Celery seed - snake oil by another name?
I’ve been suffering more than usual recently - two flare ups inthree weeks. A relative has just offered Celery Seed as a means ofrelief. Anyone tried this or have an opinion?
My doctor doesn’t advise Allopurinol because I don’t get goutfrequently enough (recent weeks not withstanding). By the way, Irecently overdosed on Ibuprofen - took 800 mg in one go by mistake.But the inflammation was totally gone in two hours. I appreciatethat this isn’t a good idea, though.
Jonas Laramore on April 27th, 2007
From my understanding the celery seed is another anti-inflammatory, ifso, can provide relief. Allopurinol is not about how often you “get”gout or how often you suffer an attack. It’s to fight the real problemthat is still going on when you don’t “get” it or an attack. Just abrief search for posts from Arnold or Walter will give you the specificreasons why and all the medical jargon associated with it.
I would like to know what you mean by overdosing on Ibuprofin. In themilitary they give out ibuprofin for everything and the minimum dose is1600mg as needed for pain. I’ve cleaned out bottles at a time with noside effects but like everything else drug related, everyone isdifferent. When I used to have my attacks I would take 1600mg 3 timesdaily.
Craig Portalatin on April 28th, 2007
Go back to your doctor (as I did) and tell him that you have read and researchedallopurinol and want to take it to prevent gout. If he still refuses you havethe right to a second opinion, tell him that and if he doesnt change his mind gosee another GP.
Are you taking other medication? For years all I had was Diclofenac and voltaroltablets. They cure but they dont prevent.
Pat Astacio on April 29th, 2007
The reluctant doctor gave me Arcoxia - Etoricoxib is its propername - in 120mg tablets. Just another anti-inflamatory drug. Didn’tseem to work that well to me.
I the doctor’s defence, up until this latest episode, I ‘usually’get gout once a year and the doc figured Allopurinol for people withmore regular attacks - every three weeks or so, he said. I have tosay that my jaw nearly hit floor when he said that. Reading thisboard, I feel rather less sorry for myself.
I guess if I get attack no. 3 anytime soon, I’m off to Dr. No with alink to this board….
Shira Colon on April 29th, 2007
I would like to absolutely concur with Tony.  This idea that you can’t get Allopurinol until you have three attacks a year I can only think must be another of these British National Health budget issues.  It seems to me that GPs don’t want to put you on this long-term drug because somehow it must cost someone some money – although I don’t understand the mechanism.
Â
There appears to be absolutely no medical sense in it. Either you take the view that Allopurinol type drugs should be avoided in favour of “natural†type solutions (which I don’t agree with but I can understand the argument), or you take the view that Allopurinol is OK. The pharmaceuticals versus natural argument goes round and round, but if the GP takes the view that Allopurinol is only OK IF your suffering is bad enough it is totally illogical to keep a patient off the drug once attacks have started – even one a year (frankly even after only one correctly diagnosed attack as far as I can see).
Â
As a case study my brother, who got only one three-day gout attack while working in Indonesia about six years ago, was immediately prescribed Allopurinol for six months in order to clean out his system, the Doctor told him.  Once the course of drugs stopped the gout has only recurred in twinges about two or three times since. Personally I think that it will come back however.
Â
But realistically you can’t force your GP to prescribe this drug.  Persuasion is the only way forward and too much pressure, before you have had your regulation three attacks a year, might cause a complete lock down. One problem is that the time to go on the Allo is when you are feeling perfectly well between attacks, which is just when the sympathy factor (and thus your negotiating power with your GP) is at a minimum. In my case I had to wait until I had a six-week screaming habdabs before I could lean on my GP enough to get her to refer me to a specialist. Once I got in front of the specialist all my problems disappeared and thank God I am now on the Allo without any problems (so far).
Â
So I recommend to follow Tony’s advice. Get lots of research amo and then try a charm offensive.
Pat Astacio on April 29th, 2007
Those 1600mg pills must be like golf balls!
Seriously though, I know this has been said many times (and I’m intotal agreement thanks to previous experience), the doctors justdon’t get this do they?
A hige thank you to all who post here.
Columbus Luthe on April 29th, 2007
A little clarification on dosage of NSAIDs (Ibuprofen, Naproxen, etc.): These drugs are all hard on the stomach lining for many individuals, and for particularly sensitive individuals serious stomach bleeding can occur with these drugs. It is for this reason that when you buy the over-the-counter versions of these drugs the bottle is fraught with warnings, and the recommended dosages are very low. This is all to protect the manufacturer from lawsuits. Typically, it takes high doses of these meds to work effectively (if you have ever had these prescribed, you would notice that the prescription strengths contain four to six times the dose that the OTC stuff does. I happen to be lucky in that I tolerate these drugs very well, and the occasions I use them I use them in very high doses, and they do work for me (naproxen works better for me than the prescription Indocin). Will there be long term risks or problems with this high dosing? I doubt it, since I don’t do it alot. But even if there is s slight risk of problems down the road, they don’t compare to the problems I am GUARANTEED to have if the gout isn’t kept in check. As is the norm in medical community anymore- it’s all about covering their asses against lawsuit vs. providing effective relief.