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FredM said:
vegetarianGuy said:
You did not mention your age. I am in my 30s and do not fancy shot out joints or worse. So I am not taking any chances. If I was older say in my 60s-70s then maybe my outlook would have been different with regards to AlloP.
I'm in my late 30s. I'm concerned about using meds long term. On the other hand, it sounds like living with higher than normal uric acid levels can cause other problems besides gout. I have always been careful about diet and weight so I'm wondering if I can really have much of an impact in that way. If I have to be on the meds long term, I'd like to do it at the lowest dose possible. Would it be reasonable for me to question my doctor on the dosage? Maybe start lower and monitor it. Then raise if necessary to bring uric acid levels into a normal range? Any other alternatives I should discuss with my doctor?
I appreciate the diversity of opinions. This forum is great.
Look Fred I am the kind of guy who never took pain killers. I became vegetarian 10 years ago as part of clean healthy living change. I was always fit and active but became even more fit. On the whole maintained an excellent natural diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Didn't touch any animal products. Still to my shock I ended up here last year with suspected Gout (confirmed now).
Now you think I like taking meds daily?
Absolutely not but the alternative is worse. I am an active guy who likes hiking, walking and going gym. Last one year has been VERY depressing for me. I have no choice but to go on AlloP as there is no alternative for me to treat this problem. I am very scared which is why I spend so much time here and on Google researching this disease.
Yes sure start with 200mg/dl and see if that brings your SUA to under 6mg/dl or start with 300mg/dl and when levels fall to under 6mg/dl then see if 200mg/dl can continue to maintain those levels.
Monaco AlloP is a cheap med so it's not like Pharma companies are minting $s from it like some other newer drugs. Anyway AlloP has been around for decades so it's not some new untested kid on the block. From your own wiki link it say “Side effects of allopurinol are rare“. So if you win the lottery ie. you are not in the minority who react badly to it then you should be happy.
I have controlled my gout (almost to perfection, depending if I want to or not) by a pure natural/whole foods diet.
My friend if you had controlled it so well then you would not be here
Come back in 20 years and then we will truly know if your diet worked 
Let me tell you something about diet. I am in ym 30s and have been vegetarian for a decade eating very healthy food. Going gym regularly and doing plenty of cardio exercises. Mountain biking etc. I am fit and not overweight. Don't drink or smoke. Still I got hit by Gout 4 months ago. So diet can make matter worse or better but it won't fix Gout the way you are imagining.
FredM said:
I have had 2 gout flare ups in my life, both in the joint of my big toe on my right foot. The first was 8 years ago. The uric acid blood test came back ”negative” but I don't remembers the actual level. My second gout flare up is happening right now. I'm on prednisone because I can't take NSAIDs and it is helping. My uric acid blood test came back at 7.0. My doctor wants to put me on allopurinol at 300mg. He says I will need to take it for the rest of my life. I don't like to take medications unless I really need to take them. My question is, is it really necessary to take allopurinol for the rest of my life after having just two flare ups with eight years in between? Is there a less drastic way to approach this? I am not overweight (BMI=23) and I've always been pretty careful about what I eat. I just don't know if I should trust my doctor. Thanks in advance for any advice.
I would not get caught up too much with the 8 year gap thing. Gout will creep up on you over years and can silently do it's dirty work. I went the AlloP route straight away because I am not overweight and my diet has been excellent for many years. So there was not much room for improvement on that side. Also diet will only take you so far with regards to Gout.
You did not mention your age. I am in my 30s and do not fancy shot out joints or worse. So I am not taking any chances. If I was older say in my 60s-70s then maybe my outlook would have been different with regards to AlloP.
Actual heat probably won't cause problem but dehydration as a result of heat will always be a problem for Gout patient. So as long as you keep you body tanked up and make up for the liquids that you sweat out I think you should be fine.
>> Do gout attacks come on during the day?
Well most of my attacks came during the day and got worse during the night.
Does not sound like Gout but neither did my case which in the end turned out to be Gout after 1 year of being messed around by Docs.
Uric acid levels in the normal range means what? Tell us the exact numbers. Also IF (big if) you have Gout then during an attack the blood uric acid levels can show lower than what they are at other times.
Either way yound lady look after your body and don't be poisinig it with alcohol. What are you trying to achieve by drinking every day?
There are better things in life than getting drunk.Will blood banks take my Gouty + Allop polluted blood?
I thought I would ask before getting the process rolling.Ok Nate I went gym yesterday at 11am for the first time since my last attack. Did weights for 25-30minutes and was exhausted. Tank was completely empty and did not attempt cardio/steps machine. My reading was 4.1mg/dl in the morning before going gym.
So yesterday the pain was low level ie. I could walk without any pain and put weight on the ball of my foot. Today (morning) my reading is 4.7mg/dl and I have pain in my problem toe.I would class it medium level pain and putting weight on the ball of the foot is bit painful.
So looks like even 30minutes of weight training + sleep at night = some trouble
I sure hope this improves with time and more time on AlloP! Cause I sure want to go gym regularly again!!!!!NateA said:
Thanks VegeGuy – be interested to hear your report. Hopefully working out won't cause any adverse reactions for you.
Well getting the Gout confirmation knocked the wind out of my gym going sail
I will definitely go tomorrow and will keep you informed how things pan out.
I have 1litre bottle next to my table. I drink it 3 times and additionally from the kitchen tap 3-4 glasses.
So 3.5 to 4 litres daily.
Hey NateA I am going gym today (hopefully tomorrow too) for the first time since my recent attacks. Will let you know if I notice anything in next 1-3 days as a result of going gym. I wil lalso take before and after SUA readings.
I will do weights for 40minutes but will give cardio most probably a miss as I don't want too much strees on my toe joint.
Currently I have zero visible swelling or redness. Pain is at my normal non Gout attack level ie. low-medium pain when pressure is applied to the joint.
Well one thing is clear to me that diet can provide secondary help ONLY and not primary when it comes to controlling SUA . Although food can act as a trigger for a flare up.
My SUA seems to be settling around 4Mg/dl and I intend to keep it around there. As I expect to be more active in the coming months I might even go lower with the SUA.
You know for last 2 years or so my left shoulder has been playing up. I always thought it was due to gym and doing too many pull ups but even when I had been away from gym 3-4 months it would not completely go away. It was never major problem just minor irritation and did stop me from doing pull ups sometimes. I also don't feel 100% in my hip joints.
I am starting to think it could all be interconnected with Gout rather than minor niggle that I was thinking previously.
NateA sorry to hear about your pain. I think as you have way too many deposits it might take a while for you to be in the clear. My uneducated guess would be another year (minimum). I would say things will gradually improve over a period of 3 years maybe.
I was a normal physically active person one year ago completely unaware of Gout. Then low level pain started on my toe for no reason and finally the dam burst 3 months ago. I have never been pain free like I was 1 year ago. My new normal = low-medium level pain.
In last three months I have had 3 full blown attacks (1 before starting AlloP and 2 after being on AlloP). Anyway 3 months of AlloP and I still get flare ups. I am thinking it will take me another 6 months to year of AlloP to clear the deposits and hopefully get back to the real normal no pain level of 1 year ago.
I go gym when I have low-medium pain. I am not seeing any direct relation in my case between going gym and getting flare ups but I am not sure as proper gout attack are all new for me so not enough data to come to any solid conclusion yet.
zip2play said:
Post edited 2:13 pm – April 16, 2010 by zip2play
Thus the worst thing a goutie can do is sleep.
Yes I think I noticed that recently
Yes absolutely disgusting. It reminds me of an article I read a while ago about how big companies are trying to patent things that have been used in places like India for centuries. Long before US even came into existence
It's similar stuff with seeds.
On a more selfish note are we ok in Europe then?
Anyway my insurance covers everything that Doc prescribes.cjeezy said:
Post edited 3:13 pm – April 14, 2010 by cjeezy
The problem is that I like to jog outside (not a fan of machines) and step machines/ellipticals seem to always hurt my lower back for some reason. I'm not referring to running a marathon, but merely 1-2 miles/day to keep active.
Dude I like going gym everyday but I am stuck at home. What we like and reality are two different things. Cycling outside?
cjeezy stick to cardio in the gym using step machine or those elliptical trianers. Less impact on your joints. Running screws up the joints even for non Gout people so for Gout patients it's not worth the risk.
I don't even have knee pain but still I don't risk it. I use the step machine to take my heart rate to 180 level for 45minutes. Although right now I can't even walk properly as I am in the middle of an attack.
One more time WOW!
Alcohol big NO NO! Become friends with plain water. Exercise not the first priority I would say as you have bigger issues to solve first. Plus it's not liek you can exercise right now. You don't sound overweight….are you?
Zip the 3 times might be to ease the stress of one big hit of AlloP on the stomach or whatever.
sean said:
I guess the point I am trying to get at is – Should I bite the bullet and start taking Allopurinol?
Yes and continue to lose weight GRADUALLY and eat healthy! Cut out the typical American meat based diet. AlloP will cause more attacks at the start but that is part of the process.
I am 36 and still young I think. I feel very depressed too because of my foot and what the future holds. Such nice weather and I can't even go for my 3-4 hour long bike rides
It's 4:30am. I made packet B (smaller ones) last night. Drank a large glass and went to bed. Woke up just now and pain has increased even more
I am dying here!I will take one more large glass now. Later I will cook packet A .
Which one should I use? I have access to these two varieties. Packet B contains smaller beans compared to packet A. Both packets are labelled as black beans.
So A or B? I could technically mix and use both together.
As hard as my first Gout attack pain was I still would not class it as the worst pain. Maybe the pain level varries from person to person. Tootache or mouth ulcer pain is much worse in my opinion as it shoots up your head.
At the end of the day pain is pain and we could all do without it
Utubelite said:
There are 2 types – ones who get Gout attacks when they start Allop due to fall in SUA levels which results into crystal dissolving and the attack…then there are those who do not get the gout attack though their SUA levels fall dramatically like in my case it fell from 9.2 to below 4.
Yes I am aware of all that but was not clear what you were trying to say. Now I know
So basically I am like you in that sense as AlloP has not caused a Gout attack for me either (so far).
I am not sure I am understanding you correctly
> Personally, I am convinced I had gout as both times,
Ok so you are convinced that you had Gout in 1999 and recently too. Fine I dig that.
> I may be of Type that may not be getting that many attacks or trigger an attack on Allop
Ok this part I don't understand
Isn't that normal for lot of people with Gout who are on AlloP that they don't get any attacks? Isn't that the whole point of being on AlloP? Utubelite said:
I am for sure an exception to the lifelong Allop medication committment we generally talk about….donot know how would it work in the coming days if I get away from Allop.
I think Gout can take as much as 20+ years before fully unleashing it's fury
Get off AlloP but get back on if your numbers start climbing specially as you are a confirmed Gouty (1999).The other thing could be that you never had Gout now or in 1999 🙂
What another 36 year old? I am 36 too so welcome to the 36 year old Gout brotherhood
My opinion so take it with pinch of salt-
1. So the answer to that question is yes and no. There seem to be some who are over weight and bring it on with a bad diet and alcohol consumption. Then others who despite top notch diet and fitness regime still get it as their genes seem to be loaded against them. I have been strict veg for 10 years with almost 0 consumption of alcohol before my attack. So from my POV diet did absolutely nothing. I feel so cheated that you won't believe
Maybe it stopped me from getting Gout earlier but I doubt it. It all seems like guesswork.Now the people in the first category might be able to lower SUA by 1mg/dl or so by moving to good diet but I am not full y convinced. Ultimately I feel all Gouty have a genetic time bomb that eventually blows and causes the attack. That said it's better to be fit and not overweight. It's easier on your joints for starters.
Sea food, non veg food, alcohol, organ meats definitely seem to trigger Gout attacks. Recent studies indicate that meat protein is bad but veg protein is not. I am not sure what to believe. Despite my diet not helping me with Gout I won't be ever moving away from my veg diet
2. The needle like crystals in the joint are microscopic in size. You pain is not because needles are pricking you
Your pain is due to how your body is reacting to those crystals. Chemical reaction is causing the pain and not physical pricking or anything like that from the crystals. If someone has huge build up of Tophy then things might be different. Not sure.Normally Gout attack lasts for few days and then goes away. Aftermath is difficult to say. My case is very not typical so I am not the best guy to advice. I had one year of medium level pain before my first attack. Even after the attack the medium level pain did not go away. Although 1+ month of AlloP seems to be starting to help now.
3. http://www.goutpal.com/gouty-tophi/
4. Just eat healthy balanced diet and cut out sea food. Are you overweight? I doubt milk would do anything. Will probably create more problems in my veg opinion. No other mamal drinks other species milk that also in adult life
If seafood is a definite trigger as has been documented by many then why take it? You continuing to take it is equivalent of saying that I don't consume all known poisons of the world but only one poison
5. I doubt you started accumulating anything for 36 years. Which would make it from the day you were born as you are 36. You need to lower your SUA to under 6 and preferably to 5mg/dl level. Your 540 µmol/L on the day of the attack = 9Mg/dL. Probably higher as SUA readings generally drops during Gout attack. AlloP is a brilliant drug in my opinion. For a minority it's not but it works very well from what I understand and have personally seen so far.
Utubelite I did not realize that you had a Gout attack 10+ years ago. Long before your current injury
No wonder I was finding some comments strange on your other thread It all makes sense now.Ok after visiting so many specialists I understand one thing very clearly. There are two issues always at play.
1- Which medical condition we ACTUALLY have.
2- What Doc or we THINK we might have.
Lot of the times 1 and 2 don't match
So if you really had Gout attack before this injury then for me it's obvious that you should keep an eye on your SUA level for life.
