[Glenn60]

Dear “maxed out on gout” and other readers: I get twinges just thinking about your description of your gout, it must be frightful!  Maybe my story can help although I can't claim to have had the problem to that degree.

I am fortunate in some respects that my gout albeit diagnosed for 18 years, never progressed to anything more than incredibly painful swollen left big toe joint (occasionally right toe too) and some arthritic degradation of that joint.  Nevertheless, the acute attacks were increasing in frequency and were preventing me from working more often than not.  I had used the common relief agents colchicine (very effective although unpleasant in side affects) and indomethacin (gave me chronic heartburn) to control the pain of attacks. However, over time, it became evident that my toe joint was degrading, as is often the result of chronic gout.  I have tried the many natural remedies such as celery extract, and various juices etc. etc and none were effective.  I even moderated my diet based on the many described dietry triggers- my uric acid levels remained around 5-6 mg/dL over many years.  Finally, I found a local doctor who solved my problem!

He basically said that uric levels (more often than not) were related to liver processing activity for the precursors of uric acid and unlikely to be much altered by diet.  He said also that the best and most effective long-term way of dealing with my problem was to take daily alloprunol.  I agreed, despite it known tendency to precipitate an attack early in treatment.  I was prescribed 100mg daily for 1 month, then 200mg and finally 300mg which I have now taken for 18 months (there was a warning that I might get occasional attacks in the early phase of treatment).  I certainly did and had symptoms in places such as my knee and elbow where gout had not ocurred before but these attacks only numbered 2 or 3, at times when I was laid up with another illness such as the flu or strained back (physical stress is known to precipitate an attack too).  In my reading too I discovered that the acute inflammatory response from uric acid buildup not only is triggered when uric acid reaches precipitous levels in the joint but also when levels are falling and uric acid is being dissolved, as is the case with taking allopurinol.  So I was forewarned and prepared to take some pain on my path to recovery.  I can report to you that I have been attack free in relative terms for nearly 18 months except for a couple of attacks early in this phase of treatment.  I no longer take other than allopurinol for gout, my uric acid is now lowered to less than 3 mg/dL, I can eat and drink anything on “bad list”.

In terms of relief of pain, for the very occasional arthritic symtpoms coming from the joint degradation that occurred and those early gout symptoms, I take a very effective, alternative anti-inflammatory drug to indomethacin, “Mobic” (Melloxicam) 1 a day when required, no stomach side affects. 

So finally, I hope that my story is some help to all of you other sufferers too , and and it helps you to get on with a better pain-free lifestyle!  The treatment I describe may not be an easy process for those with seriously bad gout and there are known complicating factors such as other medical conditions which must be considered.  Nevertheless, I know of two other close friends who now enjoy life gout-free who have heeded this same advice.  I only wish I had this information earlier in my life with gout as I may not have had to go through that pain and the associated osteo arthritis that has resulted.

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