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Hello fellow gout suffers,
I started taking Allopurinol about a year ago and after the worst 6 months of my life, it seemed to really help my gout. I have also been on Colchicine for about 5 years since I was diagnosed with gout. When I started the Allopurinol we discussed phasing out the Colchicine, but every time I have tried to stop (tapering from daily to ever other day to none) I get a gout attack and end up back on it. Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions (besides staying on Colchicine)? Thanks for your input.
Neal K
You need to understand that allopurinol tackles gout in the long term. It reduces uric acid, thus striking at the cause of gout. It is vital to take this, or some other uric acid lowering treatment, to avoid the crippling effects of gout. Allopurinol has no immediate obvious benefit, and may trigger a gout attack as it helps dissolve old crystals in your joint.
Colchicine is a pain-killer that is very effective for gout pain. It should only be necessary for a few months until the allopurinol has worked it's magic and all old crystals are dissolved.
There are 2 explanations, for your problems, I can think of:
- Your gout could be misdiagnosed. If the joint pain is from another disease (e.g. pseudogout), then allopurinol is unlikely to have any benefit.
- More likely, your allopurinol dosage is insufficient to dissolve all existing crystals.
Managing your uric acid numbers is vital.
Until you are stable, you should be tested at least every 3 months. If you have those numbers, please post them here, and we can give better advice. If you don't have them, please change your doctor (or send him here for re-education).
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