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I have been on 500 mg of probenecid daily for the past two years. My uric acid level is usually around 6. I also take .6 mg of colchicine twice a week, but I am trying to ween myself off of it because it is tearing up my stomach and intestines. I haven’t had an attack during those two years.
I stay away from alcohol, shellfish, and organ meats. But, I would really like to enjoy my trip to New Orleans and enjoy the local food.
When I ask my doctor about what could happen if I eat certain foods, he smiles and says, “Everybody is different”, which is really no help to me.
Gout & Iron Overload
When you first develop gout, it generally involves one joint (often at the base of the big toe). The disease can become chronic and later involve other joints. The person affected (and often his physician) is likely to blame all joint pain from then on as caused by gout. This is not necessarily true. There are conditions that involve joint pain that can co-exist with gout. If you develop chronic gout with multiple joints affected, don’t rule out the possibility that some of that pain could be from other conditions which might be treatable.
One of these conditions is iron overload. This is where the body’s iron stores are excessively high. The two most common symptoms are chronic fatigue and joint pain. Other symptoms, that might be present, are an irregular heart beat, abdominal pain, and a loss of interest in sex. While it is possible to develop iron overload by lifestyle alone, it is far more likely that genetics plays a part. There are a number of genetic disorders that lead to iron overload, but the most common is hemochromatosis.
If you are having an annual checkup with its blood tests, don’t assume that the tests will detect it. Frequently, the condition goes undetected or worse it is misdiagnosed. The complaint of chronic fatigue is often misdiagnosed as anemia with a prescription of supplemental iron following the diagnosis. There is a set of tests called an “iron panel” which can be done but which aren’t part of the annual exam. Physicians are far more attuned to anemia than to iron overload. Most of the iron panels are ordered because they suspect anemia.
Iron does play a role in gout and some researchers have suggested a link between gout and iron overload diseases. The point is if you are in the category of chronic and have joint pain in multiple joints, don’t assume it is all due to gout. Keep your mind open to other possible disorders.
Colchicine As A Gout Diagnosis Tool
My Dr informed me that gout wears many faces and is different from patient to patient in its onset and symptoms. Initially he took blood to measure uric acid levels to establish a baseline, but readily admitted that the numbers wouldn’t necessarily confirm gout as a diagnosis. The blood-work was also used to rule out any infection. Subsequent testing never showed elevated uric acid levels, so after the first few attacks, he stopped testing blood. The Dr. felt that getting relief from suspected gout by using Colchicine was virtually proof positive that the pain and swelling was caused by gout. Other steroidal and non-steroidal medications could have alleviated these symptoms as well, but only gout would have responded favorably to Colchicine.
So in addition to eliminating a painful attack of the gout, Colchicine can be used in diagnosing gout thereby avoiding the need to draw fluids from the inflamed joint.
For most, depending on the dose, Colchicine will cause cramps and diarrhea, but if you can’t use other drugs, or they simply don’t work, Colchicine is a blessing!
How long does it take for colchicine to work? My mother of 78 suffers really badly with gout and needs desperate help or advise. She has gout in both hands, and they are very very sore. Just wondering if there is a helpful helpline or anyone on the net who could help.
She as in Molly, my mother knows not to eat 'red meat' or 'peppers'. She also has been told by doctors to take Tramadol at 50ml and pain killers for Gout but nothing seems to be working the situation and flares up often.
IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO CAN HELP….PLEASE GET BACK TO ME ASAP IF CAN ON MY EMAIL ADDRESS
THANK YOU, GILL KAVANAGH
