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Before starting allopurinol I was at a UA level of 7.0. My physician gave me 300mg allopurinol, but for the first two week I took only 150mg per day. That dosage brought my UA level down to around 5.5. For the last week I've been taking 300mg per day and it brought my UA level down to an average of about 4.5. However, I've also noticed some unpleasant side effects at 300mg (diarrhea, tired).
I'm wondering what UA level I should be targeting. Is 5.5 low enough or should I be targeting something lower? How long does it normally take for allopurinol to affect UA levels?
Thanks.
Fred,
Diarrhea is not an expected side-effect of allopurinol. Is there a possibility you are also taking low dose colchicine; colchicine IS a POTENT laxative.
Stay with the 300 mg. allopurinol. In the early stages of treatment a uric acid of 4.5 is FAR safer than a uric acid of 5.5. If you can go a year or so without an attack then MAYBE consider lowering your dosage and tolerating a higher uric acid.
Unless you have a lot of urate deposits, allopurinol will dramatically lower your serum uric acid in just a couple weeks, as you have seen.
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