Allopurinol
I’ve been on allopurinol for about 6 weeks now and it’s certainlyreduced the pain in my feet a lot.
However, I seem to have “roving arthritis”. I’ve had each of thefollowing for a few days each.
- Left Knee pain- Right Knee pain- One knuckle swell up- Upper ankle pain- Wrist pain- Another finger painful - no swelling
Anyone know what’s going on?
Sanjuana Manser on May 25th, 2007
No, I tried a number of times to get an Rxfor allopurinol and believe that the propertreatment for the first gout attack is toavoid NSAIDs and rely on allopurinol althoughI realize some might choose NSAIDs and thengo to allopurinol.
However, the quacks with which I am saddled,repeatedly refused me an Rx for allopurinolindicating that I would have to wait for thesecond or third attack and that even thenthe Rx would be a stronger pain killer(indomethacin) but not an Rx for allopurinol.
This may have been partly due to their inabilityto aspirate any synovial fluid during my initialvisit but I think is mainly due to the economicsinvolved in what they view as long-term drugtherapy.
Julius Lucca on May 25th, 2007
There are quacks who are just meticulously careful. Withouttangible evidence to back their diagnosis (lab results or recurrenceof symptoms in the case of gout) they are scared to prescribe. Thatis why it is good to have a friend who is a quack.
This one case where patients are penalize because of quacks’ inability. Not really economics …. allopurinol is cheap.
Sabina Shamel on May 26th, 2007
Allopurinol is one of the least expensive things you can take.
Ask Dr. Duck (as in quack) if will give you a perscription forallopurinol at 300 mg/day for 6 months. In that amount of time youwould be able to get your urate down to 3 or 4, be free from gout,and probably be able to remain free of it if you concentrate on waterintake. He might 2be willing to write a perscription for a six monthssupply or even a 3 months supply.
By the way, I must admit that you are correct in that I cannot forcemyself to drink extra water if I am not in pain.
Julius Lucca on May 28th, 2007
I have been on Allopurinol 300 mg for 9 months now and never had any recurrencesince my first attack though I have not restricted my diet.I won’t mind taking allopurinol for life but would somebody recommend otherwise?Why?
Terrance Molock on May 28th, 2007
Gout at this stage in history..(since the inception ofallopurinol treatment)..is really a pretty simple problem. Lower the STABILIZED average uric acid level in a healthy personby 20 to 30 %..keep it there..VOILA! NO GOUT!
Allopurinol is so far about the only way to do that.
Until there is some way..drugs or otherwise of keeping the uricacid out of the joint fluid..this is really all there is.
Going off allopurinol is pretty much guaranteed to bring onattacks.I guess if you monitor your uric acid level..go off theallopurinol..and it stays down the 20 to 30% below your threshold..itwould work.I went off allopurinol for 1 WEEK and my level ALMOSTDOUBLED!!..guess I ain’t gonna be doin’ that too much.
Lashawn Weinberg on May 29th, 2007
I’m in the middle of an attack that seems to havelasted around 3 weeks. It started just after I’dkicked off with 300Mg of Allopurinol, before that I’dtried to stay clear of Allopurinol but found theattacks to be happening on a regular basis so thoughtit was best to try them again. I also was taking CodLiver oil tablets which may not have helped mattersfrom some of the comments I’ve read? Has anyone elsehad a bad reaction once they have started takingAllopurinol. I know the advice is to not take duringan attack. I’ve also got Indomethacin but I’m findingthis isn’t much use. Anyone now if Vioxx is any good?
Melodie Butler on May 29th, 2007
20-30% mortality rate??? Infrequently??? Benign??? Willing totake a chance???
Approximately 3-10% of patients taking allopurinol develop dyspepsia,headache, diarrhea, or pruritic maculopapular rash. Moreinfrequently, patients can develop allopurinol hypersensitivity,which has a mortality rate of 20-30%. Features of allopurinolhypersensitivity include fever, toxic epidermal necrolysis, bonemarrow suppression, eosinophilia, leukocytosis, renal failure,hepatic failure, and vasculitis. Corticosteroids often are used totreat allopurinol hypersensitivity. Allopurinol hypersensitivity ismore likely to occur in patients with renal insufficiency, patientswho are taking a diuretic, and patients begun on 300 mg ofallopurinol.
Sabina Shamel on May 30th, 2007
What is the source of the fantasy you posted?It is inaccurate and it is misleading. It appears that you wrote itin an attempt to scare people about alloppurinol and I challenge youto produce the documentation to back up what you wrote. Please citethe reference where you obtained the information you posted.
you opened with 20-30% mortality rate-
Right 20-30% mortality rate among those who 1. end up with anallergic reaction and who 2. continue to take allopurinol in spite ofthe allergic reaction.
By your reasoning and methodology of writing, alcohol has about a 30%mortality rate-are you willing to risk a drink?
Did you know that among people who have been arrested for bingedrinking, and who continue drinking till they have been arrestedthree times, there is a 30% mortality rate from , mmm guess what,acute liver failure, duuuuuhhhh.
Your post is offensive, irritating to me and I wonder why you did it.My guess is that you are afraid to go on allopurinol and have beencollecting everything you can to convince yourself that you bothdon’t need it and that it is really really dangerous.
Fine, go on and suffer and as time goes on you will probably end upcrippled and in all likelyhood unable to type such things because, asgout progresses, it will attack the fingers of the hands soon afterthe feet become filled with uric acid and completely crippled.
None of us want to have gout and none of us want to have to be onallopurinol. However, it does work and it works nicely for those ofus who can tolerate it. If your system cannot tolerate it then I amtruly sorry for you because gout is a terrible affliction and unlikeyour statistics of looking at a small percentage of people who havean unfortunate side reaction to the medication, gout, untreated, willget you.
You can diet and you can try to manage that diet all you want. Youcan even cut your intake of purenes to zero. You will still get gout.That’s right, stop eating any purene at all and you will still getgout. If you don’t end up crippling yourself from a poor diet, youabsolutely need an intake of purene to survive, gout will havr itsway.
Your post is offenseve because you have not tried to fairly representthe risks and rewards of the only treatment that there is thatactually works for gout. You can releive symptoms with NSAIDs andwith culcchine and even indomethecin but the ravages on your bodythat those drugs cause are far worse, statistically, than allopurinol.
Gout is no fun. I come from a faminly where gout has been known forat least 5 generations and as boy I watched my great grandfather getcarried from place to place because he was so crippled. It wasfortunate that he was so light because it made him easier to carry.Oh yes, he was so light because he was afraid to eat almost anythingat all. He would get a flare up from almost any food he tried andended up eating white rice and an occational bit of protein. Heweighed 84 pounds when he died at 88 years of age and had been 204when he was 55 years of age and first encountered gout. His father,my great great grandfather also had gout although he passed away longbefore I came on the scene. Then there was my grandfather, I used tosit next to him and listen to him tell me stories about how thingswere when he was a boy. He would tell me that he was a very fastrunner and I remember it would make me laugh when I thought of himtrying to run because I had to help him get to and from the bathroom-oh yes, he was crippled often from gout. I kinda liked it when hegot his attacks because then he would sit next to me all day and tellme stories.
My mom had her first attack at 62 and the attacks got worse and worsefor about 5 years. At 67, after having been bved ridden for 3 months,she went on allopurinol and has had no subsequent attacks, she eatswhat whe wants and she is now a comfortable and strong 84 years old.She came by the other day, she still drives, with her new boyfriendin tow, he is 86. My mom was having prety bad muscle cramps and aloss of feeling in her feet and hands and about three years ago shecut her allopurinol level back to 100 mg a day from 300 and has hadno attacks.
Melodie Butler on May 31st, 2007
Go to the link below and do a “find on this page” searchfor “mortality rate” under edit in your browser. Then read the wholething. You only present one side and back a week ago, tried to sayallopurinol was completely safe and challenged me to prove otherwisewhich I did then and now I add this. People need to know both sidesof the story. You will find things to strengthen your opinion in thisarticle too. What you said is true and everything has a risk. It’snice to know what the risk is before proceeding.
http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic924.htm
p.s. I had an attack in my hand last night. I talked to my doc thisweek about the colchicine not working anymore and he decided thesafest thing for me right now is prednisone. Even with the problemsit can cause, he and I still think it is the lesser of two evils andit’s a choice I knowingly made. I took one pill about an hour ago andthe pain is almost gone already.
Jonas Laramore on May 31st, 2007
Dennis,It seems that you still did not receive, or choose to receive Walter’spoint; wherein you can continue treating your symtoms but the root ofyour problem is growing rapidly with nothing to retard it’s progress.(I am happy to hear that you have found another drug besides thecolchicine to help deal with the gout attacks, as I have never likedtaking colchicine, but during an active gout attack, like many, I wouldhave consumed motor oil if some relief would be forthcoming.)
If memory serves me correctly, I believe you stated that you are nottolerent to allopurinol. I do sympathize with your dilemna and, whatseems, the lack of unexplored alternatives by drug industry. Whateludes me is why you seem to be anti allopurinol. From what I’ve read,heard, and my personal opinion, the thought of taking any drug everyday for the rest of ones life is not a comforting thought or somethingto take lightly. On the other side of the coin is the reality thatgout is a crippling affliction. From your posts here it sounds as ifyou realize this perhaps much better than most. I am also confidentyou realize that allopurinol has been the “equalizer” for the majorityof gout sufferers waging the war against gout.
Like you, all of us have made a decision to take whatever steps neededto fight for our mobility and lifestyle we have or once had. As withany drug, there are risks involved, some more than others. As youmentioned, you had also tried allopurinol. Just assuming that you haddone some research, as many do before going on any medication, yourealized or learned that it was a medication you were going to take forlife, a decision you made either conciously or sub-conciously despiteanything you may have read or heard.
Regretably, it seems you have had an adverse reaction to the medicationthat has worked and continues to work for so many. My question to youis; Do you think your negative stance on allopurinol, from what appearsprimarily based on your personal experience, benefits you or peoplelike you in the small margin that can not tolerate allopurinol?
If I were in your shoes, hindering and controlling the compoundingeffects of gout via allopurinol alternatives would be my primary goalin life. If you understand or believe that gout can progressrelatively rapidly, researching the negative affects of prolongedallopurinol treatment is cutting into one of your most preciouscommodities at the moment…TIME.