How long taking Rx before one can return to normal lifestyle?

[cjeezy]

It's only been 2 weeks for me, however thus far it seems that my uric acid is between 5.5- 6 when taking 200mg of Allop.  Not going overboard or anything, but can I return to “somewhat normal” activities at this point? I'm going to stick with my diet, but I've been absolutely craving some sushi but have fought the urge. 

Also, if 200mg seems to keep my UA between 5.5-6 (except after an intense spinning class- 7.1). Should I stay on this dosage? My Dr gave me the ok to move up to 300 mg if needed.  I know a couple of times I took an extra 100mg before I went to bed totalling 300mg for the day (I took 200mg earlier that morning), and woke up with UA levels around 4.7.  This was only twice though so I'm not sure how statistically valid my readings were with this dosage.  I would suppose UA below 5 would quickly dissolve crystals and allow anyone to eat or drink just about anything.

[Keith Taylor (GoutPal Admin)]

cjeezy said:

I would suppose UA below 5 would quickly dissolve crystals and allow anyone to eat or drink just about anything.

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That's the beauty of lowering uric acid – it is not a true cure, but an effective treatment. It allows you to live life and forget gout.

[cjeezy]

I know I want to have 6 months of UA below 6, however do I need to wait 6 months before returning to normal activities?  My last 5 or so readings over the past 2 weeks have all been below 6. 

[Keith Taylor (GoutPal Admin)]

To me, the whole point of taking allopurinol is to live a normal life.

The body keeps producing uric acid at whatever is the normal rate for your genetic make-up. The kidneys keep getting rid of it at whatever is their normal functioning rate.

These rates can be varied slightly by what you eat and drink. Assuming your normal diet is a healthy one – i.e. nutritionally balanced to your energy requirements and with adequate vitamins and minerals – then you should aim to adjust your dose to a normal diet.

The days of regarding a meal consisting entirely of animal protein as normal are probably over, but this is unhealthy for many reasons besides gout. Sushi is probably a good example of this – a sushi meal might be very high in fish, but a more normal sushi meal would be balanced with rice and vegetables.

You mention a uric acid level below 6 for 6 months, but what you really need is a uric acid level of 6, or just below, for the rest of your life. I'm not sure if you are trying to this through allopurinol or lifestyle changes.

I'm sorry, this is just a list of generalizations really, as I'm not clear what your goals are.

On allopurinol, you should not need to restrict your diet to the point where you crave for anything. However, if the craving is for something outside the realms of “normal healthy diet”, then that is a different discussion.

[cjeezy]

Hi GP I have a very normal “healthy-balanced” lifestyle (when I eat sushi I also eat vegetables and rice, etc), but I guess my question is, can I start returning to normal activities now since my levels have been below 6 over the past 2 weeks (in ther morning after fasting)?…or do I need to wait longer to make sure there is more consistency?

[Utubelite]

It is interesting. you have been testing it in the morning whereas my all tests(except first one which was on 14 hrs fasting) we in the afternoon between 2 to 5pm without fasting.

Hi GP,

In one of your article, you mentioned that readings are low after fasting as compard to after food. I have been testing without fasting, though not immediatly after the food( gap of few hours)

Does it matter when do we test the Uric acid, or it has no impact on the numbers?

Thanks!

[cjeezy]

I’m going to start testing next week in the afternoon just to compare. Ill post results

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