Gout help needed - Arthritis Message Board

Linny18 · 01-16-2005, 12:26 PM

My dad is having many gout attacks and they are increasingly debilitating. He watches his diet carefully but cannot take any of the preferred medications. He is highly allergic to both allpurinol and colchicine! With each attack he takes prednisone and that works well. However, does anyone know of another medication that he can take to avoid these attacks? The dr. does not want him on a maintenance dose of prednisone since it's not good to always take that so we are in need of other ideas. I look forward to any suggestions you may have. I am a very worried daughter!

fwa1981 · 01-16-2005, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linny18

My dad is having many gout attacks and they are increasingly debilitating. He watches his diet carefully but cannot take any of the preferred medications. He is highly allergic to both allpurinol and colchicine! With each attack he takes prednisone and that works well. However, does anyone know of another medication that he can take to avoid these attacks? The dr. does not want him on a maintenance dose of prednisone since it's not good to always take that so we are in need of other ideas. I look forward to any suggestions you may have. I am a very worried daughter!

Does your father take any kind of NSAID? Naproxen in particular is very helpful in alleviating the inflammation and resultant pain associated with gout.

Linny18 · 01-17-2005, 08:24 AM

Thanks for replying. He can't take any of the NSAIDS because his kidneys do not function at 100% and the dr.does not want him taking those either. So, we are at a loss as what to do. He saw a rheumatologist and he sees a nephrologist as well but any of the drugs that can help him are not allowed.

01-18-2005, 08:30 AM

Hi sorry to hear about this. My father also has gout, and messed up kidneys. I am in Atlanta, and he lives in Alabama, but they have him in the hospital right now. I am not sure what they are giving him for gout there, but I will ask my mother and get back with ya. I do know they said they might put him on dialysis today and that would help clean his blood.

Lenin · 01-18-2005, 09:49 AM

Last chance is to use a uricosuric which increases the uric acid output from the kidneys. They include sulfinpyrazone and probenecid.
It's a shame that he cannot take allopurinol. I and almost everyone I've ever spoken to with gout use it without any problem day after day, year after year. It's been 6 years since my last attack.

Failing the two drugs I mentioned, both of which can be difficult to take, the only alternative left is HIGH DOSE aspirin...talking 5 grams a day...EVERY DAY! THAT is not easy. Low dose aspirin only makes the problem worse. I hope he can tolerate one of the uricosurics. They also are taken daily to prevent acute attacks.

It is FAR better to lower the uric acid than to allow it to run rampant and treat symptoms during acute attacks. With that kind of treatment it's only a matter of time til the high uric acid destroys the kidneys and leads to death. That's the kind of treatment Henry VIII got.

An aside,
Probenecid is no good for anyone with an allergy to penicillen (I BELIEVE I remember that correctly.)