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hansinnm said:
laerley said:
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Since, this last episode (again, for lack of a better term), the doctor is talking about switching me from allopurinol, to uloric?
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Don't let a pill pusher switch you to a $5 pill. The only sane reason to go from Allopurinol to Uloric is severe allergy to Allo. NOTHING ELSE! There is a 40-50 year proven history that Allo WILL control your gout, IF YOU HAVE GOUT.
I think at least some of the event's I experienced were most likely gout flares.? However, my feeling is that not all were gout.?
I'm not afraid to tell me doctor “no.”?;-)? And, I have simply refused some medications and/or medical diagnostics/procedures.??I told him the other day that I didn't understand why I should switch from allopurinol to uloric.? Especially when considering that I'm only taking 150 mg?(yes, I cut one pill in half).? After reading Keith's post above, I think I will increase the dosage a little, in an attempt to get my UA down to 5.?
Over the past few years, I've had at least 9/10 episodes that were diagnosed as gout (by four different doctors, including one rheumatologist).? Some of these episodes lingered as long as 2-3 months.!
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After one or two painful events, I jumped on the Internet and started reading everything I could about gout (including visits to this site
).? The more I read, the more I considered possibilities other than gout.??
I find it absolutely amazing (and disappointing) that two of the four diagnoses were based on visual appearance only!? I mean, that is probably prudent, if it?s the patient rarely has an episode/problem.? But, I would have thought that before placing a patient on ANY long term, gout medication the an attempt to positively identify the condition would be attempted.???
?
So, here I am, after nearly a dozen episodes (attacks, injuries, whatever), and after visiting 4 doctors, without any reliable diagnosis (at least, as far as I?m concerned).? Heck, they haven?t even x-rayed the foot (for all I know, I could have a fracture).? The only diagnostics that have ever been performed is serum uric acid (which was always on the high side?but, not always above upper norm limit).?
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Since, this last?episode?(again, for lack of a better term), the doctor is talking about switching me from allopurinol, to uloric??
?
It?s pretty darn frustrating to know I might be popping gout medication for the rest of my life,?and?it may not end my pain (I may not have gout)
. ??
