reducing tophi per the British guidelines (vs. 6 mg/dl per the American guidelines) were key in informing my decision to go on allopurinol and actually convincing my doctor to go with the British guidelines. I was actually only at 6.8 mg/dl during my “never-ending gout attack,” so I may be highly susceptible to gout. I have only been tested twice since everything started working and the first time I was at 4.8 and the second time 4.7, but both times were closer to when I started on allopurinol and fairly close together, so I have scheduled blood work again. Perhaps I am not under 5 mg/dl right now and that’s why the one lingering tophus is not completely reduced. If I am under 5 mg/dl though, I am not sure what else I can do to eliminate that tophus completely. Although it’s really fairly small and you might not notice it if you were looking at it and didn’t know I had gout, I am wondering why I can’t get rid of it completely since I have been able to reduce and eliminate the three tophi for the most part.
I will add that I had no problems during an extended three-week vacation overseas when I had to make some dietary and routine compromises, and when I’ve done some physical volunteer work where I put a lot of stress on my feet (where the gout has primarily flared in the past, and where it first occurred after a skiing vacation when I had ill-fitting ski boots). I really believe allopurinol, weight-loss, proper hydration, a low-purine diet, drinking wine mostly vs. other alcoholic beverages, regular exercise, and avoiding concentrated sugars, salts, and yeasts (especially brewer’s yeast) dramatically reduce your chances of getting gout.
Finally, I will also say that if you go on allopurinol, it is worth it do it properly and stick with it. I started with 200 mg daily when I was pain-free and followed all my doctors guidelines, and then increased to 300 mg and had no gout attacks as a result of going on the allopurinol.
I wanted to tack on an allopurinol question. I’m just getting past my first 3 week episode of gout. My uric acid level is high, 481 / 8.1. My GP, based on the Brit rheumatology guidelines, has told me I need to wait for a second flare up before she will start me on allopurinol. My feeling is that waiting for a second flare up is like waiting for a second heart attack before taking action. If you know you have a condition and know that you probably cannot completely eliminate the condition with just diet, treat it straight away before more damage is done. But am I just paranoid? Is it really sensible to wait–I mean, it could be another year till a second flare up, and what sort of unseen damage is accumulating in that time?
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