Blood Pressure meds and Gout

[mead62]

I have been taking generic coreg for mild hypertension along with 80mg of Uloric.  I have been on the Uloric since November of 2009 after a horrible 2 months of gout attacks.  The Uloric has reduced my UA and has seemed to help.  I went to a Nephrologist for a check up as I have a solitairy kidney (probably why I've had gout).  He was concerned with my blood pressure and added amlodipine to my coregg.  After taking amlodipine for 3 days I have experienced a substantial gout attack in my knee.  I called the doctor to ask if this could be the cause of the flare and he wasn't sure and said it probably wasn't.  I have not taken any more and am afraid to take it again.  I have been on a low sodium diet as he prescribed as well.  I have lost close to 10lbs. by eliminating most sodium from my diet.  I guess I am asking if the blood pressure med could cause a flare up of gout?

Thanks,

Jay

[snoopy]

Hmm, I'm curious about this as well.  My first gout attacks started about the time I was put on lotrel which is amlodipine and benazepril.

[snoopy]

Apparently the opposite is true. Amlodipine is a calcium blocker. 

Calcium channel blockers are among the medications that can be beneficial for both medical conditions. These are fairly new but highly popular for treating both gout and high blood pressure.

Because gout and hypertension are often diagnosed fairly close to each other you might find treating them both with calcium channel blockers to be beneficial. Taking calcium channel blockers and gout interactions can be among your best defenses against another painful attack.

http://www.selfgrowth.com/arti….._gout.html

[zip2play]

Jay,

Of course the worst offenders in the pharmacopeia for CAUSING gout are thiazide diuretics which expel sodium and water and to keep the body's electrolyte balance neutral, RETAIN uric acid.  For this single reason I think that they should be banned for middle age men or at the very least for those with high normal uric acid levels.

Now, alas, almost ALL BP meds wave the flag about their various mechanisms of lowering BP, whether by blocking ACE and thus making less angiotensin-2, or by preventing it's attachment, or by acting on the adrenals or the pituitary blocking renin from being made etc.

BUT the main final effect, no matter the mechanism is almost always the exulsion of sodium and water by the kidneys and the same resultant retention of urate.

This is a fact that most gouties learn the hard way…and few doctors understand. Yes, most anti-hypeertensives raise serum uric acid. There is but one exception, Cozaar (losartan.) It is an ARB that is also uricosuric. Alas it is a weak antihypertensive but nevertheless all hypertensive gouties should be on it, even if they have to take other crap with it. Too bad it is still under patent protection and thus still pretty $$$$pricey$$$$.

Aside from losartan, I THINK the least offensive group might be the calcium channel blockers…but don't hold me to that. BUT they have a doozy of a side effect…most of them cause your feet to swell. Nice for gouties, right??  

[Manny]

Jay you are right, because it happens to me also. I intake amlodipine for my hypertension but my uric acid in the blood goes high and then worsen my gout attack. I stop taking amlodipine, I use taking 100mg of allopurinol and 10mg of prednisone for 3 days then my gout was cured

[Keith Taylor]

Yes, some blood pressure meds can cause gout, but this takes many years. That means that switching meds might not be enough. It’s all about controlling uric acid levels. If gout attack stops, it might still come back if not managed properly.

Remember, any doctor who gives you gout by prescribing the wrong blood pressure pills is not the person who will know how to cure your gout. I’d strongly recommend posting uric acid blood test results here, so we can work with your doctor to get the right treatment package that stops high blood pressure, and gout.

[Author]

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