- This topic has 4 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 8 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
i first had my gout attack wen i was 21 rite after new years 2007-2008 i was shocked wen the doctor told me i will have to take allopurinol for the rest of my life. my uric acid level was 10.5 at the time. the doc also gave my colchicine and indomethacin but i only took it for the pain. then she gave me the allopurinol, she told me to take for life but i only took it for a month den i stopped. one year and a couple months past by and another gout attack happens. den she told me to seriously start taking the allopurinol but i am a young man that enjoys bbqing and drinking beer and i don't kno wat to do i am just messed up. i want to take the allopurinol but not for the rest of my life. i dont know wat to do da pain is crazy. wat happens if i take it for about three months den suddenly stop am i gonna have any serious side effects wen suddenly stopping? i feel like an old man
Life without allopurinol – finger.
Life without allopurinol – ElbowAlso consider what happens when your joints crumble from gout – too late for allopurinol then.
What happens if I take allopurinol for three months and suddenly stop? Will there be any serious changes or side effects? I don't really understand my doctor. I feel too young to be taking allopurinol for the rest of my life. I was planning to take the allopurinol for about three months to take out some uric acid then switch to black cherry pills and try to stop drinking so much beer.
I feel your pain (literally) and understand why you wouldn't want to take a medication “for the rest of your life.” Realistically, you never know what new cures or information will be released about Gout as it becomes more understood and medical technology progresses. For the short term, you need to be taking it daily.
Allopurinol does not get rid of uric acid in your blood; it is an inhibitor, meaning that it prevents too much uric acid from being produced in the first place. So when you start taking Allopurinol, your uric acid level in your blood should slowly normalize as the drug takes effect. Within three months you'd likely have a uric acid level considered normal — around 5mg or less.
If you stop taking Allopurinol, then you no longer have anything inhibiting the production of uric acid and your level goes back up. Once it is above 6mg, crystals start to formalize again and you open yourself up to more frequent attacks. With an elevated uric acid level in your blood, you suffer from hyperuricemia which can be deadly if not controlled. It's not only the pain and flare ups that you need to prevent. Not treating hyperuricemia opens you to a higher risk of many other ailments, such as high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, etc.
It would be nice if the body'learned' not to produce as much uric acid when taking Allopurinol, however that is not the case. If you stop, you go right back to where you started.
Bottom line is whatever you decide to do, you need to have your blood tested for uric acid levels regularly. You can try reducing the dosage of Allopurinol or going off it, but you need to have the tests done to show what effect it has upon your uric acid levels.
It's a bit similar to diabetes.. just because someone isn't immediately seeing symptoms of being diabetic doesn't mean they can ignore their blood sugar levels and assume nothing is being damaged without them knowing.
Good luck and let us know how you are doing!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.