Stay on allo, A MINIMUM OF 300 mg A DAY, treat the attacks withcolcicine but most people also take a NSAID to go with the colcicinetreatment. I take Celebrex, there are many other nsaid drugs thatwork well but the bottom line is that colcicine taken with a NSAIDthat works for you, will be a lot more effective than just colchicine.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE DOUBLED YOUR NORMAL INTAKE OF LIQUID. THAT IS YOURONLY DEFENSE AGAINST LONG TERM RECOVERY AND YOU HAVE TO SUPPLY YOURKIDNEYS WITH ENOUGH WATER TO DO THE JOB. YOUR BODY IS NOT ABLE TOBREAK DOWN URIC ACID AND IT MUST LEAVE AS THE DISSOLVED SALT SO MOREWATER ALOLOWS MORE TO LEAVE.

You might also get a course of prednizone. An actual steroidaltreatment, taken orally that will, in most cases, relieve you of thepain and it will do it without the colchicine. I know it doesn’t workfor everyone but for me, at least, it completely knocked out the goutsymptoms and by the time the prednizone treatment was finished, theallo had a chance to work. I think a usual prednizone treatmentregine lasts for 4 to 6 weeks. The advantage for this treatment foryou, it seems to me, is that your having a reaction to the colchicineand you really need to let your GI tract stabelize out and come backto equillibrium.

Colchicine really does work but it also does a number on yourstomache and intestine and once your stomache gets sensitized to thecolchicine, even tiny amounts of the stuff will cause you to dump thecontents of your bowels within a few hours.

As Arnold says, colchicine is one mean drug and it doesn’t take muchto get you on the wrong side of being able to tolerate it.

I have to admit I was STUNNED a few weeks ago when arhuematologist told me that he has seen on x-rays..where gout erosionof bone has been REVERSED..HE said HIS eysmost bugged out of hishead.Double blinds confirmed that SOMEHOW cochicine and allo togethercan sometimes do this.NEVER! colchicine together..BUT when mixed withallo.He said with present understanding/technology this is simply WAYtoo far off to begin to understand.Remember we are talking about adrug 2-3,000 years old.

Yes I have stated that with PRESENT tests this is safe with alloover a longer term.

Walter has posted at length on this..so have I..we have disagreedto put it MILDLY.

I STILL say and feel..the stuff is NO GOOD..REGARDLESS of my bloodwork while on it..If you have to take it take it..BUT the idea is toget off it AND stay off it.

I’m back on it..fixed my wobbly left knee/leg real good..

I don’t like the road your headed down.OR your Dr.mentioned bloodtests..BUT the Dr just wants to UP the allo?..NOW he mentionsprobenicid? and NO indo?..colch and indo is a CLASSIC knock out punchfor gout.

The treatment of gout does yes involve allo…NOWHERE! does it..ORthe manufacturers of the drug say to do as he says..STOP when theattack is over.

I am only trying to help you here.Sounds like you need a new Drand to start from scratch.

Head back to post 3645 of mine..”Gout For New Memebers”.. The first half of that post is applicable.

I think you need to get a handle on this.Find a new Dr.,get whatever painkillers you need…colch. and indo is good.Stop the allo fora little while..go back eating normally..get your weight back.NOW youhave a baseline blood uric acid level to work with.FROM HERE you canbegin a slow controlled reduction with the allo.

Looking into the future I see you and your Dr. in this scenario:perhaps more attacks..maybe from too much allo too soon..maybe atsome point he will want blood uric acid levels.He will from hispresent knowledge become confused with erratic levels as moredeposits come online..end up in the bloodstream..he may then furthertinker with the allo..who knows stop it again???..

I have simply from considerable experience seen and heard too muchof this.

You’ve been on and off allo..dieting/losing weight..your blooduric acid levels are probablly wacko.

Second the use of Naproxin is a very good sign. However, it is notueually enough if you are having a real bad attack and you shouldkeep a supply of colchicine on hand to take with the naproxin. Iperfer Celebrex to Naproxin but that is my system and both do workwith me.

So the third phase of this treatment is that you need to have asupply of colchicine on hand and don’t over do it with thecolchicine. I usually take one at bed time with the Naproxin and onein the morning, again with the Naproxin . The way I figure it youhave to hit the damn gout monster with as much strength as you canwhile you can without compromizing your normal bodily functions.

Now that you have said that yo are only on 100 mg of allo yourdiagnosis makes snese to me and I would also not recommendindomethecin for you yet

Finally, and i cannot stress this too much–drink water.When you are tired of drinking water, go and get some more and drinkagain. Sorry for the gluggggg suggestion but it is really necessarywhen you are really in an attack.

I believe that 300 mg of allopurinol, taken as soon as possible aftereating youur largest meal of the day, Naproxin and colchicine shouldmake life bearable for you and stay on the allo no matter what-againas long as you don’t get a reash or one of the other allo sideeffects.

Stay on allo for at least three years and moniter the blood urate andI suspect you will be gout free.

If you decide. at some later time, that you want to reduce oreliminate the allo because you have not had a stupid attack in , oh,say three years, you probably should take a picture of your toe as itis in an attack to remind yourself why you take that sillyallopurinol. Either that or just his yourself in th etoe with a bighammer….Smile please and sounds like your Doc is a reasonable guy.

However.if the Nax works..good.The only problem is that if you needsomething long term..colch and allo seem to be about the best shot.

A uric acid level of 4.2.I’ldno..it sounds good..but thenagain..you have been on/off allo/drugs and in and out of attacks.Alsoattack levels..right before or after are known to fool.They canbe “artificially low” as simply so much of the uric acid has “leftthe building”(blood stream) and is NOW in the joint area where it isnext to impossible to measure.I still prefer the get an average levelfirst and then hit that with enough allo to lop off 20 to 30% off thetop.Moot point..you’ve got a level..you can get more tests..some Dr’sstart at 100..some at 900 if need be..average seems to be 300.When Istarted allo I was basically FUED..I had SEVERE and TERRIBLE goutin both feet and REALLY bad deposits.Never overweight not much purineor alcohol.My level was 4.5.It had been that for ever.I had a LOT! ofblood tests..matter of fact I basically had a carte blanche to gowhenever I felt like it for blood tests..this is a no no here..and Ialso got to have the Dr.or lab phone me or fax me the results..a REALNO NO.I was NEVER going to go on allo and considerring how severe itwas..the doc basically laid it out..go do what you want to lowerthis..or tinker with the levels..and keep track of what you do/eatetc.EITHER you lower the levels by 20 to 30% OR PLAN ON not havingthe use of your feet. PERMANENTLLY.I was a KNOW IT ALL with gout anddiet and blood uric acid levels and snake oil and other nonsense.Ihad simply so many tests that NO MATTER! what I did..I could notinfluence the levels.Either way.The doc even joked that I should tryit after a burger and a few beer..LOL..so I did..a few times.Mylevels after TOO many tests under TOO many circumstances were from4.42 to 4.57. .15 points..around 2 to 3%.The docs said this couldeven be inaccuracies from the lab. I gave up.I hit the allo at 300and after 1 week I went from 4.50 to 2.97. I still had tests at 1week intervals..they ranged from 2.86 to 3.32 over 6 months. For thelast 3 1/2 years they have been in the 2.97 to 3.12 range.

However I am NOWHERE gout free..I STILL have deposits that keepacting up every now and again..

Interesting..another fellow and I stated allo at the same time..heneeded 900mg day..and after about 2 years he was gout free and at100. I never met him..doc story..but just as a point of interest..docsaid he had NOWHERE near the health,bloodwork,fitness or diet ofme.LOL..got me a long way.BUT he did WAY better at me in the beatingof gout.he also had nowhere near the deposits either.

Ya..that is the gout game..keep the blood uric acid level 20 to 30% below what it was before allo.That way when you do eat/drinkwhatever..and you possibly influence the blood uric acid levels by amax of about 5%.THIS piddly 5% doesn’t end up POURING into your jointarea.This is just math.If your average level is let’s say 4.5.Then atTHIS point..somewhere around here..the excess uric acid gets fromyour blood to your joints.It could be 4.49..or 4.51..here wego..threshold..the excess uric acid is NOW en route to joint area.Wetake this level down the 20/30% and you go up 5% so what..it stays inthe bloodstream..goes to the kidneys..bye bye.

Gout x-rays are REAL COMPLICATED.WElll..a “minor” problem..is thatthe uric acid deposits are NOT really visable on x-ray.WHEN thesedeposits “break off” THEN the erosion/damage from gout is NOW visablefrom where they broke off from.There are other scans that aresomewhat more accurate.Permanent gout damage is really notexcuseable.Anyone who has a gout attack..either they lower the blooduric acid levels or this can and does happen.This takes some realneglect.Ya..someone has a gout attack(s) and tries to do any numberof fancy tricks and DOES NOT deal with the blood uric acidlevels..BUT thinks..hey lookee see no gout attack=no gout..can get aBIG BAD surprise from the x-rays on their NEXT attack.Not thatuncommon.SOMETIMES a real expert on x-rays and gout can see theactual swelling..feel around the joint..THEN look at the x-rays andcompare how far the joint is openned up/stretched/out ofposition/alignment.Not that hard from there to see futuretendon/ligament/cartilage/soft tissue damage/problems.