Allopurinol dosage

[Keith Taylor (GoutPal Admin)]

Have just had an attack of gout in the foot and need to know if I should come off of Allopurinal (100mg per day) while the gout is in my system, or can I increase the dosage to try to find the correct the balance. I heard you should not take Allapurinol until an attack is over initially, and that Allopurinol brings on a small attack when you first start taking it. After that your body finds the right balance. I am taking diclofenac to relieve the pain now and am in the tropics not at home to see a doctor. Dehydration may have been the cause of the attack.

Thanks in advance

MIKEB

[Keith Taylor (GoutPal Admin)]

No, No, No!

Don't stop taking allopurinol once you start taking it.

Whilst it is true that doctors usually advise waiting until an attack has subsided before first starting allopurinol, once you start taking it, you must continue.

The great thing about allopurinol is that it is excellent at lowering uric acid. This means that, if your dosage is correct, uric acid crystals that have been building up in your body will dissolve.

Unfortunately, this can cause a temporary gout attack until all the crystals have dissolved. But you must keep taking the allopurinol, or else you will stop the dissolving process and end up back where you started.

If the pain gets too much, even with the diclofenac, a local doctor may be able to give you a corticosteroid injection to ease the pain for the few days it will last.

For more information see Allopurinol Medication: Why It Hurts To Get Rid Of Gout.

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