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Hi, welcome to the world of pain 🙂 I hope i can do something to pull you out of it.
Indomethacin (Indocin) is very good when acute gout attacks but it is more important to take Colchicine as soon as you feel the pain is coming in. But what is even more important – get yourself on Allopurinol or Ulloric when the pain goes away (and trust me, it will soon) and drop your UA level below 5 mg/dL and make sure (regular blood tests) it stays there. Good luck!For me 100 mg daily of Allopurinal is enough to reduce UA to 5-6 mg/dL. Maybe you should test your blood and observe how much of a dose you need?
With UASure meter you can only use strips that are specific to this type.
I’ve mentioned UASure because it is popular where i live. I bet there are many reliable meters.I’ve bought UASure meter because it has decent reviews and i find it to be pretty consistent and reliable.
Go and see rheumatologist as soon as you can but i’ll tell you what my rheumatologist said to me. She said colhicine works only on gout, so if that drug works on your pain it’s almost unquestionable you have this desease.
If you can, wait with allopurinol but rules with this medication are pretty simple: take daily as much miligrams as you need and what you need is stay on or below 5 mg/dL UA. Test your uric acid monthly. That’s all.
Good luck!I do not know much about tophi because i don’t have it luckily but i know it takes a long time with low UA to dissapear.
I take same ammount of Allopurinol as you (35 years old) and when you keep your UA level below 5 i guess it’s pointless to raise a dosage. Just be patient with your tophi, when your UA level is good crystals will disperse.First of all go to rheumatologist and get you blood checked for uric acid level.
Of course it’s possible you have gout but none of us here will tell you for sure based on two photos.
I think it’s a rare thing – young woman with gout in second toe but don’t take my word for it, go and see specialist.
Good luck.I don’t know about reducing allopurinol dose when you hit right UA level. I guess it’s safe when you are closely monitoring your blood but don’t take my word for it. I guess Keith gonna be more knowledgeable in this matter.
One thing i learned about allopurinol is this: once it gets in your system, stabilize itself there and you reached proper UA level, you can forget about those things like baking soda, apple cider vinegar, lemons, cherries. I think if they’re helpful at all it’s very little help and difference in your UA. Big game changer is allopurinol itself. It reminds me of a conversation with my rheumatologist. At the beginning of my visits with her i asked her if i have gout then maybe i should eat the cherries. She said: “if you like them, why not?” 😉
Take colchicine as soon as you feel pain coming, it not gonna do much if pain is already there. That’s my observation with this drug.
Secondly, as i understand you have just started taking allopurinol. It takes time (months) to dissolve uric acid crystals in your joints so be patient. Also very often things get worse before they get better with allopurinol.
If you want to know more, please take time and read posts on this forum. Many cases very similar to yours and a LOT of useful information.You should be at 5 or lower so i think 9.5 is sky high. I’ve heard about readings like 11-12 but i think those were close to beat the record. You don’t want to be anywhere near that 9.5, trust me and lower it down or there going to be a lot of pain and more.
From what I know, agressive losing weight is not recommended for people with gout or with the risk of this illness. I do not know the reasons for this but met with such an argument in a bunch of articles on the internet. I do not think the flu had anything to do with gout.
If you previously had only one attack, then I would have waited with the diagnosis of gout. If possible, examine the synovial fluid and consult with the rheumatologist (not GP) to rule out diseases other than gout.
Keith probably will give you a more comprehensive and competent answer, but here’s my two cents:
Since I started taking allopurinol passed more than three months before the crystals dissolved so that the attacks began to be weaker and finally stopped. From what I think and learned, uric acid measurements in this period can be a bit confusing. The low level does not mean the absence of attacks.
Uric acid crystals accumulate long years, you have to give them some time before they completely dissolve.I understand that you are an active person and you do feel bad when you can not exercise but personally I would wait another month or two. Stressing affected joints is not a good idea.
Reducing the dose of allopurinol is possible only if the uric acid level is maintained at a level of 5 mg/dL or less. Examine the blood regularly once the situation is stable.
I think that the basic tactics in the fight against gout is this: remember the daily dose of allopurinol, test blood regularly and have at hand an anti-inflammatory drug (in my case colchicine works wonders) and apply it as soon as pain manifests itself.
At the beginning of taking allopurinol I felt like an old man. All day I felt weak and tired. I had a small attacks lasting up to three days in the worst case. Colchicine has always helped in those moments. Interestingly, the pain seemed to move to other joints than the usual big toe joint, but mostly it was not strong pain but rather a feeling of stiffness and numbness.
Know that it will pass, most likely after the first few months. Be glad that you belong to a group of people who are not allergic to this drug.
I highly recommend home testing kit of uric acid in the blood. Personally, I have Uasure. It is not very expensive stuff but it is very accurate.
It is amazing that you had to experience so much pain and dealing with quacks before some doctor prescribed you allopurinol.
There is a big chance that your life gonna be better now.
Personally, I am for two months at 100mg and I manage to keep the uric acid level beetween 5 and 5.5mg/dL. I eat everything I want and drink alcohol (especially red wine) on the weekends.It is sad that we are often stuck with incompetent ignorants, especially when it comes to our health and even our lives. In my country it is not so easy to jump from doctor to doctor but if you have this opportunity, do not hesitate to find one that has a brain.
From what I know, the most effective way to diagnose gout is to take a sample of fluid from the joint. Then you’ll be 100% sure that you have the disease or not.
Another update and a couple of questions about allopurinol:
It’s nearly two months since I’m on allopurinol. From time to time my right leg feels numb and stiff. Sometimes I feel also occasional pain in the joint (big toe, right foot), where my gout first appeared in. Fortunately, these pains are minor. I guess this is happening because the body is purified with allopurinol from accumulated crystals. Is it right thinking?
My question is: how long does the process take? How long do I have to be on a diet before I dare go back to normal eating and drinking? And a more general question: What if I forget to take a daily dose? Or the two days I forget to take allopurinol? Is it a serious cause for concern?
I have a home testing kit. Blood test results are quite positive, uric acid does not rise higher than 7 mg/dl (most of the time it’s about 6 mg/dl), but the sensations that sometimes I feel, makes me very cautious. I do not want to make those “pains” worse.
I’ll be very happy to read about your experiences with this drug.
I forgot to add something. I’m asking this because i fear that my uric acid lowered because of the diet, not allopurinol and alcohol right now could trigger an attack…
Quick update: i’m on Allopurinol (100 mg daily) for two weeks and my uric acid dropped from 9.6 (measured 26.06.2013) to 5.3 (measured today).
Low-purine diet (no any kind of meat, zero alcohol), at least 3 liters of water daily, occasionally cherries, lemon juice and baking soda for about a month.
I’m going on vacation soon and i wonder if i could start to drink alcohol safely.
Thank you very much for the info.
You are saying you’re taking ibuprofen and paracetamol along with colchicine?Colchicine gets you diarrhea, it’s a known fact but why stop? In my experience it’s the best solution to gout attacks.
When i attack is coming i take Colchicine in doses exactly how my doctor advised (i could share if you like) and it’s VERY effective. My last two attacks lasted three days and wasn’t so painful thanks to that drug.
Diarrhea in my humble opinion is way better option than excruciating pain that lasts for weeks.
And one advice, just like fella earlier said, take it with your meal, it should counteract diarrhea.
